newman news feb 2015
TRANSCRIPT
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Cameron Crichton, 11 Godfrey
It was with great sadness that we received the news that
Cameron had died on Sunday, 18 January. He was a very
special young man who showed great courage and great
humour throughout his illness and his passing into the care of
Our Lord was always going to be met with a combination of
fond memories and great emotion.
As parents and carers you would have been proud to see
the response of our students. Their rst thoughts were for
Cameron, for each other and for Emma and Bill, Cameron’s
parents. On the Monday morning they sat and exchanged
memories of those things that made them cry alongside
those things that made them laugh. They respected that each
one would meet grief in a different way and they showed the
greatest of respect for Cameron’s memory, reminded by the
message he had left them to get on and be good – or if they
could not be good, be sneaky!
To anyone looking in on the way that our students responded
they would recognise the love of God in all that was said and
done. They are a credit to their faith, they are a credit to each
other, they are a credit to our school and they are a credit to
Cameron.
It is really amazing to think that this young boy had the
maturity to let others walk with him through his illness. In
truth this is a great gift that will stay with those who knew
him for years to come. His friends have learned a great deal
from Cameron, not least the ability to persevere in the face
of great difculty and to do so with great humour. Fr Kevinnoted in his homily at the Mass with Year 11 on the Tuesday
how striking it was that Cameron was able to take control of
such a difcult situation and ensure that life was lived to the
full. He did so with the help of loving parents, your children
and our staff.
Finally, I would like to thank all those people who have
supported the school at this difcult time. To the staff at
Keech Hospice who have been a rock for students and staff
alike, to the local clergy, to our many friends and to Cameron’s
parents who have been so generous in their support of the
children they have come to know so well.
May he rest in peace
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Reflect and Prepare For Summer
Welcome to our latest edition of Newman News! It is acelebration of all that is good about Newman and all that isgood about the students we are called to serve.
Mock exams
The Year 11 students can look back on their Mocks with the
usual mixture of good news and bad news. This year we gave
the students their results in exactly the same way as they will
receive them in the summer – the dreaded brown envelope!It was a useful reminder to many that there is more to come,
reassurance to others that they are on the right track and,
for one or two, it was either a terrible shock or a pleasant
surprise!
The reality is that the year group has done very well. They
performed better than last year’s Year 11 at the same stage
and, providing they put in a great deal of effort and revision,
they can be hopeful of fantastic outcomes next summer.
All students in Year 11 should take time to reect on the fact
that they must do all they can to get a C grade in English and
Maths. All sixth form schools and colleges are required toensure students follow Maths and/or English if students did
not achieve a C the rst time round. It is desperate to see
students each year missing the C grade threshold by just one
or two marks when we know they could do better with a
little more work, a few more revision sessions and a bit less
time on Facebook! If you are a parent / carer of a student in
Year 11 who is on that borderline, please do all you can to
encourage your child to take up the extra support on offer.
Many of the students will have further ‘walk-through’ exams
in Maths and English to help them ne tune their exam
skills, particularly the management of time, and to give them
condence in the summer.
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Mobile phones
Our usual reminder that rules on mobile phones and mobile
devices has not changed. If they are seen or heard on the
school site at any time they will be conscated and returned
to parents / carers at the end of the half term. This is a well-
established rule in the school and is non-negotiable.
Our mobile phones policy is at the back of each Newman News and also under the parent tab on the school website.
OFSTED actions update
Following the OFSTED inspection in December 2013, the
school was challenged to improve the quality of marking
and feedback to students. In September 2014 the school
introduced a system of Learning Walks to monitor the quality
of marking and the impact of that marking on students’
learning. I am delighted to inform parents that the initial
feedback from this process shows the quality of marking and
feedback is signicantly improved and that it is routinely very
strong across the school.
Mr Joe Richardson Headteacher
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Year 8 Retreats
On the 27th November 2014, 8 Hinsley of Cardinal Newman
set off on their annual retreat day. During the day the whole
group took part in many activities involving team work andalso individual thinking.
