SALESIAN NEWSLETTER Issue 9 Salesian Newsletter June 2018 THE FAMILY OF DON BOSCO WWW.SALESIAN.SURREY.SCH.UK FINDING THE BALANCE Annie, Year 12 French exchange and the In a Catholic school we believe that we're all by Ben McCann, Assistant Headteacher Maths PGL trip… This is on top of all of the part of the same family. The challenge is to sport that is part of our regular extra- then ingrain this in the children and impress curricular timetable. Do encourage your upon them how important it is that they treat Since the last newsletter, pupils in Year 11 and children to get or make a note to sign up to a everyone they meet in the wider world in the 13 have been working their socks off getting next year if they have missed the sign up this future, as a family member. We can't build the through their examinations. Each exam time round. There is nothing lost in trying Kingdom if the family is divided! completed brings them one-step closer to a something new, tell them to be brave! Our Reflections for this week community grows stronger through shared well-deserved restful summer holiday and What are my family rules and experiences. excellent qualification results in August. expectations? Whilst the GCSE’s are nearly complete and As an England supporter who has drawn Who do I apply them to? the A-Level pupils only have two weeks to go, Australia in the staff sweepstake, I am not Who else could / should I apply them to? sure if the results in the World Cup will live up the rest of the school continue to work hard What are the expectations of me as a to my high expectations! Worst-case right up until the summer holiday. Most member of God’s family? notably the Year 7 and 8 pupils have been scenario, we have the Tour De France to look revising furiously for their end of year exams forward to afterwards, Geraint Thomas looks School Production – Annie which are now about to start. strong. The timing of the World Cup starting today Gospel Reflection made me reflect on the importance of balance Mark 3:20-35 (and grateful that the competition did not 2017-18: Building the Kingdom from Salesian start two weeks ago, it might have been a School slight distraction to all of those pupils revising!). Working hard is important but to Jesus causes controversy in this week's Gospel avoid burn out, the pupils need to take a passage when he lets it be known that he break. A perfect way to take an evening off considers not just his blood relatives as family would be to watch a football game but but in fact everyone who has faith in God. This significantly better when you watch the would include all those that he spent time games with friends and family who you enjoy with including those who would have been spending time with. The importance of considered unworthy by society at the time. spending time together both in and outside of If everyone took this concept on board and lessons is at the core of our community. With treated every other person as part of their such little time left before the end of term, I family, it would have great implications for would urge all students to get involved in building the Kingdom. Sets of family rules or Rehearsals are well underway, for what is something extra-curricular to balance the expectations are common place and may look promising to be Salesian's best musical yet! hard work involved in end of year exams and something like this: Keep your promises; With students now dancing and singing all to build stronger relationships with teachers Share; Think of others before yourself; Say I over the stage in preparation for the July and peers. In the few remaining weeks left love you; Listen; Do your best; Say please and show, it would be a shame for you to miss out there are a whole host of opportunities thank you; Always tell the truth; Laugh at on tickets, now available to buy from TUCASI! available to them; Year 7 no-homework- yourself; Hug often; Say sorry and forgive There are solos, ensemble dances, amazing week, Year 9 extra-curricular evening, two each other; Be kind; Love each other. Great acting and a live dog, what more could you Duke of Edinburgh expeditions, Slovakia stuff! Now imagine what it would be like if we want from a show? exchange, Sports Day, Year 10 careers day, applied this to everyone, not just our nearest Tickets are now on sale for the shows on Year 10 work experience day, Eden Project and dearest. shows on Wednesday 11th and Thursday 12th trip, Year 10 History trip, school production of SALESIAN NEWSLETTER | Issue 9 2 July, it is expected to be a sell out, so get in day students enjoyed the delights of Art in School Chapel quick! authentic Italian pizza making, when in Rome The Chapel of St. Francis of Sales, at our do as the Romans do! Sarah Garbett Harte (Head of Drama) Guildford Road site now has an added attraction. One of our current Year 8 students, Curriculum update Nicola Howie, had the idea, last year, of Next year we will be moving from our current running a stained glass window competition timetable structure of 5 1 hour lessons a day for our chapel. A number of entries were to 6 50 minutes lessons. The change will submitted and passed to the Chaplain, Fr. enable us to deliver a broader curriculum, Marco Villani SDB. particularly at KS3, leading to an increase in provision for the more creative subjects. We In consultation with Ms. Baker, Art Technician remain committed to the core subjects; the and Teacher, a decision was made to blend move will create extra lessons in English, the submitted designs into three final designs. Day 2 saw us accomplish an epic walking tour Maths, RE and allow more students to be The three designs – applied on Perspex using of the City where we took in the wonders of taught triple Science in KS4 as this will now glass paint – were completed by Ms. Baker the Coliseum, Pantheon and the Roman form part of their curriculum offer. The shift to and affixed into position by members of the Forum while also having our pick of the simply 50 minute lessons will not affect the start and Premises Team. delicious Italian Gelato on offer! Students finish times to the school day with students impressed me with their interesting continuing to be expected to arrive at 8.45am questioning throughout the trip and I was so to start the day, with 3.30pm remaining our proud, when not only the hotel staff said how finish time. brilliant they had been but also the airline Paul Gower (Head of School) staff. Year 10 Maths Inspiration Day Katie Hibbins-Durkin (2nd in RE) On Monday 4th June, the following year 10 Year 11 Leavers Day pupils joined Miss Woodroffe and myself for a Maths inspiration day at Guildford County School: Lottie Fry, Ellie Needham, Nika Rizol, Thank you to everyone who has contributed Emma Davies, Aisling Eaton, Colm Crosby, to this stunning and most fitting religious Jason De Freitas, Isabelle Stanley, Kesley- display. Jane Donnachie, William Lavery, Tom Fr Marco Villani (Chaplain/Teacher of RE) Keating, Ethan Clark, Dylan Schofield and The year 11 students celebrated the start of Year 10 Art Trip Nathan McKeown. study leave with their final full day of school. They completed 5 different activities beyond Some of them, of course, will be staying on at the curriculum with the idea of inspiring them Salesian Sixth form so we look forward to to continue Maths beyond GCSE. These welcoming them back in the new academic activities included coding, creating 3D year. The students celebrated with mass as a packaging for ping-pong balls, solving whole cohort at St Anne’s church, a leavers questions using only four 4’s, algorithms and assembly and finally some photos and shirt theory of relativity. All students unanimously signing at our Highfield Road site. I am sure agreed they enjoyed the coding and that parents, guardians and staff alike will algorithms activities, and the majority are agree that this year’s leavers are a truly now contemplating taking A-Level Maths. Go wonderful bunch of young people continuing on do it! on their journey promoting the Salesian ethos Alice Peterkin (Maths teacher) and values out in the wider community. I have no doubt they will continue to succeed in all RE Trip to Rome they do. Over May half term, the RE department were On Tuesday 12th June, a large group of lucky enough to take a group of Year 9 and 10 Salesian Art and Photography Students, from students to Rome. The plan was to see all that Year 10 and 12, visited Wisley Gardens. this beautiful city had to offer in 3 days, no Students explored the gardens, which were in mean feat! An early morning train ride took full bloom, capturing images through drawing us to the Vatican Museum where students and their photographic work. were able to see, in person, the glory of Michelangelo’s Last Judgment and the Erica Creation of Adam, simply jaw dropping! Di Followed by a brisk walk across Rome to the For those Year 11’s who will be moving on to Gregorio English college where we took part in a pastures new, you will be sorely missed.