st angela's christmas newsletter 2014

Front cover image: Winning Christmas card design by Shereene Santa Monica, Form 7 Parks

St Angela’s Newsletter

Christmas 2014

in this issue:

Legacy Project Anti-Bullying Week Model UNCongratulations to our students who took part in this year’s Model UN debates

See what our students got up to during Anti-Bullying Week

St Angela’s girls impress at the Olympic Legacy Project

2 St Angela’s Christmas Newsletter 2014

Dear Parents and Carers . . . As we prepare in the season of advent for the joys of Christmas time, the school community has been in a season of preparation both spiritual and physical in working to help those less fortunate than ourselves. Our year groups, as they traditionally do, have been running charity events a plenty and it has been heart-warming to see that despite their great riches - a lovely school to attend, wonderful families who support them, plenty of food (not always hot!!) and the joy of their friendships - they still very much understand the importance of caring for those in the world who have far less than them.

As you can see from within, the term has been full of activities beyond the classroom and as ever the girls of the school have achieved in all manner of areas. I was particularly proud of Year 9 and their Legacy Project work: to win this on two consecutive years is a phenomenal achievement! Add to this the great work done during Anti-bullying week, the achievement of the Quality Mark for PE, a wonderful Christmas Carol Concert and a huge amount of opportunities for our Sixth Form students (all of whom have already completed their UCAS applications for university!) and it has been a fabulous term, building on the excellent teaching and learning that goes on day by day within the school.

My thanks to you all for completing the questionnaires sent to you recently. It was very pleasing to see such overwhelming agreement on how well the school provides for your daughter and as ever we will work hard (in collaboration with home) to improve further on our areas of development.

I wish you all a very joyous Christmas time with your families and remind you that school returns on Tuesday 6th January 2015, following the staff’s return on Monday 5th January for a day’s training on Special Educational Needs.

Mark Johnson

Headteacher

3St Angela’s Christmas Newsletter 2014

Mark of Success!The PE Department are pleased to announce they have been awarded KiteMark

with Distinction for 3 years from the PE professional body The Association of Physical

Education. The Kitemark was awarded on success across 4 areas: Achievement

in PE, Quality of Teaching in PE, Curriculum Provision for PE and Leadership and

Management in PE.

Thank you to all staff and pupils who supported our award!

The PE Team

St Angela’s Christmas Carol ConcertOur Carol Concert was held in Brescia Hall on Wednesday 10th December, featuring

performances and readings from students across the school.

Among the many highlights were a stirring performance of Joy to the World by

Gospel Choir (including a breathtaking solo from Melissa Namwanje), Youth Choir’s

rendition of White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes, and the St Angela’s Choir singing

the challenging Carol of the Bells. Primary students from our Saturday Music Centre

also impressed with their versions of Refuge and Edelweiss, and the St Angela’s

Orchestra gave entertaining performances of Sleigh Ride and What Child is This.

The large crowd went home with big smiles on their faces, and it is a testament to the

talents of our student musicians of all ages that they created such a vibrant, positive

atmosphere through their performances.

