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ST. JOSEPH’S ACADEMY Weekly Newsletter
Ben Davis, Acting Headteacher
Grassyards RdKilmarnock KA3 7SL
01563 526144
www.saintjosephsacademy.co.ukTwitter: @StJoAcad
ISSUE 15.3
FEBRUARY 16TH2015
FOR PARENTS, CARERS, FAMILIES & PARISHES
INSPIRE AND TRANSFORM:
NURTURING FAITH-FILLED WORLD CLASS LEARNING
The Episcopal Ordination of
Bishop Nolan
February 14th, 2015
Bishop Nolan’s Ordination
St. Joseph’s was very proud to play a part in the Ordination
of Bishop Nolan that took place at the Grand Hall on Saturday.
The school, in partnership with Mitie, Onsite Catering and East
Ayrshire Leisure Trust, hosted over 800 guests for lunch.
Pupils provided entertainment and welcomed guests to the
school. Several pupils also participated in the Mass itself,
including Sarah Iles who read and Kieran Preston who was one
of the altar servers. It was a wonderful day for Kilmarnock
and a real privilege to be part of. The day was suitably
rounded-off when the newly ordained Bishop visited the school
and spoke with the pupils. Thanks must go to all pupils who
participated and also to Mr. Cowan for overseeing the musical
entertainment and to Miss Woodward for the displays of art
in the street.
Engaged
Learners
Ambitious
Learning
From top left: S6 pupil Sarah Iles reads her explanation of the
history and meaning of the Bishop’s Pectoral Cross; Matthew
Dougan entertains guests; Robbie, James and Keira welcome
guests to the event; Matthew Cowan performs for guests in the
Street.
On this page: Pupils perform for the guests;
artworks on display in the street; guests
enjoying refreshments in the Games Hall; and,
above, the Street before they all arrived on
Saturday morning.
EAST AYRSHIRE ART EXHIBITION
Four of our S6 pupils had their work displayed in
the Easy Ayrshire Schools Art and Design
Exhibition at the Dick Institute. Schools from all
over East Ayrshire are represented and the
standard of work is very high. At the top of this
page you can see the four artists: Tatenda, Declan,
Jennifer and Nadia with their teacher Miss
Woodward. All are currently doing Advanced
Higher Art. Pictured to the left are Jennifer with
her piece, a self-portrait with her grandmother and
below that is Tatenda pictured with both her father
and his portrait. The exhibition is open until March
28th and is well worth a visit.
Examples of great learning from S1 Social Subjects. Pupils were challenged to demonstrate their learning and understanding of
medieval history through comic-book style illustrations.
This week we were delighted to
welcome to the school Sylvian
Diez. Sylvain, originally from
Brassac in France, is an
assistant development officer
at Ayr RFC, as well as being a
first and second XV player. He
previously played for Dumfries
Saints and Castres Olympique
and was part of the team that
won the French Under-21
National Championship. He
presented to the whole of S2
before leading 50 pupils in a
challenging rugby workshop.
General News and Information
Ash Wednesday
All pupils attended Mass or Services to mark Ash Wednesday and the start of the Lenten season. Pupils were encouraged to prepare for Lent and to view it as a time in which they should seek to find the ‘best of themselves.’ At St. Matthew’s Church the parishioners and Fr. Martin made the S5/6 pupils very welcome and Fr. Martin also commissioned our first pupil Eucharistic Ministers. The pupils, who are all undertaking the Caritas Award, then went on to distribute Ashes and Communion at the Mass and at subsequent services in school.
Senior Phase and S2 Parents Information Evening
On Tuesday night we welcomed over 100 parents and carers to the school to begin the first stage of personalisation and choice (or options) as their children move into S3 or into Senior Phase. As well as presentations from staff they also learnt more from Jane Henderson of Ayrshire College and our Careers Adviser from Skills Development Scotland, Kate Faulds. Parents and carers who were unable to attend will shortly be able to access the materials they missed online.
