CALENDAR

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The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College, Catcote Road, Hartlepool, TS25 4HA Tel: 01429 273790 Fax: 01429 273998

e-mail: admin@ems.hartlepool.sch.uk www.ems.hartlepool.sch.uk

Wednesday 21st October Children in Need Fun Run Monday 30th November PD Day

Monday 26th October Tuesday 1st December Y10 CP Debate

(to 30th) Half Term Y8 Science Trip

Monday 2nd November HPV Vaccinations Friday 4th December Blessed John Ingram Mass

Y10 / Y11 Science Assessment CP Big Bang

Tuesday 3rd November Y12 EDF Mentoring Launch (to 6th) Y11 Retreat

Thursday 5th November Senior Maths Challenge w/c Monday 7th December Pre Apprenticeship Workshops

Sunday 8th November Show Rehearsal Tuesday 8th December Clothes Show

Monday 9th November Sixth Form Open Evening Y7 Science Life Centre

Wednesday 11th November Senior Maths Challenge Wednesday 9th December Y8 Science Life Centre

Thursday 12th November Children in Need Activities CP Eurovision Song Contest

Saturday 14th November Show Rehearsal Thursday 10th December Y9 Parents Evening

Sunday 15th November Show Rehearsal Friday 11th December Sixth Form Advent

Monday 16th November EMA Meeting Monday 14th December

(to 19th) The Sound of Music (to 15th) House Sports

Wednesday 18th November CP Masterchef (to 16th) Pre Apprenticeship Workshops

Y10 Global Entrepreneurs Tuesday 15th December Christmas Concert

Thursday 19th November EDF Apprenticeships Tees Valley Skill Event

Friday 20th November MET Conference Wednesday 16th December Performing Arts Showcase

Y11 Shine Friday 18th December Y11 Quiz

Thursday 26th November Maths GCSE Enrichment Monday 21st December

Friday 27th November CP Spelling Bee (to Friday 1st January) Christmas Holiday

Saturday 28th November w/c Monday 4th January Sixth Form Mock Exams

(to 2nd December) Cologne Trip Friday 8th January Year 11 Photograph

Contact Details Please will parents / guardians notify the school office immediately if there are any changes to names, addresses, telephone numbers, mobile phone numbers or the named contact persons of students.

It is very important that contact information is kept up to date.

School Uniform / PE Kit We would like to make all of our parents and carers aware that we have changed our school uniform

suppliers. All orders and purchases should now be made through: AJM Designs, 119 Raby Road. They are open between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm Monday to Friday and their phone number is; 01429 721401. They can also be contacted via e-mail at; ajmdesigns15@gmail.com. We would ask parents and carers to note that there are no changes to our uniform and would remind them that all new blazers purchased will be of the new design with the house name embroidered on the front. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our previous suppliers, Altered Images, for their efforts over the last couple of years. If you have any items of school uniform or PE kit that your child no longer needs (which are still in good condition) we would be grateful if you would send them to school. We will then keep a supply of uniform and PE kit in school which can be loaned to students in an emergency. Thank you

School finishes on Friday 23rd October at 3.10 pm for half term. School re-opens Monday 2nd November at 8.50 am.

