St Angela's Easter Newsletter 2013

St Angela’s Newsletter

Easter 2013

In this issue . . .

Book Week Dance Concert Model UNFind out more about the girls’ debating skills and their participation in this event

Another fantastic dance concert showcasing the talented dancers of St Angela’s

A great week for all the school with lots of fun literary events!

2 | St Angela’s Easter Newsletter 2013

Dear Parents & Carers,I write to you all as we prepare for solemnity of Holy Week, with all the latest news from St Angela’s in what has

been a unique term for us all.

I want to start by thanking you all for the hard work you have done as parents this term in helping your daughter

remain focussed on her educational progress and equally to thank you for your support for the school.

This term, St Angela’s sadly lost a great servant when Mr Gayle (our former Head of Year 7) passed away on

2nd February. I was incredibly proud of the whole school community, in the manner in which they coped with

their loss and the brave, dignified way in which they behaved at funeral mass held for Mr Gayle. He was an

incredibly caring and modest man and his Requiem Mass was a beautiful affair, befitting our great friend. I am

sure you join me in praying for the repose of his soul.

As you can see from within, life at school has been hectic, with a huge variety of activities that supplement the

fantastic learning the girls receive on a daily basis. It was really pleasing to see the return of the school ski trip

after many years and the girls, as ever, were superb throughout and it was thrilling to see them skiing down the

mountain by the end of the week.

Our focus on Literacy this year once again included the joy of Book Week and the madness of ‘Dress as a

Character Day’ - the photos of which capture the school wide celebration of literature.

The ABA (Anti-bullying alliance) is, as always, working hard to stamp out bullying. Like any great school, we

appreciate that this is something crucial for our students’ moral development and again, I know, that your support

at home on this vital issue is an integral part of educating the girls.

The Dance show, debating, drama, musical and sporting achievements together continue the long tradition of

developing our Ursuline girls’ talents and skills, no matter what they be, whilst at the same time continuing the solid

hard work of preparing for exams, completing homework, getting their planners signed - these have all been at

the heart of the progress your daughter has made this year.

I hope you enjoy reading everything within and as you do, I hope you feel very happy with all the hard work the

staff have put in to create such a vibrant, successful school.

I want very much to make a plea to the parent body, and it is one I have made before. I implore all parents

to use the OfSTED parent view site to complete the questionnaire about St Angela’s. The link for this site can

be found at the school website.

Although we have over 900 parents/homes from which students come, no more than 12 people have ever

completed this important questionnaire despite several requests.

YOUR SCHOOL NEEDS YOU!

I wish you and your family well as you celebrate Easter 2013. May the joy of the risen Lord shine upon us all, as

we pray together for the great gift of our new pope, Pope Francis, in his ministry as the leader of the Catholic

Church.

Yours in service

Mr Johnson, Headteacher

St Angela’s Easter Newsletter 2013 | 3

Each year as a school community we come together to raise money for our Lenten charity, CAFOD.

In his role as Head of Year 7, Mr Owen Gayle, who we sadly lost to Cancer recently, would organise a sponsored walk for the Year 7 students. The staff and students of St Angela’s School would like to continue this legacy by holding a Memorial Sponsored Walk around West Ham park in honour of Mr Owen Gayle.

Each form class will walk once around West Ham Park. The walk will depart and return to school and will be approximately 2km in length, which should take students between 40-60 minutes to complete. We would be most grateful if you could support your daughter in collecting sponsorships, perhaps at your place of work, church group and amongst family and friends.

Owen Gayle Memorial Walk

To Mr Gayle, RIP: A message from the students of St Angela’s

It was with a very heavy heart that we gathered as a school community to celebrate the life of a great teacher, Mr Gayle, who embodied the spirit of Serviam and taught us – both staff and students alike – much more than he will ever know. On behalf of the student body, both current and past, we four Year 12 students would like to pay tribute to Mr Gayle

Riannna“Coming into Year 7 was a frightening prospect for me, as I knew no one else in my year.However, it quickly became bearable as I met a teacher, Mr Gayle, who had a real aura of kindness. That never left you, Sir. You always had a spring in your step, a smile on your face and you were always approachable. You understood the feelings of all of the students.Mr Gayle, you were absolutely fantastic. May you rest in peace in the Kingdom of God.”

Kristine“You were an amazing man. One of the kindest, most genuinely caring teachers I’ve ever met. You always put your students first and I will always cherish the years you taught me.I have two special memories of you: firstly the moment you gave me my St Angela’s water bottle and secondly the way you helped me complete

my jewellery box. Now that I have it at home, I know a part of you will always be with me.”

Eddisia“Always smiling, encouraging, giving, selfless – these are some of the words I would use to describe you.As a teacher, you were fantastic and we all knew from the way you taught that you had a real passion for technology and that passion you passed on to us.Sometimes, it’s really hard to say goodbye but this is not a goodbye because your spirit lives on. You brought smiles to the faces of thousands of St Angela’s girls and there is no doubt in my mind that you will never be forgotten.”

Elizabeth“Mr Gayle: a funny, loving, trustworthy man – that was clear from that first moment, on that first day, when you called out that terribly long register of the names in Year 7 as we were dispersed into our various form classes.The thing I’ll cherish most about you, Sir, is that you always knew how to joke with students, but when you were being serious, we knew that you meant business. Sir, thank you for everything.”

