S. Peter’s Collegiate School Autumn Term Newsletter

December 2012

Dear S. Peter‟s Families,

On behalf of all the staff, I wish you all a very happy and blessed Christmas. Through all the hurly-burly of

activities, I hope you will find the time to think of the first Christmas and the way God came to the world as

a human being, born into a working family and experience everything that human families do. As is usual

at this time of year, thoughts turn to home and family, and I have been thinking particularly of those

individual Christmas memories that I value from my childhood. Here‟s one of them; Who is Santa Claus? I

really like this poem as an answer to that question—it makes a lot of sense!

“Daddy”, he said, his eyes full of tears,

“will you talk to me and quiet my fears?

Those bad boys at school are spreading a lie

„bout the impossibility of reindeer that fly.

There‟s not Santa Claus, they say with a grin

there‟s not one now, and there never has been.

How can one man take all of those toys

to thousands of girls and boys?

But I told them Daddy, that they were not right,

that I would come home and find out tonight.

Mamma said wait until you come home.

Please tell me now that I was not wrong.”

His Daddy looked at his questioning face

and puffed his pipe while his frantic mind raced.

He had put this off as long as he could,

he had to think fast and it better be good.

Whispering a prayer, he began with a smile,

“well climb on my lap dear, lets talk awhile.”

“Remember at church how we learned to pray,

asking God to take care of us each day?

And you know how we say grace before each meal?

To this same God whom we know to be real.

Though we never see him, we know he is there

watching his children with such loving care.”

“God started Christmas a long time ago

when he gave us His son to love and to know.

A spirit of giving came with that birth,

and God‟s generosity filled the whole earth.

Man had to name this spirit of giving

just as he names all things that are living.”

“The name Santa Claus came to someone‟s mind

probably the best name of any to find.

There is, you see, and I think quite clear

truly a Santa who visits each year.

A spirit like God, whom we never see,

he enters the hearts of your mother and me.”

“Each year at Christmas for one special night

we become him and make everything right.

But the real spirit of Christmas is in you and me

and I hope you are old enough now to see

that as we believe and continue to give,

our friend Santa Claus will continue to live.

May your home be full of peace and love this

Christmas.

Principal.

A Child‟s Wonder (Author unknown)

Hello, this is Vicky and I want to tell you about the trip to

London.

When Mr Uppal, our MP came to the school, he gave us

forty tickets to visit Westminster Palace, London.

On 9th October a total of forty staff and students caught the

waiting coach at 6:00 am. Most of us were not used to the

early morning start and when we got on the coach we soon

fell asleep.

At about 10:00 am the driver took us on a tour around

London. When we got off the coach we went to

Buckingham Palace, we took some pictures and had a lovely

walk through the parks. Afterwards we went to

Westminster Palace. The staff split us into two groups and

a tour guide showed one group around and told us about

the history of this historic building. We were shown all the

beautifully decorated ceilings and saw many of the

magnificent paintings too. These paintings told the history

of Britain. We were shown the House of Commons and

The House of Lords, these are the places where our

politicians hold their debates. When we finished our visit in

Westminster Palace, we walked past Horse Guards Parade

and saw 10 Downing Street. We had lunch at Trafalgar

Square and did some shopping in Convent Garden where

we saw some street artists. Some of the art work was

really funny. On the way back we walked past The

Embankment where we could see the London Eye and

Westminster Bridge.

A huge thank you to the staff and Mr Uppal.

We had the MOST AMAZING time and ENJOYED our day,

it was the BEST TRIP EVER!

By Viktorija Gaigalaite (11LR)

Wolverhampton

6-a-Side Tournament

On Thursday November 22nd a Year 7

‘B’ team took part in the MUGA 6–a–side

football tournament at Highfields where

they won two games easily but were beaten

by the last kick in their final game against St

Edmund's. As a result they were runners

up. Well done to all the players - they

produced some great football and were

unlucky to lose the one game.

The players were:

Niall Clear, Jaidev Dhaliyar,

Harrison Dooley, Harry Lewis,

Arun Luis, Nick Noons,

Sanpreet Phall, Aran Raj,

Sarjan Sidhu and Bhargav Vaidya.

