Autumn 2015 Dear Parents, Careres, Students and Friends As we approach Christmas we can be extremely pleased that our Sponsored Walk total is approaching the record amount of last year. It is a really impressive sight to see our whole school involved in the walk around Whitlingham Broad and this year was even more special as we began a new tradition of having a Mass to start the day in honour of the foundress of the Order of Notre Dame, St Julie Billiart. The whole event was really memorable, creative fancy dress, a massive amount of cake and a spirit of generosity that underpins this school. Our International Notre Dame links have been strengthened with a visit to Notre Dame in Kyoto Japan. Across the world there are hundreds of Notre Dame schools set up by the sisters and we retain excellent links with them through the Sisters of Notre Dame. Climate change has been at the forefront of our thoughts this year, with an international focus on the Climate Change conference in Paris. Pope Francis has been forthright in appealing to world leaders to take action and CAFOD has been working hard with the Geography department to raise awareness in school. Together they have organised excellent events, led by our students, and the passion of our young people in wanting to contribute their voice nationally and internationally has been impressive. You may have seen in the press the good work undertaken by our Climate Change Ambassadors, leading a whole school petition, organising assemblies and the superb thought provoking video and statement from Y9. Chloe Smith MP has taken the petition to the Houses of Parliament and shared the statement with colleagues in Government, so the voices of our community have spoken loudly and effectively. We do wait, hope and pray that our leaders will take effective action on climate change for the sake of our planet and future generations. Those of you with siblings or children in our local Catholic Primary schools will no doubt be aware of the St John the Baptist Multi Academy Trust (MAT) which the Diocese of East Anglia is currently developing to join the schools together more formally and strengthen our ability to support each other. We have received approval from the Department for Education and will have the MAT in place in late spring. By forming this MAT we will have greater security financially and be able to work more closely on improving education for our students, so that as many as possible have an outstanding education from 4 all the way through to 18 or 19 years old.

Mental Health has been a growing issue amongst our young people, with the extra pressure of modern life causing greater anxiety and stress and we are grateful to the Mancroft Advice Project for offering their services in school. I am really impressed with the work of MAP, their councillors have received self referrals from many of our students and the feedback has been excellent. Parents can find out more by contacting MAP themselves or looking at their website www.map.uk.net. Parents and students will have noticed that there have been continued changes in the exam system this year. As a school we have once again posted superb GCSE grades and the best A Levels ever. We are in the top 10% of all schools and colleges (including independent schools!) for the Value we add at A Level, our students have achieved brilliantly with 8 started at Oxbridge, 2 in the USA and the rest in major Universities, Apprenticeships and employment. Next year there is a new measure for GCSEs, called Progress 8. This year our Progress 8 measure is 0.25, which means that for the main 8 GCSEs our Y11 students took they got a quarter grade higher than the national measure in every GCSE- the Notre Dame effect is clearly powerful! You will have seen recent major announcements about education in this country and Notre Dame is fully prepared for these changes. GCSEs will soon be graded from 9 to 1, A Levels no longer have AS Levels attached and there are soon to be new requirements for students to all have to take subjects from the EBacc group at GCSE. This will mean in a year or two that when choosing GCSEs most students will, in addition to current compulsory subjects, have to take either History or Geography, and while these are both strong subjects and gain excellent results at Notre Dame we will be working to ensure that students can still have a wide range of further choice for their GCSEs. In planning for all the forthcoming changes we will be consulting with parents through the Parents Forum and students via Student Council. It is really important for the school that you are fully informed and that you are able to express your views to us. Please do feel free to contact the school by email or to take advantage of the Parent Forums and Surgeries to let myself and my Leadership Team have feedback. At this time of year we bid farewell to some of our staff. Mr Martin has been promoted to become an Assistant Head at a local school, Mrs Arien is leaving to work in a new school and Mr Gilbertson is moving on as Head of Biology. We wish all these staff success and thank them for their work for Notre Dame. Finally I would like to praise all the achievements of our brilliant students, the hard work of staff and thank you for the support of parents and carers. As ever in this season of Advent I wish you a wonderful, Happy and Holy Christmas. Brian Conway Headteacher

HEAD STUDENT VOICE “What a fantastic first term our school council has had!

