F E BRU ARY 2016 E DITION

Blessed George Napier Catholic School

A word from the Principal We started the new year with the tragic news that Lesley and Bob Forester were killed over the Christmas period. We continue to remember them, their family and friends in our prayers. As a school , we are continually looking for opportunities to improve BGN, in particular the environment. With this in mind, we have submitted a bid for a new Sixth Form block which, if successful, would enhance the whole school and the curriculum that we can offer. Every term is busy at BGN and this one has been no exception. We are in the midst of exam preparation for Years 11, 12 and 13, with the students working on how to improve, following their mocks. Please encourage your child to make the best use of the time remaining to them for study and revision. If you have any questions, or would like any help to support your child, please contact their Subject Leader or Head of Year. Our Year 9s have now all had an individual meeting with a member of staff regarding their options. These forms need to be completed and handed in by Thursday 11 February. Some highlights from this term have been:      

D DA AT TE ES S F FO OR R Y YO OU UR R D D II A AR RY Y Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February Monday 22 February and Thursday 25 February Thursday 25 February Monday 29 February to Friday 4 March Thursday 3 March

Thursday 10 March

w/c Monday 14 March

Friday 25 March to Friday 8 April

Half-term [Ski trip from 12-18 February] Year 10 interviews with Rotary Club Sixth Form parents’ evening @ 4 pm Year 10 work experience week

Services of Reconciliation in school for all year groups Year 8 parents’ evening @ 4 pm ‘Born for This’ production in parishes and shown in school on Thursday 24 March Easter holiday return to school on Monday 11 April [Week A]

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO ALL PARENTS PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE DOWN ADDISON ROAD TO DROP YOUR CHILDREN OFF OR PICK THEM UP FROM SCHOOL. PLEASE ALSO ENSURE THAT PEOPLE WHO DO THE SCHOOL RUN ON YOUR BEHALF ARE AWARE OF THESE PROCEDURES. IT IS CAUSING SERIOUS CONGESTION AND COMPROMISING THE SAFETY OF PUPILS TRAVELLING TO AND FROM SCHOOL.

Year 8 residential trip to Glasbury Year 9 option evening Young Enterprise trip to the Cowley Trade Fair Year 13 Geography field trip to London Docklands Year 7 ‘Wasted’ Theatreadad production Years 9/10 Science theatre production of ‘People are Messy’ Day of prayer for vocations with exposition

Preparations are under way for our ’Born for This’ production which will be held in local parishes week commencing Monday 14 March and in school on the last day before we break up for Easter. We hope as many people as possible will be able to see the performance. The Sixth Form Lourdes group are continuing to raise funds to accompany the Diocesan pilgrimage this year. Thank you for all your support with their fundraising efforts. May I wish you a restful half-term break. Fraser Long Principal

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Maths Department—Year 7 Puzzle Day On Thursday 7 January all 140 Year 7 pupils spent the day in the hall for a Maths Puzzle Day. Run by the Maths staff and 35 willing Year 9 Maths Leaders, the children solved puzzles, built bridges out of newspaper to carry an egg, made origami dodecahedra and ran around the hall competing in a Maths relay. There was lots of excellent Maths going on all day, as well as plenty of fun, noise and mess. The children were organised into mixed ability groups of three or four and their team working skills were also honed. The winners received certificates and sweets [in time honoured Maths Department tradition] in assembly the following week. Well done to everyone involved—it was a very successful day.

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Maths Department challenge for you...

Maths Challenge

Find a 9 digit number such that the first digit is divisible by 1, the first two digits taken together are divisible by 2, the first three digits together are divisible by 3, and so on. Hint: 987654321 does not work, as 9876543 does not divide by 7.

All answers to Mr James by Friday 26 February 2016. Prizes will be awarded in Assembly.

Good luck

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Alton Castle—16 to 18 November 2015 Year 7 pupils, form tutors, Mr Crawford and Miss Lambert set off from school for three days of adventure! For lots of the children the first physical challenge was to carry their VERY large suitcases up three flights of winding, castle stairs! The children were split into five different groups and, over the next two days, participated in activities such as archery, mountain biking, trekking, rock climbing, survival skills and an adventure course. Needless to say, due to the wet and cold November weather, everyone got very muddy but still had amazing fun. On the last night, we held a beautiful Mass in the church, followed by a talent show and disco – there were some very talented acts to entertain us all! It was a really windy night and it was certainly howling through the castle—or maybe that was just the children!

