15 Sep 2017 - Woods. Building campfires, camouflage, developing their first aid skills and learning how to survive in a
JANUARY 2014 NEWSLETTER
ST SIMON STOCK CATHOLIC SCHOOL September 2017 Newsletter
Dear Parents/Carers We have had a wonderful start to the new school year. I have been particularly pleased with the manner that our new Year 7 and 12 students have integrated into school life and been made welcome by the rest of the Stocky community. Our popularity as a school of choice may be seen in that our numbers have risen to 1110 pupils – the highest in the School’s history. I was delighted with the summer examination results which were superb and place the School amongst the very best in the country. At A level/BTEC, we were rated as outstanding for the second consecutive year. At GCSE, 74% of students achieved grades 9 - 4 (the old A* - C) in English and Maths – significantly better than the national average of 62%. 86% of students gained GCSE grades 9 – 4 in English, more than 10% higher than the national average. For the second consecutive year, over half of our students surpassed their government targets by one grade on average. Well done to Staff, Students and Parents. In our academic Mass, we came together as a worshipping community to thank God for our success and prayed for the coming school year. Students committed themselves to love and respect their teachers and make this a thriving community of faith, love and service by their hard work, care and attention. We hope that our school motto, “Work with love”, is seen in the actions of our students. I hope that a great year beckons for all. Brendan J. Wall
50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION On the 8th July, we held our 50th Anniversary Celebration day to conclude our year-long in-school activities of the school reaching its 50 year milestone. School tours, a special Mass, bouncy castles, face painting, stalls, live music, performances and dancers were all but some of what made it a very special occasion. After an overcast morning, the weather was very kind and brought us sunshine for the afternoon – and sadly, a few cases of sunburn that lasted a little longer! Over 1000 people attended, sharing some of their fond (mostly!) memories of their time at school while enjoying the celebrations. Past staff were invited, including former Head teachers, Mr Mulhearn and Mr McParland, posing for one of the pictures below with Mr Wall.
It was also an opportunity for current students, parents and staff to be part of a special year of the school together.
To all those who attended, a very special thank you for making it such a fantastic day. If you took pictures and are happy for us to publish these in our gallery on our Facebook page, please email them to
[email protected]. Mr T May
I GOT MY GEEK ON FOR A WEEK AND I LOVED IT! I am proud to say that I am a space nerd! As a result of my interest, I applied to attend Honeywell Educators at Space Academy (HESA) at the US Space and Rocket Centre (USSRC) and NASA Marshall Institute in Huntsville Alabama in the USA. In January of this year, I found out that I was 1 of 200 teachers globally that had been selected to attend the Space Academy on a full scholarship. On arrival at the University of Alabama on 14th June, I was immediately kitted out with a flight suit and other goodies including a backpack, water bottle and some t-shirts. A week at the USSRC included a talk by Homer Hickam, a retired NASA Aerospace Engineer who has written books about his life and love of rockets and space, an orientation walk around the site, time in the museum and a presentation by Clayton C Anderson who spent 167 days in space, 5 month stay on the ISS and EVAs through 6 space walks.
With Homer Hickam
Fixing equipment during an Eva
I also completed some in class professional development on the teaching of abstract concepts in science and making science accessible to all students and I was able to discuss the approaches we use at Stocky and how science is taught in other countries. I experienced the capsule landing in the ocean during the Helidrop and the force that hits you when you eject from the rocket through the zip line. I went on the 1/6th Gravity Chair that mimics the microgravity on the moon. I also took a turn on the Multi Axis Trainer (MAT) that simulates the capsule coming back into the Earth’s atmosphere. As the capsule enters our atmosphere it gets knocked into a tumble spin, and the MAT did the same thing.
MAT
Two days were filled with our mission training and the mission itself. As a team we managed to adapt to the anomalies and I am pleased to say that our crew arrived safely at the ISS. We then went on to complete maintenance and performing
experiments. For the second mission I was a Flight Engineer for the Mars Landing. I had various tasks to complete on the rocket and then landed on Mars.
LASALLIAN WOMEN’S GLOBAL SYMPOSIUM, SPIRITUALITY AND FORMATION PROGRAMME As an associate Lasallian School, St Simon Stock follows the teachings and ethos of St. John Baptiste de la Salle, a 17th Century priest who started schools for poor children in France.