Book Week4th-8th March 2013

F E Higgins Author VisitOn Tuesday 5th March we had another wonderful Book Character Day: We had a competition to see who had the best outfit that day too. I hope everyone enjoyed it. During our English lesson a great author called F E Higgins came in to visit Year 7s in the TLC and talked about her books, particularly her newest novel “The Phenomenals”. You were also able to buy the books and get it signed. F E Higgins asked some of the girls to act as different characters in The Phenomenals to give everyone a feel about the book if they had not read it yet. There were four main characters and ghosts who wailed and moaned endlessly. Scary isn’t it?

by Tchae Year 7

Book Character Day - Tuesday 5th MarchDuring book week many events took place, especially when the school got the chance to dress up from their favourite books (Aka Book Character Day)! Not just students but teachers dressed up too. For example, Mr Johnson dressed up as James Bond, Ms Boyd was the wicked witch from The Wizard of Oz and Mr Foley dressed up as Van Helsing from Young Dracula. There were also students who dressed up as the hungry caterpillar and someone else dressed up as someone from Homestuck. So many people expressed their love for books. The school’s BBC school report group started to interview people on their love for books, their costumes and all other types of questions. We had to interview a lot of people and it was great fun. We also asked questions such as ‘Who have you seen so far and who is your favourite?’, ‘Why did you dress as this certain character’ and ‘What is your favourite book?’. It was a great day!

Bernadette & Karen – 9 Parker

‘Poetry By Heart’ Recital CompetitionDuring ‘World Book Week’ students from years 10 and 11 were invited to take part in the ‘Poetry By Heart 2013’ competition. To compete, students had to learn two poems and recite them in front of a small audience in the TLC.

Students were assessed on accuracy as well as the delivery of their chosen poems, and the judges were unanimous when selecting their winner. Dorthea, 11 Mirren, gave an engaging and accurate recital of an extract from ‘The Ballad of Reading Gaol’ by Oscar Wilde and ‘It’s Work’ by Benjamin Zephaniah. She will be representing St Angela’s in the next round of this national competition. We wish her luck! Runners up were: Olivia, Vanessa and Justicia.

Miss Hill, English Department

Book Character Day

Book Week4th-8th March 2013

Anne Cassidy - Author Visit On Monday 11th March, Anne Cassidy came to talk to a group of year 9 pupils.

We were all very excited to see her, after reading one of her books in English.

She was very entertaining and had a very different creative writing process to most authors, which we all found amusing. We had all read her book ‘Looking for JJ’ in English and all thoroughly enjoyed it, she was very surprised to find this…and scared as she’d never been in a room with so many people who’d read one of her books before.

She talked a lot about her new book, “Killing Ra-chel”, which is the second book of her series, The Murder Notebooks. She read extracts and gave a summary of the series.

It is really marvellous that St Angela’s manages to get such fabulous writers into the school. A lot of the girls stayed after school to talk to her and buy her books!

Melissa Year 9

WBD story tellingOn Thursday 7th March 2013 we had a WBD story telling. Different teachers came to the TLC to recite fascinating stories to grip our attention. Some of these stories were made up but lots of them were stories we already know. Ms Chavda told us the story of Devali from her culture. It was fascinating. Then Miss Taylor told us the story of the cops and robbers and Miss Peacock hooked us with her story about a woman who was buried alive. Ms Hall read us The Hungry Caterpillar in French. Finally, Ms Suc Diamond told us a Scottish poem about what will happen if we don’t go to bed on time. This event was one of the best in the huge number of events that were on offer during book week. Many students were able to participate and enjoyed recalling the events that happened, and also, the stories or books that they are now inspired to read. We have been inspired to read more and have discovered a new world we can step into when we pick up a book. Many people who never read now have been inspired to read and people who read one type of genre of book now read a variety.

By Chaz - 8 Sanderson


Anti-Bullying Alliance News

Student Anti-Bullying Questionnaire The Anti-Bullying Alliance had a busy start to 2013. They designed an anonymous online questionnaire for students in Y7 – Y11. If you have not completed it yet, please click the link on the MLE ‘Front Page’ and complete it there – thanks. We would love to hear your views! We

will use the questionnaire information to help us plan our work in the future.

Anti-Bullying Alliance Events in 2013Look out for upcoming events planned and led by Anti-Bullying Ambassadors! Each year team of ABAs will be planning and leading one event with support from their teacher rep/s.

Events will take place on the following dates:

• Y9s with Ms Chislett – Friday 26th April

• Y8s with Ms Taylor – Friday 24th May

• Y7s with Ms Lee and Mrs Allen – Friday 28th June

Come and join in the fun!

The hard work undertaken by Anti-Bullying Ambassadors last term was officially recognised by a surprise celebrity guest just before the Christmas holidays. Alongside Alex Holmes (Diana Award Anti-Bullying Manager), Matt Laplinskas visited St Angela’s on Wednesday 19th December 2012.

Matt answered questions from students, talked about his experiences, provided advice, gave autographs and posed for photos with students.

The Anti-Bullying Ambassadors designed a ‘Thank You’ card for Matt which included a selection of photos of his visit.

Look who came to visit St Angela’s! Yes....it was former EastEnders actor Matt Laplinskas (who competed in ITV’s Dancing on Ice!)