The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College

Parents’ Bulletin No 1

October 2015

Dear Parents / Carers

It gives me great pleasure to write to you as the new Headteacher of The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College. I have joined English Martyrs having spent the past five years as Headteacher of St Aidan’s Catholic Academy, Sunderland. Previous to that I worked at St Michael’s RC School, Billingham as Deputy Headteacher. As a resident of Hartlepool for the last twenty five years, I was certain that English Martyrs was the right choice for me as Headteacher. I have been touched by the warm welcome that I have received during my first half term. I have been impressed by the highly skilled and professional approach of our teaching and support staff and in their dedication and commitment to our students. The students themselves have been a pleasure to meet and I have a flavour of the pride which they have for our school community. The Directors and Governors have demonstrated clear levels of support and challenge, born out of a genuinely high ambition for the school. I am, therefore, very proud to serve the school as Headteacher. I truly believe that The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College has huge potential. I am determined to secure an outstanding future for our school. I have the highest expectations of all staff and students and it is my intention, by working together, to raise standards in every area, helping each individual student to reach their full potential. As well as introducing myself, I would also like to report to you the fantastic achievement of last year’s Year 11 and Year 13 students. At GCSE level, our Year 11 secured 64% 5+ A*-C (including English and Maths) which is well above local and national averages. At A Level, our Year 13’s achieved a magnificent 52% A*/B pass rate. The Aver-age Points Score per student was an impressive 832.5, compared to a Hartlepool average of 623.4. I should like to take this opportunity to warmly congratulate all of our students on their success and to wish them well in their A Levels, further study or employment. Finally, it is my intention as the new Headteacher to work with the governors, staff, students and you as parents and carers to build upon and develop the school into a truly outstanding Catholic centre of excellence. In order for me to obtain a wider knowledge of the school and its parent community, I will be holding an informal consultation evening on Tuesday 24th November from 5:30 pm until 6:30 pm. This is an opportunity for you as parents, if you wish, to come along and talk to me about your views on English Martyrs. If you intend to come, I would ask that you contact my PA, Mrs Foster, either by telephone or email, so that appropriate refreshments can be prepared. I look forward to meeting you all as parents / carers over the course of the year and to working in close partnership with you to achieve highly successful outcomes for your child. Stephen Hammond

FREE SCHOOL MEALS Children whose parents are in receipt of one of the following are entitled to receive free school meals (FSM):

Income Support (IS) or Income Based Job Seekers Allowance (IBJSA)

An income related employment and support allowance

Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999

Child Tax credit (provided they are not entitled to Working Tax Credit) and have an annual income which from 6th April 2013 does not exceed £16190 as assessed by HMRC

If you are in any doubt whether your son / daughter is eligible for Free School Meals (and the associated Pupil Premium payment) contact Hartlepool Civic Centre on 266522. You will need to supply your National Insurance number before they carry out a simple eligibility test via their Eligibility Checking Service. Remember School can provide packed lunches or a hot meal as part of the Free School Meals service.

St John Boste St Margaret Clitherow Blessed John Ingram St Anne Line St Thomas More

887 (1st place) 833 (2nd place) 639 (5th place) 685 (4th place) 831 (3rd place)

The Sound of Music 2016 This year’s production will be ‘The Sound of Music’! Rehearsals are well underway and we are looking forward to another spectacular show from many of our talented students. Tickets are available from the School Office priced £6.00 (£4.00 Concessions).

House Points 2014- 2015 Congratulations to St John Boste House who accumulated the most House Points at the end of the school year. Points are accrued for attendance, merits and participation in school events and sports. Well done St John Boste!

Medicines / Tablets Please remember that students must not carry any tablets or medicines in school. If students need to take medication during school hours parents must hand it to Mr Craddy for safekeeping. Thank you

Online e-payments for school meals and other school purchases The school is now using iPayimpact online payments to help reduce administration and cash handling in schools and also to allow pupils to reduce the amount of cash they carry to school. You can log into Ipay at http://www.ipayimpact.co.uk/IPI using your unique login and password. If you have any problems with Ipay, please contact Mrs Wright at swright@ems.hartlepool.sch.uk for help making sure you include your child’s name, D.O.B and form group in the email.

Operation Christmas Child – Shoe Box Appeal We are once again asking for your help with the Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Appeal. Every year we ask friends, family and anyone else we come into contact with if they would like to make a Christmas shoe box for children who are not as fortunate as us at Christmas.

Decorate / cover a medium sized shoe box, cover the box and lid separately

Then fill with suitable gifts from the following list (or similar items): TOYS: Include items that children will immediately embrace such as dolls or stuffed toys (with CE label), toy trucks, harmonica, yo-yo, skipping rope, ball, small puzzles etc. SCHOOL SUPPLIES: Pens, pencils & sharpeners, crayons or felt pens, stamps & ink pad sets, writing pads or notebooks & paper, solar calculators, colouring & picture books etc. HYGIENE ITEMS: Toothbrush and toothpaste, bars of wrapped soap, comb or hairbrush, flannel. OTHER ITEMS: Hat, cap, gloves or scarf, sunglasses, hair accessories, jewellery set, wind up torch, wrapped sweets (sell by date must be at least March of the following year). DO NOT INCLUDE: used or damaged items, war related items such as toy guns, play soldiers or knives; chocolate or other food items; liquids or lotions of any type; medicines; hand-made or knitted stuffed toys; anything of a political, racial or religious nature; marbles or sharp objects; glass containers, mirrors or fragile items.