Some of these activities involved the pupils having a number
of cards in front of them, saying things that we might choose
in our future life such as a nice house, a successful job, or a
happy relationship and they had to order them as to what
they thought would be the most important to them. “It was
very interesting and helped us think about what we need to
aim for in life,” said Mya Phillips (a member of 8 Hinsley).
Other activities involved teamwork elements where a team
of roughly 5 or 6 people would have to untangle themselveswhilst holding hands or move a teddy across the oor only
using a piece of string. “The tasks were sometimes challenging
but we got there eventually!” exclaimed Thomas Ryan, who is
also a member of 8 Hinsley and enjoyed the retreat.
Overall the whole of the tutor group including the teachers
seemed to have a wonderful time with all of the fun games
and activities and we are safe to say that we are all excited for the Year 9 retreat already!
By Ruby Flaherty, Year 8
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Our Year 10 retreats this year were once again led by the
Northampton Youth Ministr y Ofce (NYMO).
“I have learned that a relationship involvestrust, loyalty and respect. I have also learnedthat different relationships involve variousopinions.”
“I learned what we as teenagers look for inour partners and how to deal with certainsituations. It has also changed the way Iview girls. Group activities were extremelyfun and entertaining but also a great way toget everyone’s ideas out.”
“I have learned that boys and girls havedifferent expectations especially as wegrow up. I learned a lot about the oppositesex and even about my own sex. The day
was very detailed and informative.”
“I have learned about the deeper meaningsof relationships. I have also learned how todeal with dilemmas in relationships.”“I have learned that a relationship involvestrust, loyalty and respect. I have also learnedthat different relationships involve variousopinions.”
“I enjoyed discovering other people’sopinions and finding out my own opinionson relationships.”
Year 10 Retreats
“I learned what we as teenagers look for inour partners and how to deal with certainsituations.”
“It has also changed the way I view girls.Group activities were extremely fun andentertaining but also a great way to get
everyone’s ideas out.”
“I have learned that boys and girls havedifferent expectations especially as wegrow up. I learned a lot about the oppositesex and even about my own sex. The daywas very detailed and informative.”
“I have learned about the deeper meaningsof relationships. I have also learned how to
deal with dilemmas in relationships.”
The Northampton Youth Ministry Ofce (NYMO) oftensupport and lead our retreats. if you would like to know
more about their work in the community and diocese,
please click the NYMO logo above to go directly to their
website.
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Books to Africa
One of our RE classrooms was full of books destined for the Missionaries of Africa Seminary in Uganda (thanks to
a contact of Mr Businge) along with the container load of
books rescued by Mr Makokha and friends in Maths that are
destined for Kenya (Signed by staff and students).
At CNS we ensure our books go to those who need them
rather than landll and the generosity of staff and students is
an achievement we can celebrate proudly.
Former Student Plays the Lead Role in Powerful Short Film
On Wednesday 4th February Newman Sixth students were
visited by former student Pearl Mahaga who stars as the
lead roll in a powerful new short lm to try to dispell myths
surrounding the stigma of people with HIV.
LIFE IN MY SHOES is an inspiring, and innovative campaign
that has been created by young people living with and affected
by HIV at Body & Soul charity. Their stories were work-
shopped into a scr ipt and have been made into ‘Undefeated’;
a powerful 30-minute lm, giving a rst-hand insight into the
realities and challenges young people living with HIV face in
and out of the classroom.
In order to cast the lm, Life in my Shoes launched a
nationwide competition for young people to audition. Pearl
was selected to play the lead role of Blessing.
Undefeated will be screened as part of a session designed to
teach students more about HIV and explore the issues young
people affected by HIV might face. The session is designed toengage your students in these issues and a panel discussion
with Life in My Shoes Ambassadors. The ambassadors are
people involved in making the lm whose lives have been
affected by HIV.