Question Strongly Agree

Agree Agrees + Disagree Strongly Disagree

Don’t Know

1 My child is happy at this school 41% 54% 95% 3% 0% 2%

2 My child feels safe at this school 45% 52% 97% 2% 0% 1%

3 My child makes good progress at this school 44% 53% 97% 0% 0% 3%

4 My child is well looked after at this school 41% 55% 95% 1% 0% 4%

5 My child is taught well at this school 40% 56% 96% 2% 0% 3%

6 My child receives appropriate homework for their age 41% 53% 94% 4% 1% 1%

7 This school makes sure its pupils are well behaved 38% 50% 88% 7% 1% 5%

8 This school deals effectively with bullying 36% 44% 80% 5% 1% 13%

9 This school is well led and managed 44% 50% 94% 1% 1% 4%

10 This school responds well to any concerns I raise 32% 48% 80% 5% 1% 14%

11I receive valuable information from the school about my

child’s progress40% 50% 90% 3% 1% 6%

12 Would you recommend this school to another parent? 53% 42% 95% 0% 1% 4%

St Angela’s Ursuline School | Outcomes of Parental Questionnaire 2014

Number of Respondees to date = 318

ANTI BULLYING WEEK 17th-21st November 2014

THE ANTI-BULLYING ALLIANCEIt’s been a fantastic start to the year for the Anti Bullying Alliance. We had our first meeting with our new, enthusiastic head of ABA this September, and since then students from every year group have worked tirelessly to ensure St Angela’s remains a positive and accepting place. Anti-Bullying week ran from November 17th, with events held every single day. The theme of the week was accepting everyone, enjoying their special talents and thanking those who help us. The events we ran were:

WEAR SOMETHING BLUE DAYa great start to the week with an amazing turn out and sea of blue everywhere really got everyone in the mood for the week.

PHOTO BOOTH this gave everyone the opportunity to celebrate friendships and show appreciation for those who help us.

UNIQUE MURALEvery student is unique and individual and so is their thumbprint; the gigantic thumbprint mural celebrating the individual brilliance of every St Angela’s girl is still hanging proudly in Merici Hall for all to see.

BALLOON SERVICEAll day teachers and students alike were seen holding blue balloons with thank you messages attached. These reminded us that everyone needs help sometimes and we all have something or someone to be thankful for.

EXHIBITIONThe final event celebrated the week. From crazy photos to cupcakes, our special week was cel-ebrated in style.

St Angela’s is always a lively place but it really came to life during Anti-Bullying week. Students were encouraged to really enter into the positive spirit of anti-bullying and apply ii to their lives in and beyond school.

Melisa, Year 11 Anti Bullying Ambassador

ABA PRAYERThe focus of this year’s Anti-Bullying week was SEND bullying. Research suggests that students with special educational needs or a disability are twice as likely to be bullied.

At St Angela’s, the Anti-Bullying Alliance promotes a message of acceptance, celebrating differences, and acknowledging the help we all need in our daily lives.

The following prayer helps us keep this important message in our hearts:

Lord, help us to see every person as made in your image and likeness.

May we always remember that each person’s name is holy and special.

Help us to see you in every person’s eyes, espe-cially in the eyes of those who suffer because of

mean words.

Help us to remember that when we hurt another with our words or actions, we are hurting you,

Lord.

You love every person with all your heart. May we always use our voice to show your love and

your kindness. We ask this in your name.

Amen


I first got involved with the 6th Form Council when I joined the 6th Form as an external pupil. We were asked to present a short speech to our form class about why we deserved to be in the Student Council. With a unanimous vote I won and was invited to have lunch with Mr Johnson, Mr Pleasant and Mrs Siaw. They were very impressed with us both and decided that Sam should be the Chair of 6th Form Council whilst I would be the Vice Chair. In year 13, as Sam has become Head Boy, I have been given the position of Chair of the Council. A really wide range of areas are discussed and debated in Council meetings, such as food provision, school facilities and study areas and space. The Council is especially excited about being involved in the planning of the proposed new 6th Form building. Being the Council Chair does take a lot of time; you have to organise the agenda and minutes of meetings and lead these meetings, negotiate key points with Mr Johnson and communicate key information about the Council to the rest of the school, for example in assemblies and via email.Being involved in the School Council is great because you get to hear feedback from your peers about how they think the 6th Form is being run. We can then take these issues and have them addressed. The student voice is vital to make the 6th Form fully democratic. It is the students that make the 6th Form so it is essential that our voices are heard.Tasnia