Paycom on the ISS Mission
300 years after his death, the Brothers of the Christian Schools are now a global network educating nearly 1,000,000 students around the world.
Flight Engineer, Mars Mission
I also took part in a 5 hour Rocketry programme where we had to design and build our rocket, solder various leads on to the tracker and Raspberry Pi, code the Raspberry Pi before we could even think about ‘blast off’. On the launch day our rocket travelled 58m up with a maximum acceleration of 15m/s. After reaching its maximum height, the parachute deployed and it fell safely to the ground. I can honestly say that this was the best Professional Development that I have attended in my teaching career. My thanks go to Mr Wall and Mr Chittenden for allowing me the opportunity to apply and attend Space Camp. Most importantly, my thanks go to Honeywell Hometown Solutions and the USSRC that teamed up in 2004 to provide this scholarship opportunity to science teachers. Since its inception, 2776 teachers from 62 countries have graduated from Space Camp. I am proud to say, “I am a Space Camp Alumni”. Mrs L Hobbs, Science
In July, Brother Robert sponsored me to go to New Zealand for the first Lasallian Women’s Global Symposium. Over a 4 day conference, close to 120 women representing every continent met together to discuss the ever changing role of women in the Lasallian network. Nearly 60% of all Lasallian partners are women and it was decided a few years ago that a meeting was held to discuss the way forward. We were also joined by 5 brothers from America, Australia and the Pacific Isles, including Brother Robert himself.
the world with the same passion for education and to share ideas and projects with them, as well as working on devising a plan for the next 5 years. The connections and friendships that were made are already bearing fruit with a pen pal programme being arranged in the near future and an article I have written appearing in the District of North America newsletter. On returning from New Zealand and after a week at home to get over jetlag, I then went on a considerably shorter flight to Ireland to meet with 40 other young Lasallians from Europe and the Mediterranean to look at Spirituality in the 21st Century and its application within educational institutions.
Miss Bassett, our school chaplain, spent a week in Malta over the summer on a Lasallian Formation programme for the district of Ireland, GB and Malta, learning more about our Lasallian history and again, gaining ideas that can be implemented in our school.
Sally Bennett with the Superior General of the De La Salle Brothers, Brother Bob Schieler
It was an amazing experience to meet women from around
Miss S Bennett, Department
R.E.
YEAR 7 BUSHCRAFT Over the weekend of th September 15 2017, a group of Year 7 students enjoyed a weekend of survival in Hatfield Woods. Building campfires, camouflage, developing their first aid skills and learning how to survive in a wooded area with limited resources, were all skills enhanced during the weekend.
This year, the ‘eat a fish eye challenge’ was accepted by six hardy young men and women who have truly earned their ‘Ray Mears’ survival skills badge.
P.E. DEPARTMENT Congratulations to Fleur Hopper, Year 10, who took part in the Kent Rubgy trials during the weekend of 16th September
Thank you. Mr M Nimani, Subject Leader U12/13s Rugby Club has started - Wednesday after school with Mr Fiddler and Maidstone RFC.
Term 1 - Trials The St Simon Stock Catholic School P.E. department recently held their annual trials for Netball and Football in which over 150 students across the school attended.
Our three days helped to develop communication skills, resilience and teamwork and friendships made will hopefully develop throughout the year. By the end of the weekend it resembled a scene from ‘Lord of the Flies’, as young men and women emerged from the woods, their characters tested and their hand crafted tent pegs and para-cord bracelets in hand, ready to face all that Year 7 will throw at them.
and news for all parents and students. The account is @SSSCSPE.
The teams are looking as strong as ever and I am feeling particularly optimistic about the 'newbies' in Year 7 who are showing a lot of promise.
Mrs J Rodell-Jones, Head of Year 7 The P.E. department have their own twitter account where they post live scores
Year 11 Maidstone District Premier League
and
SSSCS 1 v 1 OPGS The Stocky U16s started their season with a 1-1 draw against local rivals OPGS. Stocky dominated this match for large periods of the game and were unlucky not to claim all 3 points. Many chances were created but Stocky lacked that killer instinct in front of goal and could not convert possession into goals.