DramActive Academy Friday lunchtimes in St John’s Hall

Right off the bat, it was the school's council that made sure the majority of students were sitting on chairs for assembly and we are all very proud that we have had that student initiative take off and be so popular so quickly. Also, our very own Rhiannon Timms has now had a 'dress down Friday' implemented for all Year 12s. Priding ourselves on being an active council, we are so pleased with some of the in-school changes we have been able to make. However, it's not just in school that we and the student body want to make things better. That's why this year our school council have chosen a record breaking thirteen charities to donate our St. Julie's Sponsored Walk money to. We are also very happy with the competitions that we had which adorned the walk with such beautiful cakes and costumes which we found so thoroughly delightful. One great thing about this year's council is our enthusiasm and that's why we are eager to announce some great things coming up next term such as Feminism Week, a student internet filtering consultation, the possible new school stationary shop and even the possibility of our very own inter-form Dodgeball competition. Despite all these brilliant things we have had planned, we want to do more and hear your voices more as well. That's why we want you, parents and students alike, to contact us at the school council's own email address [email protected] or either of us Head Students at [email protected] or [email protected] with any suggestions or questions about our school. Also, never be afraid to speak to your year representatives who are all as diligent and helpful as us. We hope you have a brilliant Christmas holiday and we hope to see you when you return.” Joseph Ward and Catherine Ferrari. Head Students.

Do you: Want to boost your UCAS points?  Need help with Drama?  Dream of working in TV & Film? Specialising in teaching all ages and abilities in Drama, theatre and film and television training, DramActive Academy is a well established company of over 20 years and it operates in and around Norwich. We are pleased to be able to offer students of Notre Dame Friday lunchtime sessions during term time. DramActive Academy aims to coach and mentor students to the highest levels in the subjects that it covers including Lamda examinations, singing, confidence building, television and film technique and preparation for a future in the acting world. DramActive Academy also offers students opportunities in film and television through its own casting agency, Luvvies Casting. If your are interested in this then pick up an application form from Student Reception. For more information on what we offer please visit our website www.dramactive.co.uk or email [email protected]

NORFOLK HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR FESTIVAL On Thursday, 5th November a large number of students from our school walk the short distance to St Andrew’s Hall in the city centre to take part in the annual Norfolk High Schools’ Choir Festival. It’s a fabulous event that we participate in each year and this year was no exception. The full day’s rehearsal was tough-going but Andrew Weeks (our conductor) was very patient with all the students from the various schools as he led us through the variety of arangements. The programme was a good one and a few of our younger choirsters enjoyed learning a couple of unknown classical pieces along with a few tried and tested numbers of a more popular genre. The other schools participating were CNS, Hethersett Old Hall, Old Buckenham, NHSG & Thetford Grammar.

The programme included:- ‘O Nata Lux’ (Tallis), ‘Adiemus’ (Jenkins), ‘Tha Lamb’ (Taverner), ‘Happy’ (Williams), ‘Mercy’ (Duffy), ‘Evening Prayer’ (Humperdink), ‘Steal Away’ (a trad piece) and ‘O Fortuna’ (Orff). The City of Norwich School Brass Ensemble entertained us with two pieces, ‘Mancini Magic’ & ‘Down to the River’ (Fernie).

CAFOD News To introduce the theme of food justice we played games with food, exploring hunger and excess. We took part in some guerrilla marketing by distributing packets of assorted sweets with prayer cards and we commemorated the new sustainable development goals, voting for the most popular (with students choosing the second goal - tackling extreme hunger) and lighting candles in prayer

This term we have begun a series of activities for students to engage in the wider world, sponsored by CAFOD. These activity sessions, fortnightly on a Monday lunchtime, are based in the chapel and enable students to explore issues of global justice and their faith, while having fun. All students are welcome to join these ‘drop-in’ style sessions – with something different happening each fortnight, and these activities will particularly appeal to Year 7 and Year 8 students

In the time before Christmas, we will explore issues of climate change, including Pope Francis’ letter to us about God’s creation, consumption and how our lifestyles may create a better and more sustainable relationship between people and the planet, as the world’s leaders gather in Paris to come to some agreement about the actions they will take to protect our planet and the poorest.

