The Friday Letter - Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy

Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy
part of Saint Robert Lawrence Catholic Academy Trust
The Friday Letter
Edition No 130
Friday 11 December 2015
[Follow us on www.st-johnhoughton.derbyshire.sch.uk and on Twitter@SJHCVA]
Prayer for the Jubilee of Mercy
Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful
like the heavenly Father, and have told us that
whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we
will be saved.
You are the visible face of the invisible Father, let the
Church be your visible face of forgiveness and mercy
in the world. You willed that your ministers would feel
compassion for those in ignorance and error: let
everyone who approaches them feel loved, and forgiven by God.
Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of
grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty
to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind.
We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy; you who live and reign with the
Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
Important information for parents
Advance notice of early closure for all students on Friday 18 December at 12.30pm and this
is a non-uniform day.
Inset Day: Monday 4 January – school closed to all students.
The Year of Mercy
On Tuesday 8 December 2015 the Year of Mercy began
and a special opening mass was held in the Cathedral of
St Barnabas in Nottingham. The Year of Mercy is a time
for the Church itself and for Catholics everywhere to
show mercy and compassion, in thought and in deed,
and focus on forgiveness, reconciliation and doing
good in concrete ways for the needy and those on the
margins of society. Pope Francis has asked Catholics
all over the world, as a way of reawakening our
consciences, to find new and imaginative ways this
Year to be merciful in response to the suffering, needs,
and woundedness of so many people in our world,
both at home and abroad.
Oliver Thornhill and I represented Saint John Houghton at
this special mass attended by representatives from
parishes and schools throughout the Diocese in
attendance. The event was live streamed and Oliver and I
were interviewed by Bea from the Diocesan Youth Service
before the mass. I look forward to sharing with you during
the coming year our special events to celebrate this
special year.
If you wish to know more about the Year of Mercy the Diocese have produced an excellent website with lots of
information and resources. www.bemerciful.co.uk
The Advent Service
On the evening of Tuesday 8 December we held our annual Advent Service. This was a wonderful service and it was
great to see such a large turnout. For a more detailed account of the Service please read the report written by
Rachel later in the letter.
Warwick University - Maths in Action
On Monday 30 November, 30 students from Years 10 and 11 joined hundreds of their peers from around the
country for a series of talks on the wonder and application of Maths, held at the University of Warwick.
There were five wide-ranging sessions which introduced mathematical
concepts, cryptography, magic and the oddities of picking a favourite number!
It may come as no surprise that the nations’ favourite number is 7, but the
psychology behind this is fascinating.
Some of the presentations were delivered as lectures. Simon Singh (pictured
left), author and Physics PhD, outlined the 15 year journey of Andrew Wiles as
he attempted to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem, a 350 year old Mathematical
mystery. Later, Emma McCoy, a Professor from Imperial College, explored
Pascal’s triangle, demonstrating visually stunning links to fractal designs.
Others were more interactive and engaging, and these were clearly the favourites for our students. In one of
these, James Grime, a Mathematics lecturer who also has a PhD, gave a history of cryptography and codebreaking, ending with a demonstration of one of the few, remaining German Enigma machines from WWII.
However, the climax of the day came from Dr Matt Pritchard (pictured
right), who is not only a mathematician and scientist, but a member of
the inner magic circle. His talk was entitled ‘the man who cannot lose’ and
he explained the logic behind tricks to win games such as ‘pass the
parcel’, ‘rock, paper, scissors’ and ‘guess who’. It was very interactive with
students selected from the audience to participate, though sadly none of
ours. Interspersed throughout were little glimpses of magic, and he was a
highly entertaining speaker.