CATALYST DAnCe ConCerTOn Wednesday 5th & Thursday 6th March audiences were wowed by St Angela’s dancers as they showed of their skills in the annual Dance Concert. This year has again been very busy for the dancers at St Angela’s. They have had the opportunity to participate in some exciting projects, working with artists from the Royal Opera House, Candoco Dance Company and Rambert Dance Company. We also have dancers who are on national dance programmes based at The Place, Trinity Laban and the Council for Dance Education and Training.


Years 7 and 8 St Angela’s pupils learning German have started to write to penfriends at a school in Germany. Links with the BMV Catholic Girls’ School in Essen started three years ago when the German assistant at St Angela’s contacted her former school. Teachers there were keen to establish contact with a similar school in London. In October, the links were re-established and now pupils in three classes at St Angela’s, have their own penfriend they write to every few weeks. The St Angela’s girls write in German and their penfriends write back to them in English. The girls also take the opportunity to be creative and spend a lot of time at home colouring and presenting their letters which are eagerly anticipated by both parties.

In January 2013 a group of Year 7 students with an excellent record of attendance at Homework Club were selected to complete the AQA ‘Homework Study Skills’ unit award. Throughout the unit, all students demonstrated impressive commitment and enthusiasm.

Congratulations to the following students who participated and will soon receive their certificates:

Nazra 7 VIC

Sósanna 7 STA

Princikha 7 CRE

Tanisha 7 XAV

Keira 7 REG

We are looking forward to seeing the next group of students achieve the award!

If you are interested in participating, please see Miss MacMillan in the LSU or at Homework Club in the TLC.

GERMAN PENfRIEND SCHEME

Photo: Year 7 Pupils with their letters, Erycelia, Vesta, Derrisha, Deborah, Claire, Perpetual

Homework Club

Achievements

WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE?

Have you ever seen anyone do this and wonder how they do it and what it means?

Then come along to the LSU on Wednesday at 3.30pm and learn the basics of British Sign

Language!

IT’S FUN!!!


On the 15th of February 2013 a group of nineteen St. Angela’s girls embarked on a 24 hour coach journey to Austria. When we arrived in Austria we were fitted with our skiing gear and checked into our hotel , in the picturesque resort of Saalbach, Hinterglemm.

On the first day we went to the beginner slopes and learnt how to ‘plough’ and turn. Some of us found it easier than others, and there were a few minor crashes! In the evening we went on a moonlight sleigh ride with horses and stopping off a mountain-side lodge for ice cream sundaes!

During day 2 and 3 we went higher up in the mountains, which separated the girls that needed further work on the nursary slopes and those that were ready for the next challenge! We took the cable cars up to a higher part of the mountain which had beautiful views though a bit scary for those of us afraid of heights! We practiced some turns, plus controlling our speed with some ploughing. In the afternoon we went to do some ice-skating. Their blades were thin compared to ours in London so we found it really hard!

On the fourth day we went further into Sallbach and went on the harder blue slopes where it was a bit steeper than we were used to. We also got to use the chair lifts for the first time. Once we had got used to it, we went right to the top. It was very scary for some people! In the afternoon we got some hot chocolate and watched a laser skiing and snowboarding show, finished off with some great pizza.

On the fifth day we did some more skiing and again we went higher. In the afternoon we went shopping and attended a presentation where we got our skiing certificates and awards. To finish the night of we had a finale party.

On the Final day we skied for the last time and went right up to the top of the mountain, our biggest challenge yet, we skied all the way down, down some really steep slopes our instructors Anna and Robert were really proud of our efforts . In the afternoon we packed and before we knew it we were back in London.

We had an amazing time, it was a brilliant experience that we would all love to repeat, though we found the week physically hard, we came back having learnt a new skill, embraced a new culture and gained lasting friendships!!

Nicole 8 Simmonds

Ski Trip 2013


We were told about ‘Battle of the Bands’ which was to be held at Plashet School by Mr Ramos. We only had a week to rehearse so we entered the ‘Best cover song’ category performing We Are Young by FUN which we had performed at our summer concert 2012. We practised a lot in the lead up to the competition and were really nervous on the night once we saw the stage, lights and judges table. We looked at the programme and realised we were up against bands from Plashet, Stratford and Lister School, with some schools entering two bands. Before it was our turn, we heard some really strong bands which put even more pressure on us.

It was finally our turn but when we went on stage to

do a sound check, there were technical problems with our mics so we had to start again! We were cheered on by our fellow Year 11 St Angela’s girls and parents

who provided fantastic (and loud) support.

Our performance went really well and we had a great response from the supporters of others school too. We were all pleased and happy with our performance, especially when they announced us as WINNERS! It was a lovely night, as not only did we win and get medals (and chocolate) but we also made new friends!

Band members: Emma & Chantelle (singers), Amber & Kim (guitars), Yvonne (drums), Dorthea (bass guitar) and Charlene (keyboard)

Newham’s first ‘Battle of the Bands’ – February 2013

Enhance Enterprise; the Year 10 Young Enterprise Team have had a busy start to 2013, as they entered the Pan London Trade Fair, at Spitalfields Market on 13th February. They had the opportunity to showcase their products and sell them to the public. As well as being assessed by a judging panel including finalists from “The Young Apprentice”, they were able to meet and speak to the contestants whilst demonstrating their entrepreneurial skills. They will be entering the Young Enterprise Innovation Awards for Newham and Barking & Dagenham which will be held at UCL on 17th April 2013. They will set up a trade stand, meet the judges and give a short presentation about their company products and goals. We wish them good luck in the competition!