Pupils lead school’s anti-bullying and mental health
Two pupil committees are hard at work developing new materials and approaches for their peers. The first is
charged with developing our school’s interpretation of East Ayrshire’s new Respectful Relationships policy which, amongst other things, sets out ways of tacking bullying. The second is working on developing our whole strategy on mental health and wellbeing and will shortly be planning events for parents and carers and speaking with the Parent Council.
Advent Prayers
As is the case every Lent, Advent prayers take place each morning in the Oratory, led by a member of staff or a pupil. Parents and carers are very welcome to join us and we also ask you to encourage your son or daughter to attend.
S1 and S2 Character and Values Reflections
In Home Room all pupils in S1 and S2 are completing working reflection on the development of character traits, their understanding of the school’s values, their general progress and their health and wellbeing. These will be completed by March 4th and will then be sent home for parents and carers to sign.
Trips and Visits
There are still places on the S1 - S3 trip next week to the comic book workshop, tickets are priced at £4. The S6 Personal Development class are organising an S6 Leavers Dinner, priced at £6 and those pupils in S1 who are going on the Titanic trip must get their money in as quickly as possible.
WEEKLY HOME ROOM REFLECTION: Gentle Servant Leadership At the weekend a number of staff and pupils were lucky enough to attend the Ordination of Bishop Nolan at the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock. As the new Bishop of Galloway, Fr. Nolan will be expected to be lead the parishes of the Diocese and provide guidance to priests and parishioners. It is a position that demands great skills and carries enormous responsibility. The Ordination Mass was said by Archbishop Cushley and in his homily the Archbishop reflected on the theme of leadership describing Bishop Nolan as a ‘servant leader’. He also talked about the importance of gentleness and humility, characteristics that, he asserted, are vital for effective leadership. At the end of the Mass the newly ordained Bishop began his speech of thanks with a light-hearted, but well meant, apology to all those who had suffered as a result of his mistakes and decisions over the years. In a society where the image of leadership is often hard, cold-blooded and tough we would do well to listen to the words of these two men and consider how much better our lives might be if we all embraced gentleness and sought leaders who have the courage to be servants. In the media and in public life we are often overwhelmed by voices shouting in outrage for people to be punished and treated harshly – these reactions are often understandable. However, acting with gentleness and understanding requires much more courage and seeks to create better situations and find solutions even when there is conflict and division. Likewise servant leaders are focused on doing their best for others and getting the best out of people, rather than imposing their will and making demands.
Let us pray: We pray for Bishop Nolan as he takes up his new post that he can act with courage and gentleness in the knowledge that he has the support of the people of Galloway. We pray too for all people in positions of responsibility that they are mindful of their role as servants of others and that they set a good example in all their interactions and relationships. Amen.
PARISH MASS TIMES St. Matthew’s: 9.30 am, Fr. Chambers St. Joseph’s: 6.00 pm (vigil), 11.00 am Fr. Latham St. Francis Xavier, Patna: 5.00 pm (vigil)St. John the Evangelist: 10.45 am, Fr. McGrattan Our Lady of Mount Carmel: 9.30 am, Fr. McGhee St. Michael’s: 4.30 pm (vigil)St. Paul’s: 11.30 am, Fr. Chambers Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Patrick: 6.00 pm (vigil), Fr. McGrattanSt. Sophia’s: 6.00 pm (vigil) Fr. Chambers St. Thomas the Apostle: 9.00 am, Fr. McGrattan
IMPORTANT DATES...................................................................
February 24th 4.00 pm - 6.30 pm
S5/6 Parents’ Evening
March 2nd Parent Council
7 pm
Week beginning February 23rd: Year
group SCIAF assemblies
Week beginning March 2nd: Year Group
assemblies
March 19th Feast of St. Joseph
Character Education
In our newsletters we normally feature pupils’ work.
Here you can see some of the thinking done by staff on
the in-service day last week looking at character traits
and how these can be developed in young people. What
were the top three most important traits amongst the
staff? Honesty, respect and care.