Captain, Josh Ladlow and Offiong Bassey had an extremely strong game in the midfield and were ably supported by Seto Mokejo in
defence, who marshalled the back line well. After going 1-0 down in the first half to a bullet header from a set piece, Josh Ladlow scored a fine individual goal in the second half to bring the scores level and this is how it stayed for the final 25 minutes.
people in attendance, which saw individuals and teams presented with awards for their sporting accolades and students rewarded for P.E. academic achievement.
practical and academic sport achievements. Mr K Fiddler, P.E. Department
P.T.A.
Mr K Fiddler, P.E. Department
Quiz Night Tickets are now on Sale for the Quiz Night on Friday 13th October – please check emails for further details. This is always a fun night!
Stocky football is back on …
Theatre Trip
The Year 8 football team began their footballing campaign where they left off last season with a stunning performance by beating St Gregory’s Catholic School in the first round of the Kent Cup with a 4-0 score. Great performances by Captain Ryan Huke and ‘Man of the Match’ Sam Mellish.
The event was opened by Subject Leader of P.E., Mr Nimani and was hosted by Mr Rowe and Ms Welcome, with special guest and departing Year 13 student, Alessia Russo (England Ladies Football U19s /U21s) presenting pupils with trophies, prizes and certificates.
I am very impressed by the team’s development and I am looking forward to further competitions, both in Cup and League. Mr M Nimani, Subject Leader
SPORTS AWARDS The annual Sports Presentation Awards 2017 Evening was a huge success. There were approximately 250
Mr Wall, Principal, closed the evening and we look forward to next year’s event and rewarding our students for
… on Thursday 9th November to Motown the Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre – please check emails for details – tickets on sale now - £49 including return coach travel or £69 for tickets in the stalls.
Quality Second hand Uniform During the last year, the sale of second hand uniform has again raised a considerable amount of money for P.T.A. funds which ultimately goes back into the school.
Donations of second hand uniform can be left at the school reception. Anyone wishing to purchase items of uniform can do so by contacting Mrs Hall on 07507 511112 or email:
[email protected] or Mrs Abbott: email
[email protected] or alternatively at Parents’ Evenings when second hand uniform is always on sale.
SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS DEPARTMENT Peer Mentoring Miss Bassett, our Youth Chaplain and I, have appointed 40 students to act as Peer Mentors this term. This is a great role for students in the school and develops their leadership and teamwork skills and allows them to contribute to the school community.
Donations of quality second hand uniform from Year 11 students would be greatly appreciated – these can be left at the school reception. P.T.A. Meetings We would like to invite all parents to join us for meetings and would welcome new ideas for fundraising events to enable the P.T.A. to make grants to departments within the school to enhance the education of our young people. All Parents/Carers are invited to these meetings which all take place at the school on a Monday starting at 6.30pm: 9th October 2017 – AGM and meeting 4th December 2017 15th January 2018 5th March 2018 18th June 2018 10th September 2018 15th October 2018 – AGM and meeting 26th November 2018 Please come and join us - we are planning several events for this special school year. Miss S M Worron, P.T.A. Secretary
The Peer Mentors support other students within the school. In particular, they support younger students and new students. They talk and listen to them and offer them friendship, support and advice Miss Bassett and I trained them on Monday and we had an excellent session and were very impressed with the calibre of students we had. We are looking forward to getting the Peer Mentors working. Mrs A Denny, Director of Welfare/SEND WHOOSH Club The ‘We're Here Out of School Hours’ Homework Club is now open. It runs on Tuesday to Friday every week from 3.15pm to 4.00pm. It is staffed by members of the Supported Learning team and they provide support with homework and revision. If you are interested in your son or daughter joining, then please
contact Mrs Goldson, the school’s SENCO on:
[email protected]. Mrs A Denny, Director of Welfare/SEND
LEYBOURNE LAKES COUNTRY PARK PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION Congratulations to Mr Head, Reprographics Technician at Stocky, who entered and won the ‘photograph of the month’ competition in July at Leybourne Lakes Country Park, Snodland. This summer, a whole field dedicated to wild flowers, resulted in a blanket of beautiful red poppies in their thousands.
Well done, Mr Head! CATERLINK St Simon Stock welcomed Mervat George to the Caterlink team at the end of last term. Every Tuesday, the restaurant is showcasing ‘Concept Days’ which introduce ‘meal deals’ and special menus, including some of the hottest food trends on the high street at the moment: Mac ‘n’ Cheese and the ‘Quirky Bird’ range of chicken dishes, to name but a few. Caterlink is also introducing ‘99p Street’ which is a menu
designed to offer a ‘value for money’ range of healthy and nutritious hot snacks.
at. This culminated in a parade by the braver individuals of Year 8 … they looked fantastic!
