December Newsletter 2012
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Transcript of December Newsletter 2012
S. Peter’s Collegiate School Autumn Term Newsletter
December 2012
Dear S. Peter‟s Families,
On behalf of all the staff, I wish you all a very happy and blessed Christmas. Through all the hurly-burly of
activities, I hope you will find the time to think of the first Christmas and the way God came to the world as
a human being, born into a working family and experience everything that human families do. As is usual
at this time of year, thoughts turn to home and family, and I have been thinking particularly of those
individual Christmas memories that I value from my childhood. Here‟s one of them; Who is Santa Claus? I
really like this poem as an answer to that question—it makes a lot of sense!
“Daddy”, he said, his eyes full of tears,
“will you talk to me and quiet my fears?
Those bad boys at school are spreading a lie
„bout the impossibility of reindeer that fly.
There‟s not Santa Claus, they say with a grin
there‟s not one now, and there never has been.
How can one man take all of those toys
to thousands of girls and boys?
But I told them Daddy, that they were not right,
that I would come home and find out tonight.
Mamma said wait until you come home.
Please tell me now that I was not wrong.”
His Daddy looked at his questioning face
and puffed his pipe while his frantic mind raced.
He had put this off as long as he could,
he had to think fast and it better be good.
Whispering a prayer, he began with a smile,
“well climb on my lap dear, lets talk awhile.”
“Remember at church how we learned to pray,
asking God to take care of us each day?
And you know how we say grace before each meal?
To this same God whom we know to be real.
Though we never see him, we know he is there
watching his children with such loving care.”
“God started Christmas a long time ago
when he gave us His son to love and to know.
A spirit of giving came with that birth,
and God‟s generosity filled the whole earth.
Man had to name this spirit of giving
just as he names all things that are living.”
“The name Santa Claus came to someone‟s mind
probably the best name of any to find.
There is, you see, and I think quite clear
truly a Santa who visits each year.
A spirit like God, whom we never see,
he enters the hearts of your mother and me.”
“Each year at Christmas for one special night
we become him and make everything right.
But the real spirit of Christmas is in you and me
and I hope you are old enough now to see
that as we believe and continue to give,
our friend Santa Claus will continue to live.
May your home be full of peace and love this
Christmas.
Principal.
A Child‟s Wonder (Author unknown)
Hello, this is Vicky and I want to tell you about the trip to
London.
When Mr Uppal, our MP came to the school, he gave us
forty tickets to visit Westminster Palace, London.
On 9th October a total of forty staff and students caught the
waiting coach at 6:00 am. Most of us were not used to the
early morning start and when we got on the coach we soon
fell asleep.
At about 10:00 am the driver took us on a tour around
London. When we got off the coach we went to
Buckingham Palace, we took some pictures and had a lovely
walk through the parks. Afterwards we went to
Westminster Palace. The staff split us into two groups and
a tour guide showed one group around and told us about
the history of this historic building. We were shown all the
beautifully decorated ceilings and saw many of the
magnificent paintings too. These paintings told the history
of Britain. We were shown the House of Commons and
The House of Lords, these are the places where our
politicians hold their debates. When we finished our visit in
Westminster Palace, we walked past Horse Guards Parade
and saw 10 Downing Street. We had lunch at Trafalgar
Square and did some shopping in Convent Garden where
we saw some street artists. Some of the art work was
really funny. On the way back we walked past The
Embankment where we could see the London Eye and
Westminster Bridge.
A huge thank you to the staff and Mr Uppal.
We had the MOST AMAZING time and ENJOYED our day,
it was the BEST TRIP EVER!
By Viktorija Gaigalaite (11LR)
Wolverhampton
6-a-Side Tournament
On Thursday November 22nd a Year 7
‘B’ team took part in the MUGA 6–a–side
football tournament at Highfields where
they won two games easily but were beaten
by the last kick in their final game against St
Edmund's. As a result they were runners
up. Well done to all the players - they
produced some great football and were
unlucky to lose the one game.
The players were:
Niall Clear, Jaidev Dhaliyar,
Harrison Dooley, Harry Lewis,
Arun Luis, Nick Noons,
Sanpreet Phall, Aran Raj,
Sarjan Sidhu and Bhargav Vaidya.