6TH FORM COUNCIL

Sixth Form News

CAFOD TRIP5 students of the sixth form Cafod group had the opportunity to spend the day at the Cafod head office, Romero House in Waterloo. Sarah Barber (schools youth co ordinator) planned a fantastic day consisting of talks and activities to give the sixth form students a deeper insight into the work of the charity. The group had raised £120 the previous day by painting nails and selling home baked cakes. They then were able to see how Cafod used the money to help those who really need it. The group were given a life changing talk from the charity coordinator who was traveling the following day to support the Ebola situation in west Africa. They got to experience crisis management by playing a role planning game called ‘flood crisis’. The day was rounded off with a visit to see the Romero Cross in the cathedral. A truly inspiring day! These 5 students are to be young leaders and will be supporting the Year 10 retreat based on Cafod.

Miss Vassiliou

Politics Matters?In conjunction with the prestigious Speakers for Schools programme, our students were able to host the current Serjeant at Arms, Lawrence Ward.The students enjoyed a truly riveting speech from a fantastic public speaker, who inspired the students with his tale of rising to his current position after leaving school without qualifications (later rectified!) and starting his working life as a postman.

Sisters are doing it for themselves? The Credit Suisse Modern Muse ProgrammeThis year we expanded our partnership with Credit Suisse’s Modern Muse programme that aims to promote opportunities for women to enter the world of finance accountancy and banking.The students enjoyed a day of seminars and talks from women from a variety of backgrounds and are returning shortly to begin work on interview skills with experts in this field.


Ebola has caused international concern as the disease, most prominent in West Africa, has led to over 5000 deaths. This outbreak is said to be the deadliest to date. Though aware, many of us have not actively supported victims of such a terrible virus. On 19th November a group of us from Year 12 Assisi form group cluster plus Mr Permaul, Ms Miesuria and Ms Holman gathered together to raise money for the Oxfam Ebola crisis through a sponsored bike ride. We were lucky enough to cycle for 2 hours around the Olympic VeloPark road circuit. With such an amazing track and great vibes we left the site with sore backs, tired legs and over £450 to help combat Ebola!

By Vanessa and Shannon

VELOPARK CHARITY BIKE RIDE IN AID OF OXFAM’S EBOLA CRISIS APPEAL

The trip to Cambridge was a real eye opener for me, as I always imagined Cambridge was a single grand building almost like a Hogwarts lookalike and I’m sure some people still imagine it to be a huge palace which is ‘Cambridge University’. Going on this trip allowed me to realise the university is split into 31 colleges and we also had a chance to visit some such as Kings, Trinity, Christ’s, Corpus Christi and Selwyn College. Visiting these colleges almost made me automatically feel the atmosphere of a University with accommodation as each college seemed very warming and almost like a small village. The surrounding town in Cambridge was peaceful and calm and the buildings of all the colleges were astonishing as they were old and had a lot of history in them. We also visited Clare College Bridge and were fortunate to meet up with Caroline who previously studied at the sixth form and is studying Natural Sciences at Selwyn College. She was able to tell us how the process for her was and also, she motivated and assured us that if we try hard, we too can gain a place at Cambridge!

Excellence + Trip to Cambridge


The Young Mental Health Debate

As part of Parliament Week on Thursday 20th November Ms Ahmed (the School Counsellor) and I accompanied a group of Sixth Form students to attend ‘The Young Mental Health Debate’ near Tower Bridge. The panel was made up of Mita Desai (who is the Chairman of the board at the British Youth Council); Clementine Femiola (the Associate Director of Equalities and Diversity for the East London provision of the NHS) and David Goodban (acting Head of Children and Young

People’s Programme at the Mental Health Foundation). The evening debate got quite heated, especially when students raised questions about the provisions available for them to channel their fears and anxieties of school and home life. Ms Bangura also managed to come along to support the cause and asked questions to the panel. The event sparked such an interest that the students will be setting up their own Positive Mental Awareness Group which they are hoping can also be useful to support Positive Mental Health Awareness Week that will take place later on in the Spring term. Miss Miesuria