Young Enterprise

Mr M. Soares

Emma Year 11


Discussing AddictionsOn Monday 25th February, we had the opportunity to receive a talk given by two ex-addicts. This was very insightful as it allowed me to explore and understand the circumstances that can lead a person to develop an addiction. I think it is necessary to talk to someone who may have had an addiction, as it allows us to build empathy and a further understanding of what initiated their addictive behaviour. It has helped me to gain an appreciation about the life of an addict and the impact on their social as well as emotional wellbeing. This is important to understand as sometimes taking the textbook approach can often overlook the individual and their own account of the situations they find themselves in. I found this talk not only useful for my A Level Psychology course, but also beneficial for my future as I would like to work with addicts and support them in their fight to overcome their addictive behaviour. It was a great experience, especially as it enabled me to develop an understanding of what we are currently studying in the classroom.

The unique opportunity to hear and engage with ex-addicts, their experiences about the mindset and a life

living with an addiction, has extended my knowledge of the psychological, mental impacts and the social isolation that is involved in addiction. The dark, vivid imagery that both men conveyed the effect of a negative social environment, that could from an abusive parent or associating with the wrong peers that can be damaging and can play a major role in the initiation of an addictive behaviour.

What was particularly interesting to hear was about the cognitive processes that came with being involved in drug taking. The feelings of pleasure and association with taking an addictive substance enabled a person to become fixated, motivating an addict to continue to conduct in the addictive behaviour. However, what was unexpected was how well both men portrayed their story in a simple, yet captivating approach; dealing with renewal and change that enabled them to transform, and stop conducting the addictive behaviour and prevent relapse.

Asma & Danica , Year 13 Psychology Student

6th Form News

Recently, I spent a week in Kaiserslautern, Germany, carrying out work experience with ‘Obermeyer Planen und Beraten’: an international company of architects and engineers that regularly undertake vast and vital projects and additions to infrastructure. In this office in Kaiserslautern, they specialise in water works: drinking water, water distribution, pumping stations as well as sewage plants. Every day I visited various unique building sites, met with civil engineers, builders and other architects. We deliberated over plans, prices, logistics, and of course, it was all in German! I was also given the chance to draw up my own building plans, which meant learning everything from scratch and in a foreign language.

Each working day starts early in the morning, as is normal for Germans, and brings new challenges in a foreign language. I was staying with my partner family in Kaiserslautern, who I got to know well during the school’s exchange trip here. I got to know the side of Germany that you don’t see in the text books: the birthday parties, television programs, and the shopping.

During the week my linguistic skills were really put to the test, not only with new words, but also different dialects and accents. In the beginning the sudden rush of German shocked me, but it was so rewarding to be able to communicate and develop friendships with people in their own language. I feel as though my German improved steadily each day: whether it was learning how to use a German computer keyboard, learning specific architectural vocabulary, how to use the German transport system or even just understanding the television programmes! I improved so much in those few days; I only wished I could have stayed for longer!

Peter - Year 13

Meine Arbeitspraktikum (Work Experience)


“Over the period of three days, myself with a group of others from other schools took part in a Debate Mate training programme during half-term in King’s College. We learnt the different skills which are necessary in debating such as emphasis on your points, a fiery nature and using data and emotion to make your argument stand. It has taught me that

attacking your opposition is not always the best policy - you must retain passion in your speaking, and find the defaults in any argument coming your way. Winning three debates during the programme, it was nice to hear others receive constructive criticism, and taught me that listening in a debate is as crucial to whether you win or lose as speaking.

Personally, I would suggest to anybody in the Sixth Form to take part in debating in St Angela’s Wednesday after school - debating is not only a skill, but an art which allows you to think on your feet. Employers and University interviewers will see that debating is what sets you out from the rest: you develop communication skills, present yourself in a manner which conveys your points without being insulting and help you to see all aspects to a situation. In truth, if you want to reach for those high universities and impress your future employers, being trained to win a debate is potentially life-changing.

Never in my life have I debated before, and a few days before I started debating, I was seen as a ‘ranting firebrand’ when in the moment - now, I can communicate my thoughts respectively and almost poetically.

START DEBATING!”

6th form Drama TripOn Monday 4th March all of the Year 12 Drama students at St Angela’s went to the Victoria and Albert Museum before (walking!) to Soho Theatre to see the play “God’s Property” by Arinze Kene. At the Victoria and Albert

Museum we went straight to the Theatre and Performance Galleries. We learnt about the design process and saw some models of sets influenced by famous designers. We saw a lot of costumes – and tried some on – as well as masks and jewellery. We found out more about the history of theatre which will help us in the summer exam. After this, we had some free time to explore the Museum. I went with Dillon and Kwaku to see the “Light from the Middle East” photography exhibition and I was impressed by some of the detail in the photos.

In the evening, we saw the play. Although the play was set in the 1980s, the themes were still relevant today. It was about two mixed race brothers and their struggle for identity. I really enjoyed the play because the performances were great. It was both funny and thought-provoking.Andre, Year 12

Realising Opportunities Russell Group Widening Participation

Project

17 of our Year 12 students were successful getting onto “Realising

Opportunities” - this is a programme of activities, taster lectures and

mentoring provided by 12 of the Russell group Universities. Our

students have already attended a Realising Opportunities National Student Conference along with participants from other schools.

The Universities are:

Birmingham, Bristol, Essex, Exeter, Kings’ College, Leeds, Leicester,

Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Warwick and York.