Please attach £3.00 for transport costs etc. (Cheques are preferred, please make payable to ‘Samaritan’s Purse’) and label the box to show whether it is for a boy / girl and indicate the age group.

Secure the shoebox with an elastic band – DO NOT SEAL—Bring the filled shoeboxes into school. We will be filling a number of shoeboxes in school, if you are not able to complete a whole shoebox any contributions towards these (of individual gifts or money so that we can buy suitable items) would be gratefully received.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Badminton Goal Keeping Girls Football Netball Sports Stars KS3 Rugby Multi-Sports KS4 Football Fitness Mini Sports Stars Basketball Girls Rugby Volleyball Cross Country Swimming (non swimmers) Swimming Y7 Football Y8 and 9 Football

Table Tennis Club (£1 per session)

Trampolining After School Sports KS4 Rugby

AS revision

Rhys Hewitt Memorial Dugout We will be holding a Memorial Open Day for the Rhys Hewitt Dugout on Saturday 24th October at EMS. The day will start at 10:00 am and finish for 12:30 pm. Everyone is welcome - your support would be appreciated. There will be a ribbon cutting, a reading and Year 11 students will be playing a football match against Rhys’ Sunday team; Hartlepool Youth FC.

Student Safety Please ensure that you remind your children that they must only cross Catcote Road via the pedestrian crossings. We have had a number of reports of students running across the road in front of cars. This is very dangerous and could lead to an accident. Would parents please avoid dropping their children off in any of the staff car parks at any time during the school day. It is in the best interests of all students’ safety if the number of vehicles entering the site is kept to a minimum.

Art Classes The school runs an Art class for interested adults in two sessions. They began on Monday evenings in September from 7.00 pm—9.00 pm and on Friday mornings from 9.30 am until mid afternoon. The Monday class is very informal, the Friday class a little more structured. Costs are £30 per term for adults (£25 for senior citizens and £22 for adults on benefits) for the Monday class and £5 per session for the Friday class. The groups work in a lively, friendly, relaxed environment and are overseen by Mr Roy Carless, a long serving teacher of Art and Photography at the school, now retired.

HOLIDAYS 2015- 2016

26th - 30th October 2015 Half term

30th November PD Day

21st - 1st December - January 2016 Christmas holiday

4th January New term begins

15th - 19th February Half term

25th - 8th March - April Easter holiday

11th April New term begins

2nd May Bank holiday

30th - 3rd May - June Half term

15th July End of term

CHESS CLUB The Chess Club takers place on WEDNESDAYS, 3.15-4.15pm in the library. Boards, sets and even chess clocks are available from the librarians and Mr Edwards will be there most weeks to give any advice and support to students who wish to learn the game or improve their skills by playing others. New Year 7 students are especially welcome, as well as those chess players from other years who have played before. It is hoped to run another SPEED CHESS TOURNAMENT in the run up to Christmas, to take place one afternoon in school

time – with the MAIN TOURNAMENT after Easter – open to all students, regardless of their ability. If you can’t stay after school on Wednesdays, you can still get practice by playing independently in the mornings / at lunchtime any day in the library – just ask the librarians for equipment. Give it a go! – it’s a classic game with only a few rules that’s great for your mental develop-ment and it makes a nice change from those hectic Xbox and PSP games!

MISSION 2016 As you may have heard, YMT have returned to our School this October and are providing a variety of sessions, reflections, activities and opportunities for all year groups around the theme of 'step up to life'. Most of the activities will be during school hours, but on Wednesday 21st October all parents, carers, family members, and members of our local community are invited to join us for an evening of celebration - looking back at the week we've had together and looking forward as we journey as one.