Although the journeys were extended due to factory fires and road works,
we had an enlightening day and I hope the students are inspired to explore
maths even further. Thanks are due to Mrs McDermott, Mrs Harris and Mr
Harris for accompanying the group. Mr R Long (Maths)
Justice and Peace Hope Centre Derby Visit
On Wednesday 9 December 2015, Meghan Murphy, Francesca Dorn, Elizabeth Ward, Lizzie
Rimmer, Megan Derrick, Kathryn Mendonca, Georgia Clarke, Ella Powell, Lucy Pavlou,
Georgia Renshaw and Amy Cullingworth visited the Hope Centre in Derby as part of the Justice
and Peace group. We first met Rachel Tomlinson who took us across the road to see the Clothes
Bank. It was amazing to see all the warm coats for those individuals, young people, single
parents and families in the local community who need them. We then went back into the main building to see all
the food in the food bank. She then informed us that over 3000 food bags are handed out a year! We split into two
groups one groups one group was crossing out codes on chocolate and the other group was splitting clothes into
sizes.
Paul Brookhouse also arrived with a van full of Thornton’s chocolate he got for free! We were shocked to find out
that if the packaging is damaged it can’t be sold. Meghan Murphy, Kathryn Mendonca, Elizabeth Ward, Amy
Cullingworth and Mr P Long helped move the chocolates upstairs. We particularly enjoyed the chain method we
got into. I’m sure Mr P Long enjoyed those bags being thrown at him by Meghan! Paul then informed us that we
could take a bag of chocolate at home with us! He also informed us about the many people we would be helping.
He said over 2/3 of people that use the Centre are boys under 16! A story that touched all our hearts was a woman
who entered the Hope Centre because she saw the word ‘hope’ and thought they could help, as she was on her
way to a car park to jump from the top of it. They managed to change her mind. We are very grateful for the Hope
Centre for allowing us to visit them and help out.
Chaplaincy Department
Rachel would like to thank Jake Gaskin for leading his Tutor in Morning Prayer,
to the RE Department, English Department, Admin Department and PE
Department for leading Briefing Prayer during the season of Advent.
Dear God, Recently we found out that as many people survive cancer as die from
cancer, but we know we can do better. We thank you for all the support you have
given to both people with cancer and their families and we ask that you continue
to support these people through their suffering as we work towards a cancerfree world. Amen. By Jake Gaskin 10LRE.
Rachel would like to thank Lucy Hulse-Russell, Bradley Miller and Elise Hayes
for their time in Chaplaincy Department this week.
Rachel's hero of the week is Mrs Moore and her team for providing a wonderful
Christmas dinner!
CAFOD Farmyard Christmas Cards.
With thanks to Jessica Doran we have a Farmyard
in our staffroom, the staff have decided to sign
the animals instead of writing individual
Christmas Cards and the money raised will go to
CAFOD. We already have enough to buy two
Queen Bees (£6) and hope to raise enough to buy
a cow or donkey for £40 which will provide a
family with a future.
Oasis Team News
Rachel and Mrs McCarthy would like to thank the Oasis Team for leading
the Tutor Acts of Worship this week. Each morning the Team have gathered
in the Upper Room and collected their thoughts and ideas and divided into
the school to lead Prayer and Worship. The Team have introduced The year
of Mercy to the school, they have chosen a school door to have as our Year
of Mercy Door and given suggestions to Mr Price and Mr Carr for the
illustrations, the Team have made friendships with the Tutor Groups, played
a year of Mercy BINGO game and have spent time looking at page 6 in their
planner and designed a new page for the planner next year, these suggestion
will go to the Student Council and hopefully to the LMT. Well done Oasis
Team.
Team Chaplaincy
Liam Evans, Olivia Radford, Leah Edge, Robert Smith, Mrs Emery, Mrs
Brear, Mrs Swindell, Miss Spencer, Miss Stirland, Mr Hope and Mr Carr
have been spotted wearing purple this week to match the second candle on our Advent Wreath. Team Chaplaincy
please accept the challenge to wear PINK with your uniform next week as we prepare to light our third candle. On
Sunday we will welcome Gaudete Sunday, Gaudete means JOY and our candle is pink as a symbol of rejoicing as we
await the birth of our Lord and Saviour.