Thanks to all the players for their effort and
commitment during some awful weather
conditions.
Mr D Clarke.
A large amount of school uniform has found
its way into lost property. Unfortunately
many of these can not be returned to their
rightful owner as they are un-named. We
fully appreciate how costly replacing these
items can be. Would you please clearly
name ALL school uniform, including P.E. kit,
to enable any future items to be returned.
Thank you from Reception.
Football Competition Football Competition Football Competition
Congratulations to S. Peter's ‘A’ Team Footballers
who, on Monday 19th November were runners-up
in the WSFA/SSAW 6-a-side competition. They
won their league by beating Heath Park ‘B’,
Wednesfield ‘A’, Aldersley ‘B’ & Moseley Park -
playing some superb football. They narrowly lost
to the winners of the other league, Highfields, 1-0
in the final.
The ‘B’ team came up against strong opposition in
their group, winning three out of their five games.
Well done to all players - they were a credit to S.
Peter's School.
Taking part were: Byron Anifalaje, Keiron
Cheema, Peter Dye, Harry Dyall, Alex Garner-
Woodberry, Ben Halldearn, Jamie-Lee Grant,
Ethan Hawkins, Toby Hughes, William Nicholls,
Jayden Plummer, Sarjan Sidhu, Ben Taylor and
Jake Taylor.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
In my last year of S. Peter’s, I welcomed the opportunity to celebrate the annual Black History
Month event in a more inclusive, informative way. I took my inspiration from the work done
previously to promote the history of black people. I felt this allowed people to acknowledge the
achievements and triumphs of people from black heritage backgrounds, which we are not
usually taught or exposed to in school’s humanity subjects.
Though I had many ideas of activities I could carry out; in such a short period of time, I was
happy to organise form assemblies for the lower school, which hopefully gave students the
opportunity to learn something new and discover inspirational people in history such as Madam
C.J. Walker. Mrs Smith was a huge help in the creative arts part of organised events ,such as the designing of the African bead
necklaces and bracelets. In addition, she organised a lunchtime activity where students were given the opportunity to replicate an
authentic Ghanaian oil pastel drawing. I felt that the activities were informative and different to what people were used to and I
hope it has inspired them to learn more.
In total £60 was raised in aid for the charity Sickle Cell, through the designing and selling of African beaded bracelets. The money
has gone towards supporting families affected by sickle cell by providing transport to and from hospital and financial support for
treatments.
Though I was very nervous about leading the Sixth Form/Year 11 assembly I felt it ran smoothly and the students and teachers had
an insight into the disease sickle cell and how it affects people’s lives who suffer with this condition. I was thankful to Dianne and
Karen from Sickle Cell for coming into school, doing their presentation and speaking to us as grown-ups rather than small children.
I am very grateful for all students who helped out and supported me in my organisation of the events. Also, to Mrs Wilkes for
giving us the opportunity to carry out something for this year’s Black History Month. I would like to say a huge thank you to Mrs
Smith for the time she spent helping me make sure events such as the bracelet making went ahead..
God bless and I wish you all the best in the New Year.
Michelle Simms, Year 13.
Byron Anifalaje, (7AMa)celebrates after
winning the penalty shoot out.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH BLACK HISTORY MONTH BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Whilst living in South Africa in 1981, I witnessed apartheid and was appalled at some of the country’s regulations. Years later and working at S Peter's, I offered to bring in some African ornaments and artefacts for our display cabinet to celebrate Black History Month and my interest developed from there.
This year we decided to get lower school involved in making bracelets similar to original African trinkets. So, on a low budget and recycled materials we began. Although more time was spent on preparation, the satisfaction we gained from this project was immeasurable. The simplicity of it all was a huge attraction and the demand for more bracelets exceeded our expectations! From nothing we raised £60 and it was unanimously agreed that this would go to 'Sickle Cell Care'.
During upper school worship, Michelle Simms from Year 13 presented the cheque to Diane and Karen from the Sickle Cell, Bilston branch who appreciated our donation and gave a talk on problems associated with this syndrome.
We also arranged art sessions in the library and students made copies from an original painting from Uganda. Everyone was engaged and found this to be so therapeutic that they requested we have an extra session! The work produced was amazing and will be made into a collage at a later date. Roll on next October so we can have even more activities!