House Cross Country The annual House Cross Country event took place on Tuesday 6th October. The course was wet underfoot and the infamous ‘beck’ was flooded, but the air was warm and still; ideal conditions for the event. The Year 7 races were won by Jonathan Callaghan (St Margaret Clitherow) and Anastasia Rogan (St Thomas More). Year 8 / 9 combined age races were won by Sam Tyers (St Thomas More) and Ellie Waddup (St Anne Line). The Year 10 / 11 combined age races were won by Nic Bennions (St John Boste) and Niamph McMorris (St Anne Line). Congratulations. A fantastic achievement by all. The overall House Team competition was won by St Anne Line. Congratulations to all students in the winning team. Runners up were St John Boste, followed by St Thomas More, St Margaret Clitherow and Blessed John Ingram. A huge thank you and well done to all the students who participated and represented their Houses with such distinction and to the Sixth Form A-Level PE students for marshalling duties.

European Day of Languages Celebration On Thursday 24th September ten Year 8 Students, selected for their hard work and enthusiasm in language lessons, took part in a celebration for the European Day of Languages at St John’s School and Sixth Form College, Bishop Auckland. On arrival they were served with fresh croissants and hot chocolate and throughout the day students completed workshops in French music, the Spanish bake-off, Greek Zorba dancing and a German surprise. An excellent day was had by all and each one of the students conducted themselves brilliantly! Special congratulations go to Jay Allan (8JI1) and Sophie Howe (8JI2) who won prizes thanks to their contribution to the day’s activities.

European Song Competition

In order to celebrate the European Day of Languages, all Year 7 students took part in a Eurovision-style singing

competition on the 25th September. Classes

performed songs in French, German, Spanish and Italian and some even wowed us

with their dance moves and actions too! The competition was judged by Mr Hammond, Philippa Jarvis (Head girl and Year 13 French student) and

Robin Caswell (Year 12 German student).

Congratulations to 7U1A who won with their rendition of

‘Fliegerlied’ and to the runners up 7X1B who sang

‘Tu as un animal’ and 7U2A who sang ‘Bonjour’.

Follow us: @ems_mfl

EMS MFL Department

The EMA is holding a Christmas Tombola in school on Thursday 10th and Friday

11th December. This is a very popular

fundraising event and the students thoroughly enjoy

themselves. Any donations of seasonal

chocolates or small gifts will be gratefully received (before Tuesday 8th December please).

Please send all donations to the school office.

Thank you for your support.

The English Martyrs Association The EMA (The English Martyrs Parent / Teacher / Friends Association) work to raise money to

benefit the school. All monies raised by the EMA are donated to the school and used to contribute to many projects across a range of Departments and activities. As a parent of a pupil

at The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College you are automatically a member of the EMA and are invited to attend meetings and events. Meetings are held once per half term on Monday evenings at 6.00 pm

in the Conference Room (St Anne’s Building, opposite the main school office). They normally last for approximately one hour. The next EMA meeting will be held on Monday 16th November.

All parents / friends of the school are most welcome to attend. All support is greatly appreciated.

A fantastic way to help the EMA to raise money whilst shopping:

Using The Giving Machine - It’s Easy! Browse to www.thegivingmachine.co.uk Click shop Pick your shop

Sign up if you wish or Give anonymously (both have the same result) Type English Martyrs in the search bar, then click search

Click Choose next to English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College Click Continue

It will open the website of the shop you chose, you do your shopping as normal and the school makes cash for free!

Please Note:: You shop as normal, same prices and the shop makes a donation to the

school!

Annual EMA Christmas Shopping Trip to Leeds This will take place on Saturday 14th No-vember 2015. The bus will leave EMS at 8.00 am and then leave Leeds at 4.00 pm to return to Hartlepool. The cost of a seat is £15 and can be booked by contacting Lisa Foster at school on 01429 273790. The trip this year will coincide with the Leeds Christmas Market.

Thursday 26th November 7.00 pm

Sixth Form Common Room - EMS

To include stalls selling: bath products, chocolates,

handbags, jewellery, gifts etc.

Ticket: £3.00 - includes mince pie and mulled wine Available from the school office - 01429 273790

This half term in Art and Design has been very exciting. The work that has been produced so far from our students has been fantastic and we would like to share some examples with you all. We could show many more but this small sample will give you a flavour of the wonderful talents that our students show us all the time. Well done everyone so far in Art and Design. We look forward to what the next half term will bring us.