Rachel would like to thank Mrs Gabriel for donating a handmade cross stick for our Meeting Room.
Rachel would like to thank Mr P Long and The J&P Team for inviting her to the Derby Hope Centre this week. It was
a privilege to support such well-mannered and kind students.
Advent Service
Rachel would like to thank Mrs McCarthy for allowing us to have an Advent Service for our local community and
school. The service was a great success because the pupils and staff worked together and the whole evening was a
time to stop and prepare spiritually for the birth of our Lord and Saviour.
Mrs McCarthy welcomed everyone and Miss Bailey led prayers and reflection for the troubled world we are in,
Elizabeth Ward read 'The fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden' and the Choir sang O, Come, O, Come Emmanuel,
followed by a reading read by Mrs Morley, Miss Straw read 'The Prediction of the Peaceful Kingdom' and Anna
Pancisi and Freya Windridge read 'The Righteous Branch of David', more thanks to the choir who sang 'Joy to the
World', and Mr Curtis who read 'the Birth of Jesus Foretold', Mr R Long and Mr Thompson led an entertaining
reflection and so many people have commented how well staff and pupils work well together, and Grace Lee
sang solo: 'Silent Night' which was very moving. Mr Long read 'the
Birth of Jesus and the shepherds' visit to Jesus and led a reflection
with many talented pupils. More thanks to Mrs Boddice for reading,
'The Visit of the Wise Men' and to Miss Stirland and Bridin Retallick
who sang a duet which was incredible and full of energy and
life. Thank you to Mrs Boddice who produced a prayerful
PowerPoint and to our Chair of Governors, Mrs Gabriel, for reading,
'The Word Became Flesh', and to Mae Leek who played her flute
and to Team Chaplaincy who provided The year of mercy Reflection
and Evie Beaven and Amy Cullingworth who sang solo’s and Finn
Boddice and Leighton Perry who played the guitar.
It was lovely to share mince pies and conversation. Mr Warden, Mr
Hope, Mrs Smith, Billy Patten, Jess Smith, Nicola Lewis, Mr and Mrs
Swindell, Mrs Folan, Billy Cullen, Mr Wain, Mr Slysz, Mrs
Doczyminska, Mr Hackett and Mr Quinn all supported this evening
and their support is greatly appreciated. Mr Quenby, Mr Jorgensen,
Mr Weightman, Miss Bailey, Mr P Long, Mr R Long, Mr Thompson,
Mrs Boddice, Mrs Brear, Miss Straw and Mrs Davies worked
incredibly hard on our School Advent Service and we are blessed to
have them in school.
Amongst the parents and Grandparents it was lovely to
see Mr Lobb, Mr Harris, Mr Weightman and Mr Boott.
The following pupils have received credits for their
support: William Collings, Selina Duruy, Poppy Leask,
Eleanor Richmond, Olivia Cuomo, Sofia Burns, Anna
Pancisi, Georgia Clarke, Nora rocket, Imogen Leadbitter,
Liam Evans, Elizabeth Ward, Ella Powell, Jacob holt,
Robert Smith, Oliver Thornhill, Rhys Windridge, Amy
Cullingworth, Freya Windridge, Harry Davies, Nicola
Lewis, Olivia Henry, Jessica Smith, Iris Carter, Amy Wren,
Lauren Robinson, Kirsty Gregory, Shannon Lambert, Billy
Patten, Daisy Lee, Bridin Retallick, Elin Retallick, Sophie
Morley and John Wildey.
Rachel would like to thank David Rowley for all his
support in the Chaplaincy Department for the last few
weeks.
Rachel would like to thank Mr Wain, Mr Slysz for
collecting the Christmas tree and Mrs Folan, Mrs Smith,
Mrs Davies, Mr Hope and Myco Villaver for decorating it
so well.