It was a great experience for everyone involved, providing opportunities for pupils to work in teams and build new friendships. I think everyone who went on the trip would agree it was great fun, achieved without a mobile phone, iPad, laptop or X-Box in sight! [Miss Lambert– Year 7 Pastoral Manager]

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Alton Castle [continued…]

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Travel & Tourism visit to Verona A dark, cold and early morning meeting at school was the beginning of our trip to Verona, Italy. Although everyone was excited at the prospect it was clear, as we were heading around the M25, that sleep was setting in. Quiet descended on the school minibus! We arrived at Gatwick with plenty of time to wake up and explore as our plane was delayed. Later we flew across the Alps and soon arrived at Verona Airport. Two smart men were waiting with a name card as we left customs, giving us the confidence that everything would work out well, especially as the taxis were Mercedes! The first day of exploration to find evidence that Verona is a growing tourist destination commenced. This involved visiting the various sights, making judgements, and evaluating the services and facilities provided. Our weekend coincided with Sainta Lucia’s fete, as part of the festivities leading up to Christmas, so there were a number of large Christmas markets, Nativity scene exhibitions (prescepi) and concerts. We began to immerse ourselves in the culture of Verona and went to a very professional and melodic Christmas concert in the church of ‘Chiesa San Fermo Inferiore’ – an old church below a more recent large church – with beautiful wall paintings. One of the main attractions associated with Verona is Romeo and Juliet. The film ‘Letters to Juliet’ and the Shakespeare play have reinforced the myth that Juliet lived in central Verona, in a house with a balcony. This has become a honeypot for visitors and the small courtyard in front of the house becomes crowded by people keen to have their photograph taken. There is even a tomb for Juliet! Unfortunately, this aspect of tourism seems to cause more problems than benefits. Nevertheless, it is an experience that will remain with us.

The photograph above shows our Year 12 Travel and Tourism students beside the Roman Theatre, which stands on the bank of the river facing the walled town. As Verona had an earthquake in the previous 24 months, part of the site was closed, but the ancient columns forming the entrance to the theatre were unaffected.

Verona is a medieval walled town, with lots of historic buildings, many dating back to the Romans. The picture above shows the Arena in the centre of Verona. This is used for concerts in the summer and over the Christmas period; the area below the seating is used for the Nativity exhibition. Everyone enjoyed their visit and it brought to life the theory we learn in school. [Mrs Moss]

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Organise your VLE home page to make life easier for you...

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MFL Department news Onatti Productions send professional foreign actors to perform in schools. All their plays are written especially for students learning a foreign language. The stories are aimed at a modern audience and pitched at the perfect level to compliment language learning. They are a fantastic way to bring language ALIVE. Les Garçons, a French play, was performed in school on 27 November. Mikki in Year 7 wrote: “The play was amazing. My favourite part was when Nathalie and Tristan kept sending messages to each other across the hall”. Ellie in Year 7 wrote: “I really enjoyed the bit when Natalie was pretending that Tristan was the monkey. It was really entertaining and funny. I also enjoyed it when Tristan came out in his dressing gown and then Juliette came back and was acting weird around him”. Maisie in Year 7 wrote: “I especially enjoyed the part when Justin came onto stage in a woman’s robe. I had never been to a play in a different language before and I was surprised at how much I understood because of the amazing acting. All in all, the play was fantastic and better than my expectations”.

Primera Cita, a Spanish play, was performed in school on 1 December. Sophie in Year 9 wrote: “I really enjoyed the play, especially when they were getting ready for their first date and everything was going wrong… it was hilarious!”.

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World Book Day—Thursday 3 March 2016

ut o k o o L

r o f ol o ch s nd u aro

nd a s e ti i v ti ac

ns o titi e p m co

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English Department celebrates... Congratulations go to the following students for their use of a wide vocabulary this term:Key Stage 3

Key Stage 4

Tomas Alves Emelia Brain Jasmine Grover Fjord Kelly-Soens Kelan McConnon Joyal Shaji Cheyenne Williams

Myles Bishop Lavinia Bryer Charlotte Cullum Kyle Esparon Maks Miodek Jekhio Ryan-May Oliver Sharpe Sebastian Starzyk Molly Walsh Lauren Watson

English ‘Word Wall’ Writing Challenge—Term 3 challenge

Laconic

Ambivalence

Nuance

Truculent

Salient

Sycophantic

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Attendance

Attendance and punctuality Punctuality and good attendance are essential if students are to fully benefit from their education. All students are expected to attend for more than 96% of each school year. This is the national expectation for all students, as research shows that anything less than this will mean students miss out on more than 10 days of school in an academic year and will more than likely drop a grade in their achievement each year that this happens. If a student’s attendance is less than 90%, they will be classed as ‘persistent absentee’ by Ofsted and the Department for Education.