Hispanovision All Year 7 students enjoyed an afternoon off timetable on Friday, 4th December as they excitedly sang and danced their way through the annual Hispanovision competition in front of an assembled audience. “Las canciones de villanos” or the ‘songs of peasants’ were adopted by the Church in 17th century to celebrate liturgical events. The Christmas ones which recalled and glorified the birth of Jesus became particularly popular. So much so that the “villancios”, as they became known, have become synonymous with Christmas.

Each Year 7 form group represented a country and sang, acted out and danced their own Christmas carol. Students from 7AEA represented Paraguay and sang a carol from southern Spain. 7SDV sang about the origins of the Saviour and the happiness which spreads over the land at his arrival and they represented Columbia. 7PHE’s offering for Peru was a song which raised a smile, (Giddy up little donkey) a traditional carol from Castile in the centre of Spain. 7RHO gave it their all as they entertained the audience with their song from Chile. 7DSH represented Uruguay and the students sang and danced their way through their carol from Andalucia (complete with bells, whistles and tambourines). 7MCW representing Ecuador, displayed their acting ability as well as their voices as they sang a carol from Extremadura. 7JSE entertained us with their rendidtion of “Ay, del Chiquirritin” (an Andalucian carol). The event was completed with an Argentinian carol delivered by 7HGR. Scoring ensued and the title was eventually handed to 7RHO who emerged victorious with their colourful rendition of “La Marimorena”.

English news Since our last published newsletter the English department have been busy with workshops. Last term, Mrs Aldred and Mrs Hall ran a creative writing workshop where a number of keen students penned their best work and thoroughly enjoyed the event. A number of our Year 11 students entered a National creative writing competition by 'Young Writers' called 'Grim Tales’. The work of 16 of our students has been commended and selected for publication. Congratulations to the following students:- Evie Hood, Jake Davis, Yvonne Grube, Kathryn Browne, Tom Yaxley, Zuzanna Halicka, Krystel Legaspi, Lauren Collison, Georgia Wells, Gabriella Kerton, Ethan Dobson, Eleanor Oakes, Florence Bradbury, Ellie Clarke, Marielle Pine and Sadie Nencini. Miss Orciel is currently running another two creative writing ventures and we are looking forward to some more creative winners emerging!

Poetry by Heart is a national competition encouraging students to learn and recite poems by heart – not in an armwaving, props-supported thespian extravaganza, but as the outward and audible manifestation of an inwardlyunderstood and enjoyed poem. Miss Orciel once again took charge of a group of talented youngsters in this event.

Students of all ages across the school were invited to take part in this national creative writing competition. The theme for thier written pieces, 850 words or less was “Echoes”. The closing date for the entiries was at the end of November so we are awaiting news to hear if we have any budding authors in our midst!

The GCHQ Day (By Jess Creedon Year 9)

On Wednesday 11th November, a Language Analyst from GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters) paid an unforgettable trip to Notre Dame High School to talk to a group of Year 9 MFL Linguists, as well as a few students from Wymondham College. In period one, the privileged students were brought down to St. John’s Hall. Laura, the GCHQ Language Analyst led us through a presentation about GCHQ and spoke about all the different types of work done there. Finding out about GCHQ was fascinating because we had never thought about the possibilities that were available to us, especially to those who display a broad knowledge of languages including some slightly unusual languages. Laura showed us some photos of GCHQ Headquarters, telling us about the various areas of the building (including the Starbucks Cafe located on the ground floor). We listened intently to her telling us about the responsibilities of working for GCHQ and how what you did at work every day was top secret! Laura explained that you had to have a profoundly explainable reason to be listening in on someone’s conversation, meaning you cannot just intercept anybody’s phone calls! She mentioned that you had to have been studying ‘suspects’ for a couple of months before listening in on them. After the amazing presentation, we had a chance to ask a couple of questions, which we were all dying to ask. Laura tried her best to answer all of them, no matter how crazy they were. We asked her not only about her work life, but also her home life and the privacy conditions of working with an agency like GCHQ. Laura was great to listen to because she really explained the importance of government organisations like GCHQ and, without disclosing top secret information, she allowed us to understand the roles and responsibilities of the staff who work there. Once she had finished answering all of our inquisitive questions, Laura quizzed us to see if we had what it takes to work for GCHQ. She showed us common phrases, translated into, not only popular languages