Thanks to all the players for their effort and

commitment during some awful weather

conditions.

Mr D Clarke.

A large amount of school uniform has found

its way into lost property. Unfortunately

many of these can not be returned to their

rightful owner as they are un-named. We

fully appreciate how costly replacing these

items can be. Would you please clearly

name ALL school uniform, including P.E. kit,

to enable any future items to be returned.

Thank you from Reception.

Football Competition Football Competition Football Competition

Congratulations to S. Peter's ‘A’ Team Footballers

who, on Monday 19th November were runners-up

in the WSFA/SSAW 6-a-side competition. They

won their league by beating Heath Park ‘B’,

Wednesfield ‘A’, Aldersley ‘B’ & Moseley Park -

playing some superb football. They narrowly lost

to the winners of the other league, Highfields, 1-0

in the final.

The ‘B’ team came up against strong opposition in

their group, winning three out of their five games.

Well done to all players - they were a credit to S.

Peter's School.

Taking part were: Byron Anifalaje, Keiron

Cheema, Peter Dye, Harry Dyall, Alex Garner-

Woodberry, Ben Halldearn, Jamie-Lee Grant,

Ethan Hawkins, Toby Hughes, William Nicholls,

Jayden Plummer, Sarjan Sidhu, Ben Taylor and

Jake Taylor.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

In my last year of S. Peter’s, I welcomed the opportunity to celebrate the annual Black History

Month event in a more inclusive, informative way. I took my inspiration from the work done

previously to promote the history of black people. I felt this allowed people to acknowledge the

achievements and triumphs of people from black heritage backgrounds, which we are not

usually taught or exposed to in school’s humanity subjects.

Though I had many ideas of activities I could carry out; in such a short period of time, I was

happy to organise form assemblies for the lower school, which hopefully gave students the

opportunity to learn something new and discover inspirational people in history such as Madam

C.J. Walker. Mrs Smith was a huge help in the creative arts part of organised events ,such as the designing of the African bead

necklaces and bracelets. In addition, she organised a lunchtime activity where students were given the opportunity to replicate an

authentic Ghanaian oil pastel drawing. I felt that the activities were informative and different to what people were used to and I

hope it has inspired them to learn more.

In total £60 was raised in aid for the charity Sickle Cell, through the designing and selling of African beaded bracelets. The money

has gone towards supporting families affected by sickle cell by providing transport to and from hospital and financial support for

treatments.

Though I was very nervous about leading the Sixth Form/Year 11 assembly I felt it ran smoothly and the students and teachers had

an insight into the disease sickle cell and how it affects people’s lives who suffer with this condition. I was thankful to Dianne and

Karen from Sickle Cell for coming into school, doing their presentation and speaking to us as grown-ups rather than small children.

I am very grateful for all students who helped out and supported me in my organisation of the events. Also, to Mrs Wilkes for

giving us the opportunity to carry out something for this year’s Black History Month. I would like to say a huge thank you to Mrs

Smith for the time she spent helping me make sure events such as the bracelet making went ahead..

God bless and I wish you all the best in the New Year.

Michelle Simms, Year 13.

Byron Anifalaje, (7AMa)celebrates after

winning the penalty shoot out.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH BLACK HISTORY MONTH BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Whilst living in South Africa in 1981, I witnessed apartheid and was appalled at some of the country’s regulations. Years later and working at S Peter's, I offered to bring in some African ornaments and artefacts for our display cabinet to celebrate Black History Month and my interest developed from there.

This year we decided to get lower school involved in making bracelets similar to original African trinkets. So, on a low budget and recycled materials we began. Although more time was spent on preparation, the satisfaction we gained from this project was immeasurable. The simplicity of it all was a huge attraction and the demand for more bracelets exceeded our expectations! From nothing we raised £60 and it was unanimously agreed that this would go to 'Sickle Cell Care'.

During upper school worship, Michelle Simms from Year 13 presented the cheque to Diane and Karen from the Sickle Cell, Bilston branch who appreciated our donation and gave a talk on problems associated with this syndrome.

We also arranged art sessions in the library and students made copies from an original painting from Uganda. Everyone was engaged and found this to be so therapeutic that they requested we have an extra session! The work produced was amazing and will be made into a collage at a later date. Roll on next October so we can have even more activities!