If our students successfully complete Realising Opportunities they will get extra consideration for offers

of places at the participating universities.

Chris Jarvis, School Careers Adviser

6th form Debating News

Geraint Garcia


The BLD foundation has been one of the most beneficial programmes I could have joined during my time in St Angela’s. By making that link and effort to participate in workshops and talks from Year 10, I was able to reap the benefits even when I left and came to 6th form. I got an amazing opportunity to have work experience in the 3rd biggest Law Firm in the world - Clifford Chance.

It was very educational as well as so much fun! I gained a huge insight in the path I wanted to take for my future and the goals I needed to set in order to achieve them. I was able to gain independence and develop my knowledge in a certain area of Law which helped me to see if it was the path for me. BLD provides great support and opportunities, therefore it would be a huge mistake to let it pass you by if you have any interest in Law for the future. If so, do not hesitate to contact Ms Kerr (MFL) for further details.

Kristine – 6th Form

During the half term, we had the fantastic opportunity to have a day of work experience in BP’s law department. This was because we had won an essay writing competition in which we had to explain why we want to become Lawyers. The competition was run by two of the large group of BP lawyers who come to our school regularly to mentor St Angela’s aspiring lawyers. We spent the day (from 10am till 3:30pm)in BP’s snazzy Canary Wharf offices, speaking to dozens of different types of solicitors including an employment lawyer and a shipping lawyer. The day was a real eye opener - we were astonished by how law is involved with pretty much every aspect of business and life in its self. The chance to meet so many lawyers allowed all of the questions we had about a career in law to be answered and it made us both even more certain that law is the path we want to follow in the future.

Siobhan and Marianna Year 11

BLD NEWS

A Level and GCSE Dancers went to see a triple bill performed by The Royal Ballet, as part of their coursework. The pupils saw ‘Apollo’ by George Balanchine, which is an interpretation of the myth of Apollo and is one of the landmark ballets of the

20th century. Its classical beauty was underpinned by Stravinsky’s magnificent score. ‘Aeternum’ is the world premiere of a new work by renowned choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, created for The Royal Ballet. It was an exciting piece to watch with a really interesting set design too. Finally the group saw ‘24 Preludes’ by acclaimed choreographer Alexei Ratmansky presenting his first work for a British company. The afternoon was very enjoyable and it was a real treat seeing such a company perform.

The Royal Ballet Triple Bill


Debate Mate is an international educational charity dedicated to improving confidence through debate mentoring with their slogan, “Empowering the youth of today. Creating the leaders of tomorrow”. The Urban Debate Mate League is one of the biggest debating competitions in the UK with over 4,000 schools from all over the country, debating for the Debate Mate title.

St Angela’s Ursuline School have been the debate mate national cup winners for 2 years in a row.

On the 23rd January 2013, three teams from St Angela’s have debated in round 1 (of three) of the Artemis Urban Debate League. The first round of The Urban Debate Mate League took place at St Angela’s Ursuline School. There were six schools, with a few teams per school at the debate.

The round consisted of two debates, the first debate had been prepared for and the students had known the motion for a few weeks, but the second round had not. The students didn’t know the motion until it was revealed to them before the debate was to about to begin, and they only had 15 minutes of preparation time.

The first motion was ‘This House Believes the Media

should not cover Extremist Political Parties’. 2 of St Angela’s teams won the first debate! It took extreme effort and everyone was nervous, but the motion had been rehearsed in a show debate for children from Ravenscroft Primary school the week before.

The second motion, which was harder, since there was only 15 minutes of preparation time, was ‘This House Would Ban Boxing’. Again, two of the St Angela’s teams emerged victorious this time but everyone enjoyed the day and everyone learnt a lot. There were many students who weren’t debating but stayed to watch and help prep, they learnt a lot from this day too, especially the students who were considerably new to debating.

Sixth former Mia Smith teaches the newer debaters, and James teaches the more experienced debaters, like Marianna, she said

“Debate Mate is the best charity ever!”

All students and mentors for the girls had a fantastic time and are very proud themselves and are preparing for Round 2 of Debate Mate in March.

by: Melissa and Mary Anne

DEBATE MATE URBAN DEBATE LEAGUEOn 6th March, the 2nd round of the Artemis Debate Mate League took place with over 100 secondary schools from all over the country getting through to the 2nd round with St Angela’s currently in 44th place nationally. We hosted one of the rounds at St Angela’s and had 120 participants from 5 East London schools.

The girls had the same teams from the last round with a few new faces from the first competition. The first motion was “This House will allow performing- enhancing drugs in sport” with all of St Angela’s teams on the Proposition. This was the prepared motion that the girls spent two weeks carefully preparing for. This was a hard motion especially for proposition but our teams did very well.

The second motion was the short prep motion “This House will arm police with guns” With two of the teams on Opposition and two on propo-sition. The debates were well fought and it was a hard motion to prepare in 15 minutes. This debate is always the most exciting due to the lack of time and it was amazing to watch.

We look forward to the one of the London rounds of the Deutsche Bank Debate Mate Cup on April 18th at the London School of Economics.

“It was great, I just wish there was more time to speak for summary speaker!”- Melissa

fOUR WINS fOR ST ANGELAS AT THE URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE!