takes to work for GCHQ. She showed us common phrases, translated into, not only popular languages like Russian and French, but also languages like Arabic and Korean. After period one we were assorted into 5 different groups, and allocated a classroom and a workshop. Some of the workshops were tasters of fairly difficult languages like Russian and Arabic. There was also a workshop on the instrumental role that languages play and how important they will be in the near future. In the language workshops we learnt the basic alphabet and then tried our hand at ‘decoding’ with that alphabet. Also we learnt about the specific culture of the country where the language is spoken, including things like food, traditional dances and clothing. Some of the teachers were actually from that particular country so they were able to give us first hand insights into what that country is like, plus answering any questions that we had about GCHQ. Following a fifteen minute interval for break, we returned to our allocated groups, although this time we had a change of workshops.

The ‘Why is languages important?’ workshop was fascinating because I don’t think that any of us had ever stopped to consider the importance of languages and how many jobs involve language skills. Before, I had only ever thought that you needed languages if you wanted to be a language teacher but after listening to the presentation I understood that you needed languages in almost any job, including retail or acting. The presentation uncovered lots of shocking statistics and facts about languages, that none of us had ever known before. I think that we had all thought that in most countries at least some people spoke English, but we were wrong!

Staff enjoyed purchasing a few of the delights from a table brimming with a colourful range of delicious home-bakes accompanied by copious amount of coffee and tea that were served at breaktime – All in aid of charity! Alison and her efforts raised a fantastic

£320 Another charity our school supports each year is the BBC’s Children in Need. Students enjoyed an ‘own clothes day’ for the occasion and baked cakes for sale at lunchtime.

In conclusion, the GCHQ day was an informative, valuable day for all students and teachers. Everyone went away, having taken something useful and worthwhile from it. It taught us that languages are a vital part of everyday life and, if you have a small knowledge of languages alone, it could take you very far. A thoroughly excellent event. Jess Creedon (Year 9 student)

A massive

£1102.37 was raised Thank you

Climate Change Ambassadors A group of students from our school, labelled as ‘Climate Change Ambassadors’ rallied members of our school community to fight climate change as they shared their views about the ‘hot’ topic of the moment. Their hard work included presenting a weeks’ worth of assemblies to students in all year groups, filming a video which was loaded up onto YouTube and put onto our school website, collecting almost 1200 signatures from the community here in school and finally writing a letter to Parliament (see below) which accompanied the petition. The letter was presented to Norwich North MP Chloe Smith who watched as the students delivered their presentation to an assembled audience in St John’s Hall recently. Chloe promised to deliver the letter to Mr Cameron before the Climate Change talks in Paris earlier last week.

STATEMENT TO U.K. PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON & OTHER WORLD LEADERS FOR CONSIDERATION BEFORE THE PARIS U.N. CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE Dear Mr. Cameron P.M. & other World Leaders: Climate change is real, serious and it’s happening now. It is the biggest threat that we as humans face this century. Some of us are angry about climate change. Some of us are afraid. We believe that it is not fair that people in poorer countries who have not caused the problem are on the front line and are being most seriously affected. We want a kinder world where everyone is heard and everyone is equal: no exceptions. We want all countries to be helped to deal with the effects of the climate change that is already happening. If we act now we can help the poorest and most vulnerable people in the world. We want the people who make decisions to take responsibility. We want the generation that caused climate change to do something about it and not leave it for future generations to deal with. We want a global warming free world, where people feel safe in their own country and don’t have to worry about flooding, storms, droughts or losing their homes or their lives because of climate change. We want to create a world where clean renewable energy is used; where racism, world hunger and poverty are extinct instead of animals. We want to create a new generation that appreciates the earth and will look after it; where all living creatures are seen as equal and where the extinction of animals is not tolerated. We have all made pledges to change. We think that each one of us can make a difference but we need our leaders to agree to help the world. We want to be the generation that acts on climate change and has a government that listens. Strangers can unite with each other. Small communities can join up to co-create a global network that can do amazing things. We are the generation that can save our world. We want climate action now, not in a few months or years, but NOW! We represent the voice of future generations and we have the right to a safe, healthy world. World leaders: you have the responsibility to protect those rights. We have a voice and we want our voices heard. Thank you for hearing us. Yours sincerely, Year 9 students (aged 13y-14y) Notre Dame High School, Norwich, England. November 2015.