UNDEFEATED (cert.15) is a story of youth, hatred, courage
and pace in an inner city London school. Filmed on location at
the Bridge Academy in Hackney it follows the day in the life of
a young girl struggling to survive in a world intent on holdingher back. She dreams of stillness, but has a secret that has
forced her to run her whole life. When the school secretary
exposes her secret, she has to face her fears, her future, her
friends and herself.
Many thanks to Pearl and Emily for visiting us and to MrDavies for organising the event.
Head of Newman Sixth Mrs Hickman and Newman Sixthstudents pose with former student Pearl after the screeningof ‘Undefeated’ (Cert.15)
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Go Green Week
Staff and students at Cardinal Newman Catholic School were
greeted by the sight, but very little sound, of the latest visionar y technology in electric, hybrid and low emissions vehicle design
to celebrate ‘Go Green Week’ which took place last week.
A rare and exclusive appearance of the bold BMW i8 hybrid
supercar, which goes from 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds but can do
135miles per gallon, and the all-electric BMW i3 was given to
Year 9 and 10 students.
The display provided by Specialist Cars formed part of
some unique Geography and Science lessons aimed at
raising awareness to climate change and opting for greener
alternatives.
The vehicles had plenty of staff on hand to demonstrate
to students the technology that is helping to reduce urban
pollution and encourage less dependence on fossil fuels
which students have been learning about in lessons this week.
(a) The BMW i8 and i3 (b) Students and Headteacher Mr Richardson withthe highly advanced BMW i8 supercar (c)
BMW i expert Matt Elliot explains the i8 features to Owen who won aride in the i8!
Staff also had the chance to sample a pure electric vehicle in
the hope of switching from the pump to the plug! HeadteacherMr Joe Richardson and student Owen Ryan, who won the
Specialist Cars competition for a ride along, sampled the
amazing i8 with BMWi Expert Matt Elliot.
After his test drive in the i8 Mr Richardson said:
“It was a joy to be a part of Go Green week. I can assure those
who are interested, that - if you have a spare £112,000 - the i8
is wonderful to drive and is a remarkable piece of engineering!
It was an amazing opportunity for the students at the school
to see the very best examples of green technologies and we
are grateful to the team at Specialist Cars for bringing the cars
to our school. (Of course, I did not mind too much having to drive the car to be in a position to report back on how it
performs!)”.
We would like to thank the staff from Specialist Cars fortheir help and support during Go Green Week.
b
a
c
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Year 11 Art Students are Inspired at the National Gallery, London
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Newman Sixth Students Welcome Holocaust Survivor
On Friday 23rd January Newman Sixth Year 12 and 13students heard a testimony from Holocaust survivor, John
Dobai, as part of a visit organised by the Holocaust Educational
Trust (HET).
The session was to enable students to better understand the
nature of the Holocaust and to explore its lessons in more
depth. The visit is part of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s
extensive all year round Outreach Programme, which is
available to schools across the UK.
About John Dobai
John was born in 1934 in Budapest, Hungary. His parents,
concerned about what they had heard about the Nazis in
Germany, decided to convert to Roman Catholicism. In June
1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union and Hungar y soon
became involved. John’s father was called up to serve but
was sent home three weeks later as people of Jewish origin
were no longer allowed to be in the army. Six months after
returning home, he was called up for slave labour. In March
1944 Hungary was occupied by the Nazis and anti-Semitic
laws were immediately introduced. John was no longer
allowed to attend school.
Jews from across Hungary were being deported but
those in Budapest were protected from deportation by
the government. After a brief stay in the countryside,
John returned to Budapest to stay with his mother and in
September 1944 they were both taken to the train station to
be deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. His father had just been
released from slave labour and heard that a Swedish diplomat,
Raoul Wallenberg, was handing out visas and he managed to
get hold of three. Wallenberg had also bought a number of
houses in Budapest and declared them Swedish territory so
that they could be used as safe houses for Jews.