Mrs J Smith, Higher Level Teaching Assistant.

Pictured above, Michelle Simms and Mrs J Smith.

Christmas Prayers

This Christmas perhaps we as a Christian Community can think of others less fortunate than ourselves. You

might want to use the prayers below, written by Year 8 in Religious Studies during the Culture and Society

Dimension Day, to help you to reflect about the true meaning of Christmas.

God gave the gift of his precious Son Jesus: What gift are you willing to give this Christmas?

Dear God,

This Christmas help us to think about people and children less fortunate than us.

Children in poverty won’t be having a good Christmas. Their families can’t afford presents in fact some

children haven’t got food, shelter, health, safety or support.

Whether they are looking after an ill parent, suffering illness themselves, or stuck in poverty, let us realise

and pray that we share a world with people like these.

Help us to think about them and help in any way possible.

Amen.

Year 9 Residential to the Towers

Well done to all those in Year 9, all one hundred and

twenty students, who took part in the Outdoor

Education visits to the Wolverhampton Centre in Capel

Curig, North Wales during November. The activities

included canoeing, kayaking, gorge walking,

orienteering, climbing, abseiling, mountain walking

and numerous other team building activities. Whilst

they were there, students had full activity days and then

had to complete a night activity which is always

challenging and popular. Many thanks to Mrs Wilkes,

Mr Drury, Ms Patel, Miss Chapman, Mr Stones, Mr

Marston, Mrs Loverock, Miss Pugh and Mr Tolley for

all their hard work during these weeks.

Mr I Fowler, Head of PE.

The Science Prep-Room staff are dedicated to the recycling of

materials whenever possible. Many household containers can be

used during our practical lessons and for general storage. Can we

ask staff, students and parents to save the following items for us.

2kg Ice-cream containers

Large confectionery tins, especially the plastic

‘Celebrations’ tubs

Any large biscuit/sweet tins

Vitalite tubs

White sheets

Towels/teacloths

These items can be left at reception or with the Science

Technicians in the Prep-Room.

Thank you from the Science Department.

Tom Palmer Visit

On the 21st November, an amazing author called Tom Palmer came

into our school. It was a great opportunity for all of us Year 7s to

learn how to be successful as an author. It was also jam-packed with

all sorts of fun activities such as a football tournament, quizzes and

lots more! We also had the chance to buy one of his amazing books and have them personally signed by

him! In the end, everyone had a good time and it was a fun and enjoyable afternoon.

Melissa Gregory.

I think Tom Palmer’s visit was good and I did enjoy it quite a lot. I also liked

the penalty shoot-out because it was entertaining to watch.

Zoe Brickley.

The whole experience was

intriguing, funny and full

of football. I enjoyed it

thoroughly and I would

certainly like him to come

again.

Lois Ross-Plummer.

Tom Palmer is one of my

favourite authors because he writes

books about football. His books are

an inspiration to all who are football

mad. He came in and everyone had

a good laugh and he even had a

football net where everyone who got a

question right could take a penalty.

AMAZING! He was really cool and

I enjoyed every moment of it.

Ben Taylor

Spirituality Dimension Day

Rights and Responsibilities Day

This term the Culture and Society School of Learning has led two Dimension Days. These have been for Year 7 & 8.

Year 7: Spirituality Day

The Year 7 Dimension Day on 26th October focussed on raising the spiritual awareness of our students and what it means to belong to a Church of England Academy. The day consisted of exploring prayer through the Lord’s Prayer, analysing Christian Creeds, designing a Christian Symbol for the school and exploring Christian Worship through music. The day ended with a special Eucharist for Year 7 which was led by Rev. Paul and his wife, Rev. Julia at St. Jude’s.

Some of the activities included: reflecting upon the Lord’s Prayer through meditation, writing prayers of penance, exploring the meaning of the Kingdom of God and the Kingship of Jesus; a music activity empowering students to develop their choral singing through a series of songs, exercises and singing in parts; exploring Christian Creeds and re-writing them in a modern format and finally exploring secular and Christian symbols which led students designing their own for the school. The day was a great success summed up by one of our Year 7 students who said,

"I really enjoyed the spirituality day and it was a very enjoyable experience. It was my first spirituality day. I’d love to have one every day!