PE news On Friday 13th November students from Year7-9 represented Notre Dame at the Norwich Area Swimming Gala. Overall we accomplished some fantastic results with 31 x 1st-3rd Notre Dame placed finishes over all the races! Sadly, despite this outstanding achievement, only the fastest participant in each category went through (with the exception of some who have qualified for the relay). So those who did qualify an extra special well done to you! A special mention to Luke Smith who comfortably won the Year 7 butterfly, backstroke and who earned himself a place in the relay squad.

Mr Conway recently received a letter from the head coach at Norwich Swimming Club congratulating Luke’s older brother Ryan from Year 11. It reads:“Dear Mr Conway I would like to bring to your attention the performances of one of your pupils in swimming this summer. Ryan Smith competed at the ASA English Summer National Championships in Sheffield. Ryan claimed a bronze medal in the 15 year old boys 50 metres backstroke, 4th in the 50 metres freestyle, 4th in the 100 metres freestyle and 9th in both the 50 and 100 metres butterfly. Ryan is a swimmer of very high ability. I have coached swimmers to international gold medals including London 2012 and Ryan has potential. I have attached a picture of Ryan with his medal. He is very modest but maybe He would like to bring it in to school. Alex Pinniger Head Coach UEA City of Norwich SC”

I would have to write a book if I were to mention everyone’s wonderful achievements individually but nevertheless all the fantastic results can be found on the Norfolk schools sport partnership website for the Norwich area category http://www.norwichssp.co.uk/yr-7-9-swimming-galaresults/ A huge thank you to Tommy Hoven from Year 12 for supporting the students in this event. To everyone who competed a very well done – great enthusiasm and sportsmanship shown by all throughout! A very enjoyable day. Miss E Keel.

Congratulations to the u15 girl’s football squad who travelled to the FDC for a tournament. The girls played against Reepham2 and they won 6-0. They then played City Academy and had a substantial win of 7-1. Notre Dame continued their winning streak against tough opponents Thetford academy and again, won 3-2. The girls had an amazing team win against Northgate 1 with a fantastic result of 9-1. Notre Dame then played Northgate 2 and won 9-0. The final game was against Sheringham who had an academy player playing in goal but still managed to squeeze two past eventually winning 2-1. The team played some lovely football and had an incredible tournament. Special mentions for Paige Barnard who scored 17 goals, Abbie Tate who scored 12 and Darcie Keliey who got 4. Miss J Lee.

Japan trip Please take a moment to read this wonderful students’ lengthy account of their visit to Kyoto, Japan! “On 21st October, after months and months of waiting, fourteen lucky Japanese GCSE students were flown to Japan. There, we had what can only be described as “an unforgettable experience of a lifetime” (Matthew). After the 12 hour flight, and an hour long immigration queue, we were finally officially in Japan, we had made it! From the airport, we headed to Kyoto, the old capital city which was to be our new home for nearly two weeks. After a 2 hour bus ride, we finally arrived at Notre Dame Jogakuin (Notre Dame Girls’ High School) our Japanese sister school. It was a beautiful warm sunny day – we weren’t expecting it to be so hot! We were delighted to find our school perched beautifully on the side of a mountain near the Philosophers Walk. The views from the top floor tatami room over Kyoto were gorgeous. We held our breath and were greeted by the head teacher, Kurimoto Yoshiko, and settled down to our first Japanese meal with the Japanese teachers and students. After unpacking we decided to get our bearings. We explored the local area, taking a walk on the nearby Philosopher’s Path. This is a pleasant stone path which follows a koi filled canal and is surrounded by traditional Japanese buildings and temples. Approximately two kilometres long, the path begins around Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion) and ends in the neighborhood of Nanzenji next to another famous temple. It wasn't long before we stumbled across a cat- themed café and had some well-deserved refreshments. It was a peaceful stroll, and feeling tired due to jetlag we took an early night, settled into our futons full of anticipation and excitement for our time ahead.