The Dobai family moved into one but in November 1944 theNazis decided that these were not, in fact, Swedish territory.
They began emptying the houses and shooting the Jews but
on 13th January 1945 the Russian army liberated John and
his family.
The family moved to England in 1948 and today John is married
with two daughters and three grandchildren. He continues to
talk in schools and universities about his experiences during
the Holocaust.
Sixth Form students are familiar with the history of the
holocaust with some students visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau to
enhance their learning. The testimony by a survivor adds a
human aspect to enhance the students’ understanding of the
event.
By Mr King
Head of Religious Education, Peter Fahy said:
“It is a privilege for us to welcome John Dobai to our
school and his testimony will remain a powerful reminder
of the horrors so many experienced. We are grateful to the
Holocaust Educational Trust for co-ordinating the visit and we
hope that by hearing John’s testimony, it will encourage our
students to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and make
a positive difference in their own lives.”
Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust
Educational Trust, added:
“At the Trust, we impart the history of the Holocaust to
young people, to ensure that we honour the memory of those whose lives were lost and take forward the lessons
taught by those who survived.”
“After a brief stay in the countryside,John returned to Budapest to stay withhis mother and in September 1944 theywere both taken to the train station to be
deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.”
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Poetry by Heart
Last December ve brave souls took part in the school poetry
recitation competition in Cardinal Newman School. They all
did a fantastic job. Each contestant had to recite two poems
from memory in front of Mr. Ritchie, Mrs. Thorrington, Ms.
Dowdeswell and me, Mr. Garvey. Tough crowd.
I would like to say a special thanks to all the contestants: Tyrese
Lungay, Anastasia Christodoulou, Isabel Aruna, and Natasha
Morris. The outright winner of the school stage was Isabel
Aruna, who now goes on to compete in the Bedfordshire and
Hertfordshire nals in Bedford Library on Saturday, February7th.
Also thanks to Mrs. Thorrington and Ms. Dowdeswell for their
judging skills and to Mr. Ritchie for his support throughout the
competition. Best of luck to Isabel in Febraury!
By Mr Garvey
We are delighted to announce that Isabel Aruna in Year13came in 2nd at the Area Finals. Well done!
Would you like to share your professional journey from when you left CNS?
Pupils relate much more to presenters who once satin the same classrooms and have now gone on to usetheir education for inspiring and varied professions and
established careers.
If you would like to do a presentation to inspire pupilswe would love to hear from you. Please contact AdamKing, our Marketing and PR Ofcer:-
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CNS Engineers of the Future Visit Warwick University
What an eye-opener, the trip organised by Nikki Partridge
proved to be a day that was thoroughly enjoyed by both staff
and students.
Warwick University is located in an idyllic environment just
outside Coventry city centre, giving an overall feel of serenity
as you enter into the campus, whilst being close to the hubbub
of a busy city.
The day had been organised very well, in terms of interest
and time. The tours were led by engineering students giving
true insights into life at the University, their ambitions and
aspirations; their enthusiasm for their eld of study was
admirable.
We had a circus of tours and talks ranging from a talk given
by a student who had recently qualied and was working for
Severn Trent Water Company, students who had taken the
apprenticeship route, a tour around students’ current projectsand nally a presentation from nal year students about a
project they were currently working on.
These activities allowed our students to understand the depth
of engineering and the exibility of changing within the different
disciplines of engineering, e.g. from civil to automotive, after
their rst year of the degree. The talk given by the apprentice
students was both inspiring and encouraging, enabling our
students to contemplate alternative routes into careers and
attaining degrees.
The tour of the engineering work area was phenomenal; our
students got to see rst-hand how expensive machines were
used in the manufacturing of engineering components. The
presentation at the end was based around a nal year project
and gave an insight into how students had designed and were
now manufacturing a submarine powered by a human.
All in all a fantastic experience, with special thanks to Warwick
University for their gracious hospitality and to Nikki for her
efforts in organising such a worthwhile trip.