Art and Design

Children in Need 2015 Over the past ten years The English Martyrs school and Sixth Form College students have taken part in events at the school to raise money for the Children in Need charity. Each year the total amount raised has increased with last year’s total being an

amazing £3100.00. This year’s events include a Fun Run on 22nd October and in-school events on Thursday 12th November. Then on 13th November a group of our fundraising students will be travelling to the BBC event to present our cheque. We are hoping to break last year’s record!

Year 11 Choices Event During October all Year 11 students attended the Hartlepool Choices Events, held at Brierton Sports Centre. This fantastic annual event gave our Year 11 students to an opportunity to meet over thirty local colleges, training providers and employers to research and discuss their next steps and receive external and impartial careers guidance at this key transition stage to enable them to make informative decisions on their future plans.

Caterpillar Simulated Work Environment (SWE) Visits During October thirty four of our aspiring Year 11 engineers had the opportunity to work within the CAT SWE. This is the simulated training environment CAT use to train their own staff and saw our students working as teams on a real continuous processing production line. This was an amazing opportunity and an extremely beneficial practical day which supports their studies for their exam unit.

Omega Plant Visit Thirteen of our Year 11 engineering students participated in a visit to the OMEGA Plastics Plant in Hartlepool. Pupils were able to see ‘first hand’ a local processing and production plant in action. This was an extremely useful day which supports the students’ studies for their exam unit.

Caterpillar: Confidential Green

Insert picture here

Simulated Work Environment

THE SWEENIES

PEOPLE

0

0

14

0

COST

0

3

14

0

Ideas/Issues Generated

per Employee: 4.1

(Target = 4)

(Targets in Yellow)

QUALITY

VELOCITY

Date: 13/10/2015

GCSE PE In September a group of Year 10 GCSE PE students spent 2 days camping in Keswick, Cumbria. Whilst on the visit students participated in activities such as Gorge Walking, Canoeing, and Mountain Biking. All students were a credit to the school and enjoyed all the activities despite the typical Lakeland weather!!

Sports Day 2015

Battlefields

On Friday 28th September two students from The English Martyrs School and Sixth Form College went on a trip to the World War One battlefields in France. This visit was funded by the government as part of a wider project celebrating the centenary of the Great War. On the trip the girls were able participate in the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate, as well as visiting the Flanders Field Museum and trenches of the Somme. Following on from this experience the girls are hoping to involve school and the wider Hartlepool community in their Legacy 110 project- more information to follow. Here are the girls experiences in their own words.

Getting picked for the WW1 commemoration in Belgium and France was honestly one of the proudest moments of my life. When we got there and visited the different landmarks (especially the cemeteries) I had absolutely no words. The amount of soldiers that had given their lives for the good of our country was breath-taking and I am so lucky to have been picked to go. I can’t wait to share with everyone just what we have done and we will keep the memory of them alive. RIP. Talia Doyle, Year 9

Last month I went on a History trip to Belgium and France, learning about WW1. I was very lucky to be selected for this educational visit, as only two students could go. Early hours on the 25th September, Talia, Mrs Richardson and I went to Durham to meet other schools and began travelling down to Kent. When we arrived at Grosvenor Hall we went rock climbing and made friends before going to a hands-on workshop with real WW1 artefacts. The next morning, after a journey on the Eurotunnel, we arrived in Ypres in Belgium. We went to the Flanders Field Museum; I really enjoyed this as it showed what the atmosphere was like during the Great War. Next we went to Poperinge where soldiers were punished or imprisoned. Later that evening we watched the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate and I laid a cross in memory of my great-granddad whose name is on one of the panels. The next day we went to look at the cemeteries and trenches of the Somme. On the last day we made a clay soldier which will be laid in Flanders Field as a memorial - one for each of the soldiers who died. We visited a German cemetery, which was very different to the British ones, then saw Tyne Cot cemetery- the largest British war cemetery in the world. This was amazing and so emotional, but also my favourite part of this memorable experience. Eve Remington, Year 9

Summer Concert 2015