By Mary Anne Oludipe 9 Durrant & Melissa Yeung 9 Britton


The Big Debate was an event that took place on 11th February, 2013. The participants were all the girls from Year 7. Preparation for the event had started one month in advance. The Year 10’s who participated in the Model UN (where we won many awards)

went into Year 7 classes and introduced debating – Model UN style. Each form represented countries from around the world. The Year 10’s then proceeded to teach the students on how to debate well through research and understanding the politics of various countries in the world. Finally, the forms chose five girls to represent their adopted countries.

On the day, the participants (who were very well prepared), went over to Brescia Hall to sit in conference and debate Gender Empowerment. Mr. Johnson, Head teacher, opened the debate. The debate was witnessed by our chief guest: Lyn Brown MP who gave us a talk on gender empowerment and the modern London. We also hosted James Steele from the education department of the Houses of Parliament. Five girls from the sixth form along with two student teachers held workshops for the Year 7’s (the non participating audience).

The girls who participated in the debate were outstanding in their performance. They took on a project, implemented it and were formidable opponents. Their performance is testament to the notion that learning has no ceiling. All in all, it was a great experience to all the Year 7 participants, the wonderful Year 10s and Year 12s (without whom it would not be possible). Finally, a special thanks to Ms. Boyd and Mr. Johnson and loads of other staff (including the caretakers, the front office and CISCO) for making this event a big success.

Ms. Afonso

The Big Debate – Citizenship in action

Come join our Reading Club!When: Every Tuesday

Where: In the TLC

Time: 3.30pm - 4.25pm

All KS3 welcome!


On the 7th March, St Angela’s hosted SACRE for 10 schools from the borough of Newham. The students, were first given a quick tour of the school (they were suitably impressed). The students then came into Merici Hall for refreshments. This was followed by the annual elections. The chair and deputy chair (both from St Angela’s – Melanie Davies and Lucia Fortune – Ely) gave up their positions to make way for some fresh blood. Mia Damerum stood for the position of Deputy chair person. I am happy to say that she won her seat. After the elections, we all went off to the mosque on Upton lane.

There we were welcomed by the Imam who gave us a talk and a tour. We then came back to St Angela’s where we had some more refreshments and went to the grotto to take out pictures. The SACRE meeting was then called to a close; Our guests went home: The event was a success.

We were invited to perform at the Chamber Concert on 7th March, an event enjoyed by students and parents alike to present the many musical talents in our school. We had our younger performers in Year 7 giving their debut performances all the way up to our sixth formers having their moment in the limelight. Being part of the headline act we were preparing for the important role of playing One Direction’s huge hit ‘What makes you beautiful’ and of course we had to dedicate it to Ciara (Year 11), 1D’s biggest fan! Having performance experience already, we weren’t the nervous wrecks we once were. We had a great time performing and also listening to the variety of pieces. It was wonderful to see so many parents and friends support the event and all the hard work we put in paid off.

Another amazing chamber concert!

Shannon, 10 Morrison

Chamber Concert

SPANISH CINDERELLAWell done to the Year 10 cast of Spanish Cinderella, who put on a delightfully entertaining – and linguistically accurate – performance of the fairytale in Spanish. So much hard work and commitment from Nicole Mavromatis, Kimberley Reyes, Grace Ipanga, Danielle Ashford-Quaye, Cecilia Donkor and Priyanka Sharma, who demonstrated that there are no boundaries in languages and that they are open to all! ¡Excelente chicas!

Ms Chislett

SACRE


Students in the Year 7 Drama Club performed three short plays written by Chelsea Anne Bitonio (Year 9). The plays used characters from well-known fairy stories to explore the theme of inner and outer beauty. The performances were organised with the help of students in Year 9 who are working towards gaining the Silver Arts Award. This requires them to set themselves an arts challenge. Some of the girls wanted to improve their acting and so performed in the plays, some wanted to gain experience of directing plays or, in Chelsea’s case, to write plays! The performances were well attended by other students in Year 7 and raised even more money for the British Heart Foundation. Helen Kearney, who was one of the Year 7 actors, writes: “I enjoyed seeing people’s faces when I was performing. It was a really positive experience. Our director (Kriselle Basilio in Year 9) gave me some really good advice about performing my character and helped me to feel more confident about performing to an audience.”

“A Twist in the Tale” – Year 7 Drama Club Performances

Three “mashed-up” versions of well-known stories

Written by Chelsea Anne Bitonio and direct-ed by members of StARS Theatre Company

Friday 1st February 3.30pm – 4.30pm in the Drama Studio

TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS IN YEAR 7 ONLY

Tickets cost 50p and must be purchased from the Drama Department in advance

The Year 7 Drama Club Presents:

A Twist in

the TaleThree “mashed-up” versions of

well-known stories

Written by Chelsea Anne Bitonio and

directed by members of StARS Theatre Company

Friday 1st February

3.30pm – 4.30pm

in the Drama Studio

TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR STUDENTS IN YEAR 7 ONLY

Congratulations to the St Angela’s students who represented Newham in the East London qualifying round of the Disability Pentathlon Challenge. The girls were fabulous and Newham won against Redbridge and Tower Hamlets to be put forward to the next round.

The girls were brilliant at supporting each other and the rest of Newham and had certainly contributed to the best team spirit.

Sally Correa gained a gold medal in the table cricket while Tamera Mensah gained silver in the shot put. Lauren Hilaire was a valid member of the Boccia team, which came first. Bella Costello was part of the football team gaining first position. Daniella Everest came gold in the long jump and Grace Anonuevo was part of the curling team who also came first.

Some of these girls will be going on to represent Newham again against the best in East London.