On Friday 26th September staff and students helped support Macmillian by baking, selling and buying sweet treats – all in the name of charity of course! Sixth Formers from 12Prehay and 12Miesuria, along with lots of salivating students, lined up at breaktime and lunchtime to sample a range of home baked foods, from victoria sponge cake to lemon drizzle cupcakes! Taste tested by Mr McCarthy and myself, we raised a St Angela’s total of £181.06 in support of an incredible cause. Miss Miesuria

MACMILLIAN COFFEE MORNINGSixth Form Christmas MassAs part of the Mass, students from both campuses produced hampers for the needy of our community.Once again we have done ourselves proud and helped to ensure that less fortunate members of our community are supported over the festive period.Many thanks to all for their generosity and the time spent getting this ready.


There talks were very good because they gave an insight into several very different areas of maths, and showed its wide range of applications beyond the A level syllabus. The engineering talk was very interesting (and relevant to the topic of circular motion we’re studying right now) and the boomerangs he showed us were great. I particularly enjoyed the second talk as it showed the way maths and statistics can be used to understand society and the world around us, and the juggling skills of the third speaker were amazing! The talks were presented in an extremely engaging and fun way and the trip was very enjoyable. Samuel Year 13

On Tuesday 25th November when I was walking towards Palace Theatre for the Maths Inspiration event, little did I know that I’d learn how to juggle, meet one of my favourite mathematicians from YouTube and that my hands would get tired from applauding so much. The Maths Inspiration talks got off to a flying start, quite literally, when an engineer from Cambridge began throwing boomerangs around the room in order to demonstrate circular motion. Of course, at the time, I didn’t know that the

boomerangs were going to do perfect circular orbits around the room, so I flinched back in my seat, thinking the audience was under attack. It was probably the most exhilarating performance of circular motion in a maths environment that I have seen. But that wasn’t even my favourite part! Did you know that 95% of Wikipedia pages eventually lead to the page ‘Philosophy’ (even One Direction’s page)? I certainly didn’t, but what

I also didn’t know is that I’m not as popular as I thought I was (and neither are the majority of people reading this) because we all tend to ‘follow the crowd’ and have the same amount of friends i.e. very few. Mathematics has been used to figure out the structure of friendship networks

and I thought that was really cool because it combines the two most complex things- maths and the brain.If I could go back to Tuesday morning and do it all over again (except the cancelled train), I would and I would probably laugh even more the second time round. Maybe next time someone says that maths isn’t interesting I’ll have a few boomerangs in my bag to demonstrate just how cool mathematicians are.

Maths Inspiration Day

Charity Toys for ChristmasUnfortunately there will be many children this Christmas who don’t get a present at all. A big Thank You! to all the 6th form students and tutors who collected these presents to bring a smile to a child’s face this Christmas. The presents were delivered on Thursday 11th December to the Kid’s Company Charity and were gratefully received.

Priska Year 13

St Angela’s Christmas Newsletter 2014

*OLYMPIC LEGACY PROJECT

This is the second year that Year 9 students at St Angela’s were involved in the Olympic Legacy project. It all started in July of year 8 when students were introduced to the idea of taking a business idea and developing it. They prepared in their groups of 15 to pitch their ideas to a panel of Judges. Cannon Ball Chaos came out on top with their business idea of ‘Fusion – The International Food Hut’

Below are some comments on the highlights of getting involved in the project.

Carolina 9 XavierIn the Legacy Project I enjoyed working with different people and coming up with the presentation. This helped me to improve on my confidence and team work. I think the programme was a great idea and a fantastic opportunity for us as 13/14 year olds.

Ivy 9 Aloysius It provided an opportunity to improve our team skills and communication skills. It boosted our confidence and we learnt real life skills that we would need when we are older. The most fun part was watching other people’s presentations.

Lisa 9 CrescentiaI enjoyed the Legacy Project because it gave me an insight to the future and different careers. I enjoyed the

skills activities the most because I only knew basics and it made me more confident. I also enjoyed working with new people.