By Mrs Shah
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Performance of Woyzeck
Year 11 and 13 went to see Splendid production’s adaptation
of Woyzeck at RADA studios in December . Year 11 are now
devising their exam group pieces based on themes from this
Buchner play.
Year 11 Unit 2 Exam
The Unit 2 Performance Exam is booked on the 25th March
2015. In preparation for this, students will need to plan arehearsal schedule including rehearsals outside of lessons.
There will be a Controlled Assessment period from 9th-25th
March- students must be present for these rehearsals.
Presenting Spacious House,Welcoming Friend Project.
To celebrate St Patrick’s Day and the diversity of our
community, CNS Year 10 Drama students are performing at
the Luton Library Theatre alongside Luton Futures Schools.
Rehearsals began last week, with the pupils devising their
own piece of work based on the theme ‘Immigration’.
Using their own life experiences and scripts by writers from
other cultures, our pupils are creating a powerful piece on
the varying perceptions of immigration throughout the last
century.
In addition to performing on a professional stage, our pupils
will be having the very rare and exciting opportunity to work
with theatre company ‘Complicite’.
The performances will be open to the general public on the11th and 12th of March. Tickets will soon be on release, so do
come along to support our school and our community.
Theatre Arts Spring Show
The Drama Department are producing the rst Spring Show
to celebrate and showcase the Performing Arts Talent withinour School. The Show will be held on Thursday 12th March at
6:30pm. Tickets will be available from the Finance Ofce at a
cost of £3 Adults, £2 concessions from Monday 9th February
15.
Blood Brothers
This trip is now sold out. Please see trip details below
• Date: 26th February 2015
• Venue: Aylesbury Waterside Theatre• Departure: 5:30pm
For a look at our calendar please click on the mobile
phone above.Please note that events on the calendar are a guide only
School Calendar
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Othello
On Wednesday 28th February, Year 10, 12 and 13 were
lucky enough to travel to the Lyric theatre in Hammersmith
to watch ‘Frantic Assemblys’ interpretation of Shakespeare’s
Othello.
The show was a brutal and gripping thriller-tragedy full of
paranoia, jealousy and murder. The cast used a lot of physical
theatre, meaning that the performance contained a lot of
movement and ght sequences, which made for a tension-
lled performance for us as an audience. We were totally
gripped by the action throughout the show, and had a truly
fantastic experience.
We look forward to having more great experiences of ‘Frantic
Assembly’ productions in the future and are excited to use
their ideas and techniques in our own performances. We
would also like to thank the Drama teachers for organisingsuch a great trip for us, despite the stresses that arranging
these trips cause.
By Tom Backhouse, Year 12
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Year 9 Trenches Competition
The History department would like to congratulate all the Year
9 students who took part in the recent Trench competition.
Once again there was a high standard of creative ideas and
independent research. Many of the students highlighted the
signicance of the centenary, including information about the
poppies, the Christmas truce (football matches), and the
unknown soldier memorial in Westminster Abbey. Particular
congratulations go to the following students:Calum Flaherty and Liam McAree, Kamila Majchrzyk and
Karolina Michalak, Niamh Kelly & Ellie Thompson , Jason Foye
& James Churcher, Isabelle Sadlier & Conor Thompson, Mikotaj
Marcjan & Eoin Burke, Rebecca Murphy, Cameron Mullane
By Miss Thoulass
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Girls’ Town Basketball Tournaments
So far we have played in the U16 and U14 Tournaments. In
both Tournaments our girls have done us proud by beingsmartly turned out and modelling the excellent behaviour and
sportsmanship that we expect.
We have not had any training sessions for Basketball this year
due to staff commitments to other sports on the school
calendar however we did manage to base some of our indoor
lessons on Basketball in the lead up to xtures.
The U16’s tried really hard but were defeated on baskets
scored in several of their matches. They played well as a team
but found the full court press difcult to deal with in terms
of their tness.