The next day, an early rise was in order. We were dressed and ready to meet the Japanese teaching staff by 8. We were introduced to them, and straight afterwards, Patrick made a broadcast over the school radio to the whole school in Japanese, introducing all of us to them, much to the delight of some of the pupils. Later on, we were taken to see the Jidai Matsuri festival, one of Kyoto’s biggest three festivals. It’s a historical re-enactment parade with people dressed in authentic costumes representing various periods and characters in Japanese feudal history. Afterwards, we went shopping in the centre of Kyoto, exploring the huge department stores and bookstores. On the third day we were taken to a famous temple, Kyo-Mizu Dera, the name referring to the waterfalls running through it. There we explored and enjoyed the pagoda and views of the old capital. Some went to the famous 'Love Stones', where if one succeeds in successfully navigating between with closed eyes, it is believed that they will find true love soon (I failed – so I guess I’ll have to wait). Some of us took a sip from the waterfalls, of which there are three, they are said to grant wishes – longevity, education, and love (drinking from all three is considered greedy and unlucky). After a crisis at the waterfall (when I dropped my phone – should have drank from the luck one - thanks for rescuing it Mathew!), we were stopped by Japanese tourists and made to feel like celebrities as they all wanted to take their photos with us! That evening we enjoyed singing karaoke together in a Japanese karaoke booth complete with provided costumes. On the 24th, we were invited to a primary school festival, filled with the spirit of community. Coming from England, we clearly stood out and were the centre of attention yet again. We enjoyed the traditional festival food, made paper aeroplanes, introduced ourselves to the children in Japanese, and were taught how to perform a traditional Japanese dance which has been passed down through the generations for hundreds of years. Afterwards, some of us played basketball in the playground with some of the older Japanese students, and some of us helped to make mochi, rice cakes, by pounding up rice.

We were then taken back to ND Kyoto to attend a welcome party, held by the students. We had fun getting to know the students and enjoying the entertainment. We took part in more dancing and listened to the welcome speeches – Loki made her own at the end. Afterwards, we relaxed back in the house.

The next morning we were off to visit the famous Toji flea market selling traditional Japanese products. Hundreds of stalls were set up selling trinkets, kimono, fabrics, pictures, octopus balls, bbq chicken, drinks, and a whole host of other goods. (Jacques will have to wait another day for the samurai sword he set his heart on). There were also a few game stalls that we had fun trying out and we made sure we popped into the nearby temple to touch the bronze cow as it is supposed to bring good luck in exams. We then visited Notre Dame Elementary, where we had some noodles and watched NDJ’s Orchestra perform music from films including Disney’s “A Whole New World.” After talking with one of the teachers, we left, and we went to a nearby park to relax. Later on, we visited the Kyoto International Manga Museum, which contains a library of manga as well as exhibits relating to Japanese and international manga, and manga artists who painted pictures of us, which turned out to be amazing! On the 26th, we went on a field trip to Nara, a tourist spot an hour or so from Kyoto, famous as a world heritage site. When we arrived, we saw one of the many deer which stroll around Nara nonchalantly crossing the road at a zebra crossing, “I saw the deer and… and I looked and I thought oh it’s lovely here” (Kat). The tame deer, being one of the main tourist attractions, bowed when asking for food. “How they have been just generally trained to bow to you is really cool” (Oscar). Rice crackers were available to buy to feed the deer, as well as lots of deer themed merchandise. Another famous monument at Nara was the Great Buddha Hall, Daibutsuden, which is housed in the biggest wooden building in the world. It contains the largest bronze statue of the Buddha, Daibutsu - “It’s like he could strike you down at any moment” (Alex). In the temple, there is also what is known as the “Buddha’s Nostril,” a hole, carved into a pillar, that is said to grant enlightenment if you can successfully crawl through it. Many of us tried, and almost everyone who tried made it – one of us had to get pulled out. Feeling enlightened, we followed the path up some Kung Fu Panda style steps to a temple with a magnificent veranda, which provided us with another unforgettable view. Described by Claudia as “Absolutely stunning… Incredible”. Quite a few of us enjoyed this day the best.

On the 27th, we visited a beautiful traditional garden, with a stream that flowed through it. We then had more noodles in a room in the garden, before heading to the theatre. The Noh Theatre is a special stage for Noh plays and Kyogen, which we tried out. We were guided through basic Noh forms, sounds and gestures, such as walking, laughing, and the use of a fan, by a famous professional Kyogen actor Doji Shigeyama, who has performed in shows across Japan and the world. We then visited the school’s Kendo club and watched a performance and had a lesson in how to swing the bamboo swords. Kendo, literally translated, means “the way of the sword,” and entails fighting in armour with wooden swords - “The girls were extremely aggressive” (John).