Please also look out for ‘Monthly Food Heroes’ – September highlighted the benefits of eating courgettes!
London Zoo was a rich source of inspiration for students to draw on throughout the year. As a department, we are looking forward to seeing what emerges from our next enrichment day visit to the Folkestone Triennial. Get those sketchbooks ready!
CELEBRATION OF ART Last year, Year 8 were working on all sorts of projects inspired by a fantastic enrichment day at London Zoo. During the visit, they explored a variety of creatures large and small. Lots of wonderful observational drawings were made and from these sprang many amazing entries for the sketchbook competition. It was extremely hard to choose the winners well done to all those who won prizes!
Ms S Dafforn, Art Department
STOCKY MEMORIAL GARDEN At this time of year, we are always trying to improve our Stocky grounds.
Students looked at the work of artists who use the animal world as inspiration and responded with a variety of 2D and 3D media including, print, charcoal and recycled materials. Students researched how animals have inspired Carnival costumes in different cultures around the world. From this investigation small groups of students collaborated to build Carnival masks (and in a few cases costumes), inspired by the drawings they had made and the artists we had looked
Our aim is to encourage wildlife into the gardens, so if any keen gardeners are dividing clumps of perennials, I would love to hear from you: my email is
[email protected]
Perennial Wallflowers in the Memorial Garden
Mrs M Tilby
CABLE MAKING IN ICT During the week of 18th September, Year 13 IT students took on the challenge set for them by Mr Holl, to create a fully functioning Ethernet cable from scratch. Students spent the lesson cutting the wires using crimping tools to expose a wonderful array of coloured wires.
Then the fun began ... students had to pair the coloured wires in a certain way to have a functioning cable - harder than it sounds. Students then inserted the coloured wires into the connector ensuring that they went to the very end of the connector. The students then used the crimper tool once more to compress everything together.
Then the moment of truth.... to see if the cable actually worked, testing it on one of the devices in school. Our students were fantastic in their determination to complete this task, some taking a lesson, others taking slightly longer, but all achieving their outlined goal. A fantastic example of a hands on approach to learning. Miss B McNamee, Department
I.T.
SAINSBURY’S ACTIVE KIDS
Mrs Roy, Food Technology Department, would like to thank parents, students and staff for supporting this year’s Sainsbury’s Active Kids campaign.
an integral part of our school community. House System Objectives Our aim is to provide every pupil in each House with the following: a sense of belonging within the school community opportunities to develop social, intellectual, physical and practical skills a sense of achievement, both inside and outside the classroom fun and excitement through competition opportunities for leadership an awareness of individual and collective responsibility Each House is in competition with each other to achieve the highest number of House points at the end of each term and at the end of the academic year when there will be an awards ceremony.
As a result of your voucher donations, the department has been able to acquire a selection of kitchenware to enhance the students’ culinary skills, including: frying pans, kitchen utensils and baking trays. ST SIMON STOCK CATHOLIC SCHOOL HOUSE SYSTEM On entry to school, all students are allocated a House that they belong to. The House System is designed to embody the values and ethos of the school and aims to be
Merits - pupils are awarded merits for outstanding effort and achievement House Activities there are a number of House activities throughout the year sports day, games competitions, S-Factor, arts competitions and many more Attendance - pupils who achieve 100% attendance in a term will receive a House point, as will any
student who achieves zero behaviour logs Extra-Curricular activities - pupils are rewarded for outstanding things they do outside of school, so please keep us informed of your children’s successes and achievements Involvement in fundraising for the House charities: Heart of Kent Hospice and the Sacred Heart School in India
Meet the House Leaders:
Cardinal Hume House: Mrs Hobbs
St Thérèse of Lisieux House: Mr Rowe
Archbishop Romero House: Miss Karaoglani
St Bernadette of Lourdes House: Mrs Roy
Look out in future Newsletter editions for forthcoming House charity events.
Thank you so much for your donations of used postage stamps which are so important in supporting sight impaired people to live independent lives. Please leave them at Reception.