The U14’s fared better coming joint 3rd with three other
schools. Their best match was against Lea Manor who were
tipped to be the winners but our team performed well
managing to man to man mark so effectively that Lea Manor
had few chances. Congratulations to Julia Nowak who was
scouted for the U15 Girls County Basketball Team and invited
to go and train with them.
Well done to all players.By Miss Gazeley
Luton Schools Cross-Country
Championships 2015 – How the boysgot on!
On Tuesday 14th January the Newman boys’ cross country
team headed to Stockwood Park for the Luton Schools’
Cross Country championships. There were mixed
emotions heading down to the park, the weather was
sunny (still cold but sunny), but in the end all runners did
really well with the boys winning the overall championship,
against Stopsley in second and Ashcroft in third.
The Year 7s were in the rst race of the day. The course
for them was one large lap. The team came second in
Luton with 132 points. The leading runner for Newman
was Tanashe Ruzane coming 2nd in the race. Well done to all of you!
The combined Year 8 and 9 boys featured in the second
race of the day. The team did really well coming 1st out of
the schools in Luton. The leading runnners for Newman
all came in the top ten with Dominic Eames (5th), Sam
Oyeleye (6th), Jason Pitta (7th) and Seun Akintola (8th).
The nal race of the day featured the Year 10 and 11 boys
combined. The weather had been nice for the previous
races but it then took a turn for the worse! The clouds
came in and it poured from the high heavens! Despite the
weather the team still came rst. The team had a really low
total of 55 points. Luke King led the boys in, coming rst
place to become the Luton Schools’ champion, followed
by Frankie Storey in 4th place, Aidan Fennelly (6th) and
Charlie Coots (7th).
Well done to all the students who ran and especially to all
the runners who nished in the top 10. This means that
they can now represent Luton in the Bedfordshire Schools’
Cross Country Championships in February. A nal thank
you to all the runners who helped Cardinal Newman win
the Luton Schools’ Cross Country Champs!!
By Luke King, Year 10
Double Luton Champions
Massive congratulations to the Year 8 Basketball and Indoor
Hockey team for becoming Luton Schools’ Champions. The
talent, determination and attitude by all pupils was exemplar.
I am looking forward to taking the Year 8 Gir ls to the County
Tournament on the 27th February.
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Our Annual Christmas Carol Service on December 15thwas the perfect way to start the celebration of the arrival of
Our Lord. This year Newman warmly welcomed the wider
community to our service and shared refreshments by Friends
of Newman afterwards.
Christmas Carol Service
Newman Sixth Presentation Evening
Parents, students and staff celebrated the academic
achievements of our AS Level students at their ofcial
Presentation Evening on 16th December 2014.
The evening was opened by Headteacher Mr Joe Richardson
who introduced our key speaker, former student and young
Apprentice TV contestant Amy Corrigan.
Entertainment was provided by talented N6th students
Monica Nyazika and Patrick Ballantyne.
Friends of NewmanThroughout the year Friends of Newman together with the
School Council are raising money for a much needed new
cycle park.
We are encouraging more students to cycle to school but
appreciate that some may be reluctant to leave their bicycles
in our current facilitiy which is in a poor state of repair.
Friends of Newman raise money by selling refreshments and
cakes at our school event evenings, if you are available to
volunteer please contact Adam King by email
[email protected] you for your continued ongoing support
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A polite reminder to all parents that new items of uniform should be
purchased from our new provider:
Prestige Design & Workwear LimitedUnit 2 Barton Industrial EstateFaldo Road
Barton Le ClayBedfordshireMK45 4Rhttp://www.prestigedesignww.co.uk/live/
01582 883222
Please can I ask that all parents help us maintain the quality of
uniform by noting the following points?
Coats for the colder weather should be just that – a proper coat not
a hoody, cardigan sweat top, denim jacket etc and baseball caps have
never been a par t of our uniform. Any student bringing these items
into school knows that they can expect to have them conscated.