We will be keeping our fingers crossed that they will go all the way to become England champions!

Good Luck girls!

Ms Warin

DISABILITY PENTATHLON CHALLENGE


Ash Wednesday, Reconciliation and Retreats marked the highlight of our spiritual journey this half term in St Angela’s (besides our Friday Form masses). The confessions took place over the last few weeks in the chapel. All the year groups – key stage 3 and 4 received the Sacrament of Reconciliation, in preparation for Easter. We were fortunate to have a number of dedicated priests hearing confessions in preparation for the resurrection of Christ.

Whole school and Sixth Form Ash Wednesday Liturgy marked the start of Lent. We had a well planned, structured day where the year groups filed into Brescia Hall for the Ash Wednesday Liturgy where they received the ashes after a session of prayer and reflection. The Liturgy marked an important part of Christ’s ministry and the girls were reminded that it was time to reflect, repent and reconcile with God during the season of Lent.

This term also saw the retreats for Year 8. In keeping with the season of Lent the theme for our retreat was “Carry your Cross”. In this our Year of Faith – we weaved in the importance of faith and prayer into the

theme of carrying our crosses and overcoming obstacles and suffering during this the season of Lent. The girls started the retreat with ice breakers. This was followed by the idea of choices, obstacles and understanding what the season of Easter means to all Catholics. We ended the day with a Liturgy where the girls prayed and

displayed their appreciation for the sacrifice of Jesus and what they learned from the day.

The girls were reflective, hardworking, serious about their spirituality and truthful to themselves and God. They had a good time and revealed in their evaluations that they enjoyed themselves in the presence of God.

Ms Afonso

Spiritual guidance at St Angela’s

Rock up in Red

On 1st February, St Angela’s Ursuline School and St Angela’s and St Bonaventure’s Sixth Form Centre took part in raising awareness for the British Heart Foundation by rocking up to school in red.

As well as hosting a non-uniform day, the students raised money by putting the proceeds of a Drama production towards this fantastic cause.

We hope that Rock up in Red will be an annual event and we look forward to making an even bigger splash of red next year.

We raised just over £782.96......A big thank you to everyone who contributed.

Ms Harvey

YeAr 7 NewhAm FooTBAll CHAMPIONS

On what felt like the coldest night of the year; Year 7 ( 7- aside team) stormed it to win the Newham Trophy. It was a close tournament and it all depended on the final match. We needed a draw or a win by Forest Gate School against Langdon School; two opposing teams. There was nothing we could do but look on and try to keep warm. Luckily, the result was in our favor and we went away champions just as the snow started to fall. Here’s to a good start to the year in football and many more to come from a talented year 7 team.

Ms Warin


Year 9 Insight into Industry Day - Thursday 7th March

We invited into school a mix of employers, universities and industry organisations to talk to our Year 9 students in small groups about their industries, areas of work, job roles and skills required. The following organisations took part:

• London City Airport

• Newham Integrated Youth Services (Youth work)

• TFL London Underground (Engineering) Thomson Reuters Press Agency (Journalism)

• Channel 4 + Media Trust (Broadcasting)

• Metropolitan Police

• Citi Bank Global Markets (Investment Banking)

• Isuzu Truck UK Ltd (Accountancy + Marketing)

• Solicitor and Criminal Law Consultant

• X Changing Claims Services Ltd (Insurance)

• Holts Academy of Jewellery (Jewellery design)

• Planning Aid for London (Town Planning careers)

• The Brokerage City Link (City / Finance careers)

• London South Bank University (Nursing)

• Kingston University (Scene of Crimes Graduate)

• University of East London School of Computing

Careers Department News

Feedback from these organisations was excellent and all commented on how attentive our students were: “ Students were engaged and polite” and “Great structure to the event it worked really well”.

Year 9 students comments included:

“ It was very useful and helpful” ,

“ I found today interesting and fun” and

“ I found out some new information and also got a bit of inspiration”

A big thank you from Ms Brennan and Mr Jarvis to all the Year 9 students, teaching and support staff who helped to make the event a success.


Dance Dynamic is a project that provides an introduction to the Royal Opera House. Back in January dancers from years 7 to 9 started lunchtime rehearsals to create a piece that will be performed at the end of March at the Royal Opera House. The pupils were also privileged to attend a rehearsal by some of the Royal Ballet’s principal dancers, who performed Frederick Ashton’s ‘Monotones I and II”. It was a fantastic experience to see the dancers so close up and see how they rehearse. Dance dynamic has been a great experience to learn about ballet and other styles of dance. Charly in year 8 said, “ it’s helped us to expand on our creativity skills and develop our knowledge and understanding in dance”.The dance work, which was inspired by Ashton’s ‘Monotones II’, was performed also at this year’s dance concert and all the dancers performed wonderfully. Well done to all involved.

DANCE DYNAMIC

SEO LONDON SCHOLARS’ MENTORING PROjECTSEO is an organisation which links young people to mentors from major City firms and leading universities. We helped 22 of our sixth form and 13 of our Year 11 students get onto the project.

As a result each student has now been assigned to either a professional mentor working in a career such as accountancy, banking, investment, IT, law, marketing, advertising or public relations with a city firm or with a university mentor. Our students will also benefit from insight days with employers and be able to apply for work placements.