Absence requests Holiday must be taken in school holiday time and, where a child’s attendance drops below 96%, the school may contact you to request a meeting. Please ensure you advise the school in advance of any absences as we cannot authorise an absence retrospectively.

When your child can miss school You can only allow your child to miss school if either: They are too ill to go in



You have obtained advance permission from the school

Absence in term time You have to get permission if you want to take your child out of school during term time. You can only do this if: You make an application in advance



There are exceptional circumstances

Please be aware authorised absence during term time are extremely rare and you can be fined for taking your child on holiday during term time without the school’s permission.

Sickness Please notify the Attendance Officer, by telephone: 01295 264216 extension 518 or email: [email protected] by 9.30 am each day of your child’s absence. As a duty of care to our students is paramount to us, should we not hear from you we will send out a text to remind you to contact the school regarding your child’s absence. If we still have not heard from you by 11 am as to why your child is absent, we will telephone you as our student’s welfare is a priority. If we have still not received any contact from you, we will mark the absence as unauthorised.

Doctor/dentist/hospital Appointments (other than orthodontist) should be made outside of school hours whenever possible. However, if this is unavoidable, the student is expected to attend school either side of the appointment. Appointments should be notified to school in advance so the registers can be marked accordingly. A whole day off school should not be necessary and, unless information is provided as to why a whole day is required, this will not be authorised. Please ensure you notify us of any change in contact details.

Punctuality At BGN we encourage all students to arrive to school on time. If students do arrive late to school or need to leave school early, they MUST sign in/out with the Attendance Officer and have a note confirming the reason for arriving late/leaving early. If your child arrives late to school on two occasions without a valid reason, an after school detention will be given.

to all our students who have achieved 100% attendance so far this academic year—you will be presented with your certificates in Assembly

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Drama Department news Year 10 GCSE Drama have been working hard this term towards their mock unit 3, which is all about performing! They are rehearsing and directing two performances for next term: ‘Taming of the Shrew’ and ‘As You Like It’. Both are comedy plays full of modern twists. Watch this space for details of performance dates. Year 13 Drama students created and performed in a powerful piece called 'French Fries' at the end of last term. The performance took place in the Drama studio and included a question and answer session, discussing the powerful issues highlighted. This was followed by an in -depth write-up about the process and experience of performing this group’s unique piece. It was a great success - well done to you all! [Helen Furniss—Head of Drama]

Year 7 fundraising for LEPRA In October, the Year 7s had a very informative assembly given by a representative from the LEPRA charity. The pupils were spoken to about the impact of having the disease, and the continued support the charity gives to the infected people. The pupils were asked to raise money by being sponsored to do an activity and their reward was to have a fun Zumba workout on 24 November! The year group had an amazing time at the workout and it was great to see all the pupils participate together. We managed to raise the fantastic amount of £804.66. Christopher Charles in 7 Devereux managed to raise over £200 by himself, completing an ice bucket challenge – well done Christopher! Thank you Year 7 for showing compassion for others – your money will make a huge difference to someone’s life.

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What do you do lunchtimes on a Friday? This is what Form 10 Calcutta did? ‘Good vibes’ were felt by students who attended Form Mass, lunchtime on Friday 22 January. This was a result of the sincerity and joy expressed by all students in 10C who worked hard to prepare and practice for an uplifting Mass together. Many people commented upon the impressive attendance at the Mass, which highlighted the strong bond and support that the teenagers have for one another in that form group and within the school. Preparations had begun a fortnight before the Mass and every single member of 10C created a poster to place around the school encouraging others to attend. They focussed upon using bright colours to reflect the cheerful and welcoming atmosphere they wished to create. This sense of joy was matched by the democratic election of the hymn ‘Oh Happy Days’. Holly from 10C commented that she enjoyed having the freedom to choose a new hymn and attendees of the Mass felt that ending on that cheery tone, which focuses upon Jesus’ cleansing of our sins, created a unified elation amongst the congregation. Leading up to this jubilation, we had the poignant bidding prayers and readings from other members of 10C. Laurence reflected upon the relevance of the prayers which included current affairs such as those for people fleeing conflict and those for students facing hardships and exams. Additionally, Alex complimented the clarity of the readers. He suggested that everyone at Mass could understand the prayers and dwell upon them due to the eloquence of the speakers. As one of the readers, Yasmin felt that the Mass enabled her to develop her public speaking skills which she recognises will be crucial later on in life. 10C’s Mass demonstrated that, by coming together and supporting one another, worship felt more special. Rebecca commented that, by every member of the form contributing a bidding prayer and poster, they were all included from the very start and this continued right the way through to the echoing of ‘Oh Happy Days’ at the end of the service. We should be proud of the fact that BGN students can share these intimate moments, reflecting upon God and creating a happy day together. [Miss Angris—English Department]