Coats should also be plain black or navy.
Trainers should only be worn during sporting activities. They shouldnot be worn on the journey to or from school or in the school
building. I have asked staff to see that pupils in trainers change
into their shoes but if individuals persist in breaking the rule about
trainers, they can expect to have them conscated. I will ring the
parents of pupils who only have trainers with them and ask if they
can go home and change. Sore feet, swollen ankles and blisters are
not acceptable reasons for not wearing proper shoes!
Shoes should also be black and a SENSIBLE design. High heels, boots
and imsy ballerina pump styles are not practical and do a lot of
damage to growing feet.
Please ensure that your son / daughter’s SCHOOL BAG is large
enough to actually carry a book? This may seem obvious but there
has been an increase in students carrying fashionable items that
are really of no use to them when it comes to having the correct
equipment for lessons and carrying homework home.
Finally, can I ask that parents follow the ofcial school dress code and
disregard information from their son or daughter about variations on
the style of school trousers or skir ts that are acceptable? This is not
true and only results in students being sent home to change or buy
the correct uniform before returning. Skinny black trousers and very
short, tight skirts are not acceptable.
SECOND HAND UNIFORMThe Friends of Newman have a supply of clean second handuniform in good condition and sell it to parents at very reasonableprices at Parent Consultation Days and Open Evenings. In thesedifcult times of nancial constraint we all appreciate a bargain
and this is a very good way of keeping growing children dressed inproper uniform. If any parents have any uniform that their childrenhave grown out of that is in good condition please send it toschool to Mrs Aizlewood at the main school reception.
MOBILE PHONESThe message that mobile phones are not allowed in school is given
out to students and parents very regularly. It is a frequent addition
to Newman News, we have issued separate letters and all parentsreceived a Home-School Agreement to sign which explains that
mobile phones must not be brought into school.
Our reasons for this rule are simple:-
Phones are not necessary. In emergencies students can use the
phones in Senior Leadership Team Ofces or Head of Year phones.
Parents who need to get in touch with their children can pass on
urgent messages via the school ofce.
Phones are frequently stolen – staff are not able to put in hours of
detective work to discover who has stolen a mobile phone.
Phones do not protect students from harm. The police have advised
us that students using mobile phones are far more likely to be
attacked than students without them.
Phones disrupt lessons. No matter how many times parents might
tell their children to leave the phone turned off in their bags, they
never do!
This rule is not new. Mobile phones have never been allowed in
school and if staff see them they will conscate them. This involves
locking them away in the school ofce until the next half term or
end of term holiday.
They will only be returned if a parent collects the phone at the end
of the term/half term in ofce hours.
We realise this inconveniences students and also parents but this is a
very impor tant rule as mobile phones are so disruptive to school life.
Please make sure that your child does not ignore this rule as we
cannot make any exceptions no matter what the circumstances. It
would not be fair and totally undermines the discipline policy. I am
afraid that recently staff have been bombarded with phone calls –
sometimes abusive, where parents have tried to get an exemption
from this school policy for their child and demanded that their child’s
phone is returned before the holiday period.
Therefore the Chair of Governors, Mrs Moloney, and I have repeated
the rule about mobile phones in this copy of Newman News in the
hope that everyone will follow the policy without expecting special
treatment. I am afraid that while we are always happy to talk to
parents about their children, staff will no longer meet with parents
or discuss the conscation of mobile phones with parents over the
phone. There can be no exibility on this issue and it is unfair to take
up a teacher’s time in this way.
Many thanks to all the families who have supported us on this issue
and on all other issues of school discipline.
UPDATING CONTACT DETAILSAny parent who has not made his/her mobile phone number known
to the school or whose number has changed recently should contact
the school through the child’s tutor to make the necessary changes
as soon as possible.
Thank you for your co-operation with our policies. A full copy ofour policies can be found on our website.
SCHOOL POLICY UPDATES
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