On the 28th, we presented a slideshow about Norwich and our school at a special assembly attended by the whole school. We did our self-introductions in Japanese and later joined some of the lessons. Our first period was PE. We split ourselves into teams, and after a warm-up, we played basketball. We all had fun playing together “I’m not big on PE but it was fun” (Loki), although the girls were at an obvious height disadvantage – Alex especially could reach much higher than all of the girls. Our second period was a hybrid English/Japanese lesson, in which we spoke Japanese, and the Japanese girls spoke English. Our task was to learn and recite part of a famous Japanese poem “Strong in theRain,” by Kenji Miyazawa. We then performed our parts to each other - “We all learned [Japanese or English] equally” (Faustyna). After lunch, we joined a calligraphy lesson Japanese artistic writing. We were split up into tables, and we were given the chance to try it out. “I loved it” (Elania). Talking to the girls we were sat with was fun as well as the calligraphy itself. What then followed was a birthday Mass, which was quite interesting, as it was conducted in Japanese by an African priest. The birthday children, with autumn birthdays, were given a small gift of a pouch to celebrate their birthday. Some Halloween games were held afterwards, one which involved arranging shapes on a pumpkin head, which was a lot like pin the tail on the donkey, and the other was a game suspiciously titled “Nervous Breakdown,” which was played like snap. For dinner, we went to a local restaurant and had a special Japanese pancake, called Okonomiyaki, after a quick lesson these were cooked by ourselves on hot plates built into the table. They were delicious. On the 29th, we went to Fushimi-inari Taisha (shrine), which is famous for the thousands of Torii Gates, which mark the trail up the mountain. We spent several hours exploring the mountain trails and marvelling at the gates. Many of them had inscriptions, which we first believed to be some story, but which ended up being the names of people and companies who donated to build them. There were also many different fox-themed trinkets, as well as charms for many things, including an aptly named “Charm of fireproof”. We then went to Kyoto station, to go shopping. There were many great stores, including department stores and a large electrical store. Finally, we visited Kyoto tower, which offers a 360-degree view of Kyoto, and telescopes to look through. It offered breath-taking views of Kyoto, including the famous landmarks, such as the ones we enjoyed throughout the trip. The 30th was most of the girls’ last day at the house, as many of them went to stay with their homestay families. We cleaned the house from top to bottom, as Mr Pritchard said “There’s clean, and then there’s Japan Clean.” We got it ‘Japan Clean’ in the end, after 2 hours of work. We then attended the school’s Tea Ceremony club, which is an ancient tradition in Japan. We were given some delicious sweets, and then the tea ceremony was performed in front of us whilst sitting on tatami mats in a traditional wooden building with sliding doors open to a valley with a stream and obligatory stone bridge. Afterwards, we arrived back at the house to see everyone off. The girls who were going to do the homestays were naturally quite nervous, but everyone was soon off in the end. The next day, we went back to school – the girls came with their homestay sisters. After meeting up with them at the house, we all took part in lessons. First, an English/Japanese lesson, taught by none other than Mr Pritchard. We interviewed the girls in Japanese, and we were interviewed in English. It was interesting to talk to the Japanese girls about their hobbies, and socialising with them. We then played charades, with the girls guessing in English, and us guessing in Japanese. A couple of us came up to

be the subject, and we all tried to get as many points as possible. Afterwards, we took part in a maths lesson, which was Sudoku. It was a difficult one, with many of us unable to solve it. We had lunch, and then we attended the farewell Halloween party. Notre Dame Jogakuin provided half the entertainment; we provided the other half. We had fun dancing with the girls and watching them perform. We also performed, with Patrick rapping, Elania dancing, and Elania and I singing a duet of Disney’s “Let It Go.” Afterwards, we said our goodbyes and gave the school a gift. The girls went off with their homestay sisters, and then we relaxed at the house. The 1st of November was eventful. We went to Kyoto Eigamura, which is a film studio, where some famous Japanese films were filmed. There, we joined in with some of the activities. Alex got to be a Samurai and we saw him get sliced by another samurai in front of the gathering crowd. There were many actors in traditional costumes that we took pictures with. In the afternoon we cleaned up, we all helped clean the house as well as pack our suitcases for the next day.