One of our successful Year 12 SEO Scholars Mustafizur has let me know that through the project he secured a paid work placement with a top city Law firm Herbert Smith which he completed during the February half term. Mustafizur said: “I gained professional working skills and an insight into my future career. I am very grateful to the 6th form for affording me such valuable opportunities”.

YEAR 9 - MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICESThe step to choosing your options is very well planned and organised in St Angela’s. We started it off with Options assemblies where we heard from the people with experience – the Heads of Department, as well as some students. We heard about what is expected of us in Key Stage 4 and these assemblies allowed us a glimpse into what could be our future. This was really the beginning of out GCSEs.

These assemblies really opened my eyes. When we did the options speed dating I heard from Year 10 girls already doing these GCSE subject. I was a little confused here – what should I do? I knew I had big decisions to make.

On 7th March Ms Brennan and Mr Jarvis organised for different industries to come and speak to us about the world of work. We heard stories about how they got into the career they were doing and what subjects they did for GCSEs and A Levels. We heard from Youth Workers to Lawyers, from a Jewellery Designer to a Town Planner. It was really interesting. It opened my eyes to some jobs that I thought were boring but that turned out to be quite good.

Our first steps to GCSEs have been much easier than I first thought because our school helps us so much with our decisions. Thanks!

Melissa (9 Malone)


On Saturday 9th March, girls from year 10 and 12 went on a 12.5km walk in Epping Forest in preparation for their DofE expeditions in May/June. We practised our map reading skills and had a chance to put into test our leadership skills by taking turns leading the group on our epic journey. The walk itself was quite tiring; we went through a lot of muddy paths, already getting our new walking boots covered with mud. Fortunately for us, the weather wasn’t too bad as it managed to remain dry for the whole day. Since the walk was quite long, we motivated ourselves by singing a few songs including hymns such as Ave Maria; photographers close by looked at us as if we were strange creatures, but nevertheless, we had fun! Towards the end we grew tired but we carried on and eventually we finished our walk at around 2:40 and according to Ms Murtagh, our extremely helpful DofE coordinator, it was the earliest the walk had ever been finished. Overall, it was a great experience and now we’re all looking forward to the expeditions. Wish us luck!

On Friday 8th March, 11 St Angela’s girls took part in the annual Newham Active Sports Festival held at Newham Leisure Centre. There were various schools from across the borough involved in the day which was aimed at getting us aware of what sports we could take part in within our local area, another purpose of the day was to encourage girls to take part in sports because there are some girls who are not very confident or feel very sporty. The day also coincided with International Womens Day, so was a good celebration of sporting women across the world. The instructors were really friendly and we had several 20 minute sessions in each activity including; Zumba, Step Aerobics, Cheerleading, Street Dance and Trampolining and we also had an induction into how to use the gym. We all really enjoyed the day and vowed that we would definitely take up a more active

lifestyle, and try to become involved in some of the acitivities that we had tried.

By Jade 8 Romero

Iani Gayo

Duke of Edinburgh Award

Newham Active Sports Festival

Congratulations to the St Angela’s Indoor Rowing team who competed at the Newham borough competition, which was organised by London Youth Rowing in February. The pupils did themselves proud on the day, with most of them improving on their personal best. The results were as follows:

Year 10 – eli 1st ; Kia 2nd

Year 9 – Nakita 1st; mary-Ann 8th

Year 8 – Nicole 3rd; Trinity 8th

Year 7 – rebecca 3rd; Gabrielle 6th

Congratulations to all involved, as they were committed and supported each other through their individual events.

A group of pupils were lucky enough to see the latest Cirque Du Soleil show called KOOZA performed at the Royal Albert Hall. KOOZA is a story about finding your place in the world and the title is the name given to a magical world where the action takes place.

Here are some of the thoughts of the girls that went:

‘We enjoyed everything but particularly enjoyed the acrobatics’ Marie & Dayna

“We thought the show was amazing, yet scary at the moments of danger performed

by some of the artists” Maya & Joy.

Lara said, “I really admired how brave the acts were and how determined they were”.

“We thought that Cirque Du Soleil was amazing and exciting. There were many heart stopping moments and the

entertainment was unexpected but extremely enjoyable. The lighting and music was also

great” Jasmin & Gabija.

Congratulations to the U13 and U15 Cricket teams who reached the semi-final stage of the Lady Taverner’s Indoor Cricket competition. The teams did well to come through to this stage beating local opposition from 3 Newham Schools. The teams finished as runners up. Well done to both teams:

U13 Team: Melanie (Cap-tain), Nichole, Grace, Peace. Lydia, Ralitsa, Precious, Monica, Shanelle.

U15 Team: Brogan, (Cap-tain), Tinuola, Deanna, Helena, Eli, Jasmin, Maria

Carrion, Iani, Shannon.

The U13 Cricket team was also selected to represent Newham at the London Youth Games last month. They

were awesome on the day and only lost out to a place in the final by two runs. They finished 9th overall out of 33, which is amazing, so well done to all involved.

Newham Rowing Championships

ESSEX INDOOR CRICKET & LONDON YOUTH GAMES

EASTER PRAYERLord of life

We pray for all who bring your word of life As a light to those in darkness

For those who bring your word of peace To those enslaved by fear

For those who bring your word of love To those in need of comfort

Lord of love and Lord of peace Lord of resurrection life

Be known Through our lives

and through your power Christ the Lord is risen to-day

SUMMER TERM BEGINS ON MONDAY 15TH APRIL 2013

Documents

St Angela's Easter Newsletter 2013