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Years 5/6 Sportshall Athletics Over one hundred Year 5 and 6 students from the BGN Family of Primary Schools enjoyed an afternoon of athletics on Thursday 28 January at Blessed George Napier. Pupils from Cropredy, Orchard Fields, St John’s, St Joseph’s and William Morris took part in both track and field events which were run by 25 BGN student Sport Leaders. The competition was aimed at Gifted and Talented and wellmotivated children in Years 5 and 6, which created a very competitive atmosphere! After a series of hotly contested track and field events, the overall competition was won by Cropredy. St John’s were runners-up, with Orchard Fields A and St Joseph’s joint third; William Morris were fifth and Orchard Fields B were sixth. Cropredy will now go on to represent the BGN Family at the North Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership final, which will take place on Tuesday 9 February, again at Blessed George Napier. The focus value for this festival was ‘passion’ and this was in abundance! A boy and a girl from each team was selected and presented with a special certificate to recognise their positive attitude and enthusiasm throughout the festival. The Year 8 and Year 10 student Sport Leaders did a very efficient job at running the festival and making it such a success. Below are some of the comments received:“Another fantastic competition run by North Oxfordshire School Sport Partnership. The leaders were very knowledgeable and really supportive to the children. Thank you.” [Cropredy Teacher] “We loved the races and we all have a sore throat from the cheering. A fun afternoon.” [St Joseph’s pupils] Our Sport Leaders have also been selected to support a number of other Sportshall Athletics competitions including the BGN Family Inclusion festival, the Primary and Secondary Partnership finals in February and the County finals in April in Abingdon. Our thanks go to the BGN Sport Leaders who were:Year 10 Ellie Laurie, Rachel Nicholas, Ella Beard, Wasim Ahmed, Erin Higginbottom, Jess Cotter, Carla Moon, Jolene Venzi, Saskia Mollard, Sidra Ahmed, Oliver Sharpe, Tom Burridge, Sam Tyzack, Ellis Etheridge, Iqra Asif, Nikola Stodolska, Aodhan O’Sullivan, Myles Bishop and Oliver Marr Year 8

Danha Baker, Maja Chamczynska, Penny Higham, Olivia Coffey, Erin Rayner and Katie Templeman [Mr Mawn – SSCO]

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Year of Mercy

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School information SAFETY REMINDER At the start and end of the school day, please do not drop off or pick up pupils on or via Addison Road. This is currently being monitored.

Vehicles should only use Addison Road to enter the school premises up to 5 pm. All vehicles should enter via Springfield Avenue after 5 pm. Vehicles must always exit via Addison Road.

Please do not park on the zigzags or the zebra crossing in Springfield Avenue and please do not park over residents’ driveways at any time.

These rules are for the safety of all our pupils and for the consideration of residents who live near to the school. Thank you.

Youth Choir carol singing for Breast Cancer Awareness 2016 The Youth Choir raised the amazing sum of £1,279.87 for Breast Cancer Awareness in a little over 4 hours, singing carols and festive favourites at Sainsbury's, Tesco and the new Marks and Spencer, during the last week of the Christmas term. This fantastic amount is testament to the quality of the singing, with the choir receiving lots of positive feedback from delighted shoppers! In addition, the choir entertained at St John's Parish Christmas lunch, Green Pastures Nursing Home, Lark Rise Residential Care Home and Katharine House Hospice. A date has been set in early March to record a second CD of Christmas music which, it is hoped, will be available to buy as a perfect present for a loved one next Christmas! [Mr Wilson—Head of Expressive Arts]

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House information

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Friends of BGN

The next meeting of The Friends of BGN will be on Tuesday 19 April 2016 at 7.30 pm—venue is BGN LRC Email: [email protected]

Matt and Julia Allman’s quiz night A big

to everyone who supported the quiz night. It was another roaring success, in addition to being a sell out event. The winning team was ‘A bunch of rascals’ and we raised the fabulous sum of £950. A big thank you also goes to Matt and Julia for organising this entertaining evening. [Pictured above ’A bunch of rascals’ with their prizes]