So in summary I really enjoyed the day and it was a very good experience for me and I’m sure for everyone as well."

Year 8: Rights & Responsibilities Day

The focus of this Dimension Day on 4th December was the Rights and Responsibilities of the child and individuals. The Geography department considered the realities of an inequitable global trading system; this was done through interactive games and inter-group competitions. The History department considered the history of child exploitation and how this changed in Victorian England, and finally the Religious Studies department considered the work of Dr Barnardo. This was linked to our recent Children in Need day and the Shoe Box Appeal. Following this, students wrote prayers for those children who are less fortunate this Christmas.

The prayers can be read in this newsletter, and on the Christmas trees in the Religious Studies department, but here is one below;

Dear God,

Thank you that most people in Britain have a good and happy life.

But Lord, please provide for those who are less fortunate than us, who haven’t got the food, clean water and shelter we have, or whose parents won’t, or can’t be the loving

ones we know.

Give these children your love and provide them with what they need most.

Amen

Mr M Cooper,

Assistant Principal.

Jacob Deans and Anton Griffith

Das schmeckt sehr gut!

In the Spanish sessions the students tried, amongst other things,

chorizo, tortilla and olives.

The Year 7 students enjoyed the day very much and hopefully

this will spur them on to be even more adventurous in their

eating habits in the future!

Mrs J Handley, Head of Modern Foreign Languages.

Food Glorious Food!

On Tuesday 4th

December the whole of Year 7 was

involved in a Modern Foreign Languages based

Dimension Day involving food, songs, dancing

and drama from Germany and Spain.

In the German sessions, students sang a song

about healthy and unhealthy food accompanied

by Mr Rouse on his guitar. Then, as a reward,

they sampled some typical German food

including: oggenbrot” (ryebread),

“Sauerkraut” (pickled cabbage), several types of

“Wurst” (sausage), “Salami”,

“Emmenthaler” (Swiss cheese) and Austrian

smoked cheese. It was rounded off with a piece of

Stollen as dessert. Below are some of their

reactions:

Das schmeckt gar nicht.

Nicholas Noons, and Amar Brown-Hartley

Das schmeckt ziemlich gut!

Lizzie Preece, Georgia Cresswell,

and Keda Shaw

Duke of Edinburgh EvidenceDuke of Edinburgh EvidenceDuke of Edinburgh Evidence

Calling all those who have taken part in DofE over the last few years. Did you know

there is still time to log on to the eDofE website and complete your award? Go on, do it

and do it now. Upload your evidence in the Form sections. For the expedition section

do the same, but do it for Practice, Qualifying and Presentation. Fill it all in, save it and

then send it for approval. Once this is completed, I will sign you off and you will get the

award you deserve. If you have any problems you can contact me at school for help.

Mr Stones, Head of Outdoor Education. www.DofE.org

Investigation and Enquiry Dimension Day – ‘Breath of Life’

On Tuesday 4th December all of Year 10 took part in the ‘Breath of Life’ Dimension Day. The focus was

breathing and the respiratory system. During the day students carried out three practical activities that:

compared the gas exchange surface of mammals and fish

examined aspects of aerobic fitness

investigated the effect of running speed on breathing rate.

The day was a great success thanks to the hard work of the

staff in the Learning School under the guidance and the

leadership of Mr Drury. This was coupled with the

enthusiasm and excellent efforts of the Year 10 students.

There will be a prize for the two students in each set who

complete the booklet issued on the day to the highest

standard.

Ms R. Patel on behalf of the Investigation and Enquiry

Learning School.

Diwali Celebration

On 13th November, S. Peter’s celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Light. It is traditionally

celebrated over a five day period. This is a big favourite amongst families and

children, celebrating with fireworks, gifts and sweets.

Students and staff were involved in displaying authentic and cultural items in a large

display cabinet in our reception area. These exhibits were colourful and bright and

appreciated by all who had to opportunity to view them.

We are hoping to have some Diwali workshops at school in the week leading up to

Diwali next year. If any parents/carers are able to help in any way at all or have any

ideas, we would be most grateful.

Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New Year!

Mrs M Vij, Teaching Assistant.