Christmas Dinner at Saint John Houghton
On Wednesday 9 December the sounds of the old
familiar Christmas songs filled the hall during
lunchtime. Students and staff all queued up to get
their Christmas dinner and judging by all the happy
faces and empty plates at the end of lunchtime it
was a great success. Thank you to Mrs Moore, Mr
Quinn, the catering team, the midday supervisors
and all the support staff for their hard work.
Agape
Thursday 17 December 2015
Ticket sales close on (Today) Friday 11 December.
Timings of the day:
Morning -normal start to the day. All students must be in uniform.
Lunchtime - students who are attending the Agape will leave at 12.00.
Evening - students should arrive between 5.45 and 6.00 to allow time for photographs before Mass.
The evening will end at 11pm
Anyone attending the Agape MUST attend school in the morning.
Please contact Mrs Folan by telephone or email you need any further
information about the day.
Well done Jake Gaskin and Oliver Thornhill
Jake Gaskin and Oliver Thornhill have last weekend been awarded
their black belt first Dan in Kickboxing. They have both been attending
Paragon Black Belt Academy for many years and have worked very
hard to be fit enough and skilled enough to achieve this award.
Year 10 Entrepreneurial success
On Friday 27 November, Niamh Bardon, Harrison Bullock, Jennifer Haywood, Natasha Lupton, Brandon McEvoy
and Lewis Wiltshire, Mrs Boddice (and her family) and Mrs Bentley braved the cold evening to set up their stall on
the market at the ‘Ilkeston Christmas Lights Switch On’.
After an hour of setting up we were really pleased with the result. Our stall was eye-catching and appealing and
we felt sure we would do well. Mr Jorgenson had produced flyers and posters for us to advertise with and for sale
we had light up toys and hats and beautiful sweet cones in the shape of Santa and reindeer faces. The sweet cones
had been made by the group and the light up toys were kindly donated to us by Denny and Anna Brown (whose
children all came to this school, many years ago).
The gang ready to start trading
At 5.30pm just as the market was due to start, the heavens opened and crikey what a downpour! Within minutes
all of us were wet through! After a while it slowed down and people gradually started to arrive. The problem was,
nobody seemed to want to buy anything. So Harrison, Natasha, Brandon and Jennifer decided to get out from
behind the stall and to try to sell to people direct. They soon got into their stride, perfecting their ‘sales patter’
and the light up toys and hats proved especially popular with the children.
The students sold £140 worth of stock but still have some Santa
cones left which they have decided to sell at school next week for
£2 each. They make great stocking fillers!
They really enjoyed the experience and learnt a lot. They are
looking forward to getting started on their next project which is
to make and sell soap and candles for St Valentine’s Day. Thank
you to Mrs Bentley, Stuart Boddice, Lily Boddice and Mr
Jorgenson for all your help.
These will be available to buy in school
next week for £2 each. But hurry, there
is limited stock available!
Computer Scientist of the Month
This month the award goes to
Nathaniel Bradford 7BP. He has shown a
tremendous attitude to learning and Mrs
Boddice is really impressed with his binary
skills. Well done!
Investor Club
The FTSE fell again this
week which is not good
news
for
our
investments. Despite this our teams have held steady in the league. Apart from us (ahem)
teachers, Stamford Bridge United have consistently been most successful, holding on to
second place. Investors; don't forget that that you were given ten new trades for your
strategic portfolio at the beginning of the month. Use them wisely!
Miss Cook and Mr Riley would like to congratulate the following
students for their hard work and excellent achievement this week in the
MFL department: Joshua Watson, Isabella Fravolini, Katie Tolan, KatieMay Smith, Thomas Flynn, Sophie Ingall and Ellie Corden.
The English Department would like to praise the following students for:
Year Excellent attitude towards learning
7 Charles Brough and Chipego
Hamonga.
8 Ciara Harnett.
9 John Wildey, William Andrews and
Zac Meadowcroft.