Latoya 9 VictoireThe Legacy Project was actually better than I expected, it made us all think about everything in business and it was enjoyable and fun. It made us all serious in our presentations and work that was being produced, making sure everything was ready by the deadline.

I really enjoyed the activities we did. The work was worthwhile because my group won! I was impressed with the outcome of the ideas over a period of 3-4 months. It was fun to get together to improve our skills in a quite inspirational way.


Congratulations to Tamera, Vivian, Bella, Chloe and Timi for representing St. Angela’s Boccia Team. On Thursday 13th November the girls travelled to Royal Docks Community School to compete in a Borough Boccia Tournament. After a string of successes the girls were undefeated and several games later, they were in the final! After a very close game the girls came a rewarding second place meaning they have qualified for the Lord Taverners Boccia competition! Well done girls!

After an early start to meet the team, we set off to Hayes and Harlington School for our competition. When I got there I wasn’t too nervous, and everyone was really supportive , but as I got closer to the competition I started to get anxious hoping that I would be able to perform my routine well. I performed my compulsory routine and saw I was topping the leader board which made me happy but also put pressure on my voluntary routine. I competed my voluntary routine and let out a sigh of relief I had done well, but was it enough to win? I had a tense wait and then the results came through, I did it, I was the regional under 15 champion – I was happy! I was proud of myself and whole team!.

Nicole competes in the London Schools Competition in December – Good luck Nicole

BOUNCING SUCCESS!My experience at the London Regional Championships for Trampolining By Nicole (Year 10)

GIRLS WIN SILVER IN BOROUGH BOCCIA TOURNMENT!

Sacre RE Trip

Sacre is a group that promotes Religious Education. We were selected and will attend the group throughout Year 9. We have joined up with Cumberland, Lister, Plashet, St Bonaventure’s and Stratford Schools. We learn about different religions and different cultures from all of the different schools and communicate and experience how we can teach things about our religion to them. We have been asked to do many tasks and in the new year we are going into primary schools to teach them about our religion. We have really enjoyed the experience, enjoyed making new friends and spending time in different schools.

by Melanie and Ria (Year 9)


CARAMEL ROCK VISITWe went to Caramel Rock in Canning Town to learn and experience what it is like in the industries of fashion, art and design. We met Fumni who was a fashion lecturer, tailor and designer. She designed the trendy blazer she was wearing in one week! It was really fashionable and interesting. She went through the possible career paths you could follow and what they consisted of. Afterwards, we completed mood boards by putting together scrap pieces from magazines and it was really cool. My theme was “chic and elegant” and I also designed 4 outfits based on my theme on the templates. It allowed me to be creative and gave a good insight to the fashion industry. We met Faith, who gave us a tour of Caramel Rock and went through the opportunities and activities they offer. For example, I’ll be showcasing and modelling outfits for them this Saturday at the Mayor’s Newham show. This is a great opportunity! It will be fun to take part in and could be the beginning for a career in fashion, art and design. It was a once in a life time opportunity and I could truly say that Caramel Rock rocks!

By Patricia Mofus.

NEC Wheelchair MastersOn Wednesday 26th November a few lucky girls had the opportunity to go and watch the NEC Wheelchair Tennis Masters at The Hockey and Tennis Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Park. The day consisted of watching the world’s top sportsmen and women take part in the competition as well as taking part in a few tennis activities themselves! The girls took part in a number of challenges testing their co-ordination, reaction time, serving speed, forehand accuracy as well as playing a number of tennis rallies.

Overall a very enjoyable day!

Active Open DayA group of year 9 girls enjoyed a special trip to Newham Leisure Centre for an Active Open Day. The girls spent the day taking part in various fun fitness activities such as step aerobics, zumba, trampolining, ab workout and a session in the gym! After their hard work, the girls finished the day with plenty of fitness experience they can continue to enjoy! Keep it up girls!