The last day was sad and hectic. The rain poured down as we left the house. At Kyoto Station, we met with everyone and we prepared and said our goodbyes. The girls’ homestay sisters saw us off, together with the head teacher and some other teachers from Notre Dame Kyoto. After interviewing everyone, I quickly reached the unanimous conclusion that our experience in Japan had been unforgettable, extremely valuable and life changing. We had been so lucky to have experienced so many unique and engaging activities, whilst staying at a lovely school in such a beautiful area of Kyoto. Many of us didn’t want to go back home! All of us love Japan and its culture, and we won’t forget this experience in a hurry. Personally, I’d like to thank the following people: Mr Pritchard, for leading the trip, Natsue Hayward, for organising the trip, being our guide and generally for being with us – without you, the Japan trip would not have happened. I’d also like to thank Notre Dame Jyogakuin High School for hosting and looking after us so well and the organisations that helped fund my trip to Japan: The Sir Phillip Reckitt Educational Trust, and The Laura Elizabeth Stewart Memorial Trust. Without the support of the SES Trusts, I would not be writing this article and I would have missed out on one of the best experiences of my life. John Zuniga (Year 11)

Sponsored Walk Students and Staff embraced the autumnal conditions to do the annual sponsored walk on the last day before half term at the end of October. We walked down to Whitlingham Country Park, around the Broad and after a pit stop to refuel on cakes and lunch, found the strength to work our way back up the hill to school. However, the challenge didn't stop there, students then had to work hard to collect in their money from their sponsors. To date they have already beaten last year's total of £15,000+ for charities chosen by the students.

£16,129.83

Notre Dame Christmas Market

We had a wonderful day at the ND Christmas Market. Among the various stalls offering a plethora of festive food and gifts were these two small helpers, assisting Mrs Sell with her stall for Save the Children – Child Refugee Crisis Appeal

Senior Maths Challenge 2015: Mathematicians from Year 12 and 13 took part in the Senior Maths Challenge in November with a record number getting through to the next round. Alfred Wells Dion won the prize for Best in School with the highest score, of 96, across the two years. Congratulations to Alfred Wells Dion, Nicholas Barnham, Chloe Peterson, Craig Ellis and Hero Bain who made it through to the Senior Maths Kangaroo. Results to follow in the New Year.

BME Youth Congratulations to Sabine and Nathalia who were presented with their awards from the BME Youth Organisation. MP Chloe Smith, our Head Boy and Mr Conway were in attendance at the ceremony.

Early Action – Project Summary Early Action is a 5 year project across three schools within Norwich. Notre Dame, City Academy and CNS will be working in partnership with Map to improve the emotional wellbeing of young people. The aim of the project is to work with young people at a prevention stage, evidencing that early intervention is the most effective way of supporting young people around their mental health and wellbeing. Our emphasis will be pupils in years 7-9; however Map services will also be available to students in years 10 and 11. Services for young people Counselling sessions – This will involve one to one therapeutic work with a trained and qualified counsellor. This will offered within the school one day per week Participation workshops – Supporting the school council and other initiatives within the school, to ensure students are involved and have a voice within decision making. Training will also be offered to young people to develop skills around leadership. Lifezone Drop In and after school provision – Lunchtime drop in sessions within school, facilitated by youth workers and advisers. Young people can get involved in activities, receive information and self-refer into other services such as counselling. Horizons – One to one and group work support for young people who are at Risk of becoming NEET, facilitated by youth workers. PHSE workshops and classes – Map will be facilitating parts of the PHSE curriculum within school, focussing on areas such as emotional wellbeing, mental health and relationships. Work with parents – A trained advisor will be available to work with parents and families that require additional support. Training and networking for Staff Map will be offering staff the opportunity to take part in CPD and training around emotional wellbeing and related issues. These sessions will run throughout the year and will be catered to the needs of teachers and support staff. Some examples have already been highlighted by staff such as mental health first aid and self-harm training. We look forward to working in partnership with Notre Dame over the next 5 years. If you have any questions or would like to know more about Early Action, please contact the Partnership Co-ordinator, Paul Webb – [email protected] / 07881334755