Mrs J Smith, Higher Level Teaching Assistant.
Pictured above, Michelle Simms and Mrs J Smith.
Christmas Prayers
This Christmas perhaps we as a Christian Community can think of others less fortunate than ourselves. You
might want to use the prayers below, written by Year 8 in Religious Studies during the Culture and Society
Dimension Day, to help you to reflect about the true meaning of Christmas.
God gave the gift of his precious Son Jesus: What gift are you willing to give this Christmas?
Dear God,
This Christmas help us to think about people and children less fortunate than us.
Children in poverty won’t be having a good Christmas. Their families can’t afford presents in fact some
children haven’t got food, shelter, health, safety or support.
Whether they are looking after an ill parent, suffering illness themselves, or stuck in poverty, let us realise
and pray that we share a world with people like these.
Help us to think about them and help in any way possible.
Amen.
Year 9 Residential to the Towers
Well done to all those in Year 9, all one hundred and
twenty students, who took part in the Outdoor
Education visits to the Wolverhampton Centre in Capel
Curig, North Wales during November. The activities
included canoeing, kayaking, gorge walking,
orienteering, climbing, abseiling, mountain walking
and numerous other team building activities. Whilst
they were there, students had full activity days and then
had to complete a night activity which is always
challenging and popular. Many thanks to Mrs Wilkes,
Mr Drury, Ms Patel, Miss Chapman, Mr Stones, Mr
Marston, Mrs Loverock, Miss Pugh and Mr Tolley for
all their hard work during these weeks.
Mr I Fowler, Head of PE.
The Science Prep-Room staff are dedicated to the recycling of
materials whenever possible. Many household containers can be
used during our practical lessons and for general storage. Can we
ask staff, students and parents to save the following items for us.
2kg Ice-cream containers
Large confectionery tins, especially the plastic
‘Celebrations’ tubs
Any large biscuit/sweet tins
Vitalite tubs
White sheets
Towels/teacloths
These items can be left at reception or with the Science
Technicians in the Prep-Room.
Thank you from the Science Department.
Tom Palmer Visit
On the 21st November, an amazing author called Tom Palmer came
into our school. It was a great opportunity for all of us Year 7s to
learn how to be successful as an author. It was also jam-packed with
all sorts of fun activities such as a football tournament, quizzes and
lots more! We also had the chance to buy one of his amazing books and have them personally signed by
him! In the end, everyone had a good time and it was a fun and enjoyable afternoon.
Melissa Gregory.
I think Tom Palmer’s visit was good and I did enjoy it quite a lot. I also liked
the penalty shoot-out because it was entertaining to watch.
Zoe Brickley.
The whole experience was
intriguing, funny and full
of football. I enjoyed it
thoroughly and I would
certainly like him to come
again.
Lois Ross-Plummer.
Tom Palmer is one of my
favourite authors because he writes
books about football. His books are
an inspiration to all who are football
mad. He came in and everyone had
a good laugh and he even had a
football net where everyone who got a
question right could take a penalty.
AMAZING! He was really cool and
I enjoyed every moment of it.
Ben Taylor
Spirituality Dimension Day
Rights and Responsibilities Day
This term the Culture and Society School of Learning has led two Dimension Days. These have been for Year 7 & 8.
Year 7: Spirituality Day
The Year 7 Dimension Day on 26th October focussed on raising the spiritual awareness of our students and what it means to belong to a Church of England Academy. The day consisted of exploring prayer through the Lord’s Prayer, analysing Christian Creeds, designing a Christian Symbol for the school and exploring Christian Worship through music. The day ended with a special Eucharist for Year 7 which was led by Rev. Paul and his wife, Rev. Julia at St. Jude’s.
Some of the activities included: reflecting upon the Lord’s Prayer through meditation, writing prayers of penance, exploring the meaning of the Kingdom of God and the Kingship of Jesus; a music activity empowering students to develop their choral singing through a series of songs, exercises and singing in parts; exploring Christian Creeds and re-writing them in a modern format and finally exploring secular and Christian symbols which led students designing their own for the school. The day was a great success summed up by one of our Year 7 students who said,
"I really enjoyed the spirituality day and it was a very enjoyable experience. It was my first spirituality day. I’d love to have one every day!