10 Chris Sheppard and Charli Guest.
11 Finn Broderick.
Improvement in English
Louis Diamond
Mert-Han Harry.
Harry Helliwell.
Nicola Lewis.
Cameron Preston.
Mr Long would like to congratulate:
7DC: Harry Davies, Kate Roach, Emma Hudson and Chipego Hamonga for excellent
discussion and debate about perceptions of Jesus.
All of 7DC and 7CH for their recent work with Advent and their wreaths.
Dear parents of Year 10 and 11 students, please find below a reminder of key dates coming up over the rest of this year.
Key event
calendar date as at 25 September 2015
Key event
calendar date as at 25
September 2015
Briars weekend
Friday 29 January 2015
Study skills for
parents evening
Thu 12 Nov/12 April
6.30-7.30
Derby Uni C/D grade
raiser Maths (25
invited students
offsite)
Motivation Maker
session (all students)
Tuesday 23 February
full day off timetable
CoA
Thu 19 Nov
evening TBC
Tuesday 2 March 2015
half day TBC
Mock exams
3-16 Dec
individual timetables
TBA
Derby Uni Study
Skills on-site all
students
Study
evenings/mocks
preparation and
revision
Mock exams
Wednesday 27 April
half day TBC
Thu 14 Jan
Tuesday 10 May and Monday 6 June
after school, timings TBC
Parents
Consultation
afternoon 2:30-6:30
Motivation Maker
session (all
students)
Tue 02/03/2015
half day TBC
25 May – 17 June
individual timetables TBA
reports
Fri 11/04/2015
students to bring
home
Reports
Friday 15 July 2015
students to bring home
NTC A/A* Maths
grade raisers (30
invited students)
Mon 25 April
full day off timetable
NTC C/D Maths
grade raisers (30
invited students)
Fri 6May
full day off timetable
If highlighted, parents are strongly encouraged
to attend
These events are published on the school website calendar too. Please note the next event is parent’s consultation afternoon Thursday 14 January 2016 for Year 11 parents.
Students have been given a letter with further details for parents about how to make appointments with subject teachers this week. Please be in touch if you have any
questions or suggestions about these events. Kind regards, Mrs C Bowley, Progress Leader Year 10 and 11.
Thank you for taking the time to read the Friday letter. I do hope you find it informative and gives you an insight
into life at Saint John Houghton. The final week of term approaches and there is still plenty happening at the school.
Please keep us in your prayers.
Yours sincerely
Mrs Joan McCarthy
THE JUSTICE AND PEACE GROUP IS SELLING
CANDY CANES AT LUNCH TIMES
UNTIL THE END OF TERM
40p EACH
OR
3 FOR £1
CANDY CANES WILL BE DELIVERED ON THE LAST DAY TO
YOUR FRIENDS BY J&P MEMBERS
JUSTICE AND PEACE CHRISTMAS APPEAL
THE JUSTICE AND PEACE GROUP IS COLLECTING FOR:
THE HOPE CENTRE, DERBY
The Hope Centre Food bank project aims to provide 3x days of emergency
food, for those who face financial difficulties because of debt,
unemployment, sickness, domestic violence, etc
Category 1
Pasta
Cereals
Rice 1kg
Cup-a-soup
Juice 1Ltr
Pkt. Mash
Noodles
Tomato Sauce
Curry
Category 2
Peas
Fruit
Tuna
Corned Beef
Chilli
Carrots
Potatoes
Sweet Corn
Rice Pudding
Squash
Category 3
Coffee 100g
Teabags 40s
Biscuits
Instant Custard
Milk UHT
2 for 1 offers
Vouchers
Sugar 500g
Jam
Please do not bring anything that is short dated, perishable or frozen from:
Year 7: Category 1
Year 8: Category 2
Year 10: Category 2
Year 9: Category 3
Year 11: Category 3
Appeal ends: December 17th