ELDSA Activity Festival A group of lucky St Angela’s girls took part in

the ELDSA Activity Festival held at the Copper

Box in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The

day included a range of different activities

including Boccia, Dance, Indoor Rowing, Indoor

Canoeing, Inclusive Cricket and Basketball! The

girls thoroughly enjoyed the day some even

went as far to say “it was the best day of my

life!” What an amazing day!

DEBATINGAnyone who knows Amber and me knows how much we love to debate. No, not even arguing but real –sitting- down- at -a –table- taking- turn- to- give- speeches- debate!

Last year, we graduated from the Debate Mate Core programme having won a regional competition and got to the national final of another. We were inspired to continue debating…On Saturday 17th October we woke up at 7am to travel to UCL, one of London’s most prestigious universities renowned for its debating. We competed in UCL’s President’s Cup, a competition aimed at university students and we made it to the main final! In order to do this we had to first compete in a semi-final against LSE, Cambridge and UCL. Unfortunately we didn’t win the final but it was an amazing experience. I came 7th out of 100 university students and Amber came 14th.

We love debating and it has provided us with so many opportunities. Apart from the competition at UCL, Amber has spoken at Russell Brand’s book launch, we both spoke at the launch of the Debate Mate core programme, I spoke at the launch at the Debate Mate Graduate school and at a show debate at The Wolseley Hotel and have competed in the Cambridge women’s open university competition. I am also organising a competition for students from Yr 7-9, including some of our younger debaters.All of these experiences have been amazing!Melissa


Congratulations to Letia, Chloe, Bella, Joanne, Faith,

Leidee, Vivian and Tamera for representing St.

Angela’s in the Inclusive Indoor Rowing Competition.

The girls competed in both a team relay race and

an individual race against other competing schools.

After a range of different races, the girls walked

away with a win in the team relay race!

INCLUSIVE INDOOR ROWING COMPETITION

Jewish Museum30 year 8 girls went to the Jewish Museum in Camden Town to learn all about Judaism. We did workshops on the Torah and aids to worship. The girls looked at what Jews wear during worship - the Tallit, kippa, yad. They handled a few old torahs which were recycled by the museum for educational purposes. They then went to the museum where we got the opportunity to view rare pieces that were on display. The girls answered the questionnaire that came with their exploration of the artefacts in the museum. We had lunch and then went to another museum that chalked the history of the Jewish people in London - pre dominantly in the east end of London. This included jobs, models of kitchens and living spaces and the different types of Jews. The girls came back to work on their extended assignments and it was clear that the girls learned a lot as well as had a good time.

Homework ClubExcellent Attendance

Congratulations to the following students who have regularly attended Homework Club during this term. All students have worked hard on various subjects during sessions and have received postcards home for their efforts. We are looking forward to welcoming more students to the TLC after school in 2015!If you’d like more information about Homework Club (KS3) please contact Miss MacMillan.

Sephora Dokoui 7 BESDaisy McMahon 7 BESZharys Consolacion 8 MAAGwen Dwumaah 8 HILLVictoria Ipanga 8 MAAWikiokia Kostka 8MAAAdele O’Brien 8MAAEmily Raymond 8CARDaniella Total Avwioroko 8 MALPaula Total Avwioroko 8MAA

Jennifer Williams 8ARMShaunna Cassius-Okonji 8MAASophie Bowring 9CREChelsea Donkor 9ALONicole Giraldi 9XAVFade Leshi 9CREShannon McCarthy 9STACaroline Soares 9STATosin Ufuah 9 ALO


Dionne:

On Saturday 14th June, 23 girls from Year Ten lined up outside Brescia Gates with bags full of food and essential items, ready to embark on the Duke of Edinburgh practice expedition!! When we were given our rucksacks, tents and

waterproofs, we realised that we were actually about to go camping which for most of us, was for the first time! The excite-ment in the air was almost tangible despite the early hour of departure and everyone was beaming!! Once we arrived at Epping Forest, after a van ride full of excited whispers and chants, we were separated into four walking groups and sent on our way, 20 minutes after the group before. We had been given a map and a compass and were given the task of getting to the next checkpoint. After getting lost on the way and somehow overtaken by the group behind us, my walking group managed to arrive at the first checkpoint last! And the day continued similarly with us arriving at four various checkpoints, meeting various teachers en route to the ultimate goal which was our campsite, Debden House.