So in summary I really enjoyed the day and it was a very good experience for me and I’m sure for everyone as well."
Year 8: Rights & Responsibilities Day
The focus of this Dimension Day on 4th December was the Rights and Responsibilities of the child and individuals. The Geography department considered the realities of an inequitable global trading system; this was done through interactive games and inter-group competitions. The History department considered the history of child exploitation and how this changed in Victorian England, and finally the Religious Studies department considered the work of Dr Barnardo. This was linked to our recent Children in Need day and the Shoe Box Appeal. Following this, students wrote prayers for those children who are less fortunate this Christmas.
The prayers can be read in this newsletter, and on the Christmas trees in the Religious Studies department, but here is one below;
Dear God,
Thank you that most people in Britain have a good and happy life.
But Lord, please provide for those who are less fortunate than us, who haven’t got the food, clean water and shelter we have, or whose parents won’t, or can’t be the loving
ones we know.
Give these children your love and provide them with what they need most.
Amen
Mr M Cooper,
Assistant Principal.
Jacob Deans and Anton Griffith
Das schmeckt sehr gut!
In the Spanish sessions the students tried, amongst other things,
chorizo, tortilla and olives.
The Year 7 students enjoyed the day very much and hopefully
this will spur them on to be even more adventurous in their
eating habits in the future!
Mrs J Handley, Head of Modern Foreign Languages.
Food Glorious Food!
On Tuesday 4th
December the whole of Year 7 was
involved in a Modern Foreign Languages based
Dimension Day involving food, songs, dancing
and drama from Germany and Spain.
In the German sessions, students sang a song
about healthy and unhealthy food accompanied
by Mr Rouse on his guitar. Then, as a reward,
they sampled some typical German food
including: oggenbrot” (ryebread),
“Sauerkraut” (pickled cabbage), several types of
“Wurst” (sausage), “Salami”,
“Emmenthaler” (Swiss cheese) and Austrian
smoked cheese. It was rounded off with a piece of
Stollen as dessert. Below are some of their
reactions:
Das schmeckt gar nicht.
Nicholas Noons, and Amar Brown-Hartley
Das schmeckt ziemlich gut!
Lizzie Preece, Georgia Cresswell,
and Keda Shaw
Duke of Edinburgh EvidenceDuke of Edinburgh EvidenceDuke of Edinburgh Evidence
Calling all those who have taken part in DofE over the last few years. Did you know
there is still time to log on to the eDofE website and complete your award? Go on, do it
and do it now. Upload your evidence in the Form sections. For the expedition section
do the same, but do it for Practice, Qualifying and Presentation. Fill it all in, save it and
then send it for approval. Once this is completed, I will sign you off and you will get the
award you deserve. If you have any problems you can contact me at school for help.
Mr Stones, Head of Outdoor Education. www.DofE.org
Investigation and Enquiry Dimension Day – ‘Breath of Life’
On Tuesday 4th December all of Year 10 took part in the ‘Breath of Life’ Dimension Day. The focus was
breathing and the respiratory system. During the day students carried out three practical activities that:
compared the gas exchange surface of mammals and fish
examined aspects of aerobic fitness
investigated the effect of running speed on breathing rate.
The day was a great success thanks to the hard work of the
staff in the Learning School under the guidance and the
leadership of Mr Drury. This was coupled with the
enthusiasm and excellent efforts of the Year 10 students.
There will be a prize for the two students in each set who
complete the booklet issued on the day to the highest
standard.
Ms R. Patel on behalf of the Investigation and Enquiry
Learning School.
Diwali Celebration
On 13th November, S. Peter’s celebrated Diwali, the Festival of Light. It is traditionally
celebrated over a five day period. This is a big favourite amongst families and
children, celebrating with fireworks, gifts and sweets.
Students and staff were involved in displaying authentic and cultural items in a large
display cabinet in our reception area. These exhibits were colourful and bright and
appreciated by all who had to opportunity to view them.
We are hoping to have some Diwali workshops at school in the week leading up to
Diwali next year. If any parents/carers are able to help in any way at all or have any
ideas, we would be most grateful.
Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New Year!
Mrs M Vij, Teaching Assistant.