By this time, everyone was tired after carrying our heavy bags and stressing about going the right way. Nevertheless, before bed, everyone managed to have a run around, a brief game of rounders and cooked our own meals using the camping equipment and ingredients we’d bought. Waking up however wasn’t as much fun as many would have preferred to have a Sunday lie in rather than the early start!! Many were tired or cranky from lack of sleep but regardless, we all cooked our breakfast and set off bright and early. The teachers took pity on us however and told us we only had to go to 3 checkpoints which was a relief to our tired feet and backs. After one or two groups getting lost and confused, we all managed to arrive at the last checkpoint and discussed how we felt the trip went. Overall I loved the camping expedition which was a surprise for me as I had never considered camping to be a hobby I’d enjoy. Anyway, here are a few other opinions on how the expe-dition went and thoughts for the final expedition, coming up soon:

Zuzanna:

“Duke of Edinburgh is an experience I will remember forever. I was able to learn new things and enjoy myself with some of my best friends. The worst moment was probably when my group and I got lost in the middle of the forest and ended up walking two extra hours because we had no idea where we were going. The most fun thing was by far the camping. We were all having so much fun spending time together and sharing tents. I’m really looking forward to the final expedition and I hope we don’t get lost this time!”

Louisa:

“The practice expedition was incredibly wonderful and rewarding - the co-ordination and dedication in my particular walk-ing group made the weekend so much better. The pain of it all was nothing compared to the satisfaction and joy that was present throughout, and certainly at the end! I’m eagerly anticipating the final expedition in Dover!!”

DUKE OF EDINBURGH


On Thursday 11th September a group of 30 Year 8 pupils went to Lea Valley Stadium for the first ever Invictus Games. It was an excellent afternoon of top notch athletics. The group cheered on the stars of the track and field in this inaugural event for service men and women. The medals for the events were presented by HRH Prince Charles, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry—who was the brains behind the games. The pupils were even lucky enough to get a few autographs—an inspiring and great afternoon of sport!

Congratulations to the Year 7 football team who are this year’s Newham 5-a-side league Champions!!! Having won all of their matches in the first round the team were through to the finals where they were up against 5 schools in the battle for the title. After 3 successful wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in a very close final the girls were named champions of Newham’s 5-a-side league and are now through to the ESFA U12 indoor 5-a-side schools’ Cup! Well done girls!

Year 7 FootballSAILING

INVICTUS GAMES

During the summer holidays, Mary-Ann and I experienced something we’d never even dreamed of trying before. We went sailing! Ms Jarvis had nominated us for the Brighter Futures Sailing Programme, a sailing programme funded by Commulite and John Bishop, providing 4 sailing lessons over the course of the summer every Friday. During these 4 lessons, we learnt a lot about sailing and ourselves.

Sailing is amazing, there is nothing like having your boat almost flip over, but being calm enough to use this to maximise your speed. It was an experience I’ll never forget and will continue to reap the rewards of, as we were each given a year’s membership. This was my first encounter with water sports and it was thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you to Ms Jarvis, Commulite and Newham council for this opportunity.

By Melissa


University Indoor Rowing Challenge

Year 10 GCSE PE students competed at the UIRC day based at the University of East London Sports Dock, which was an event for students from Yrs 10 to 13. The students also had the opportunity to look at the careers fair, which involved companies from different industries as well as the Metropolitan Police. The girls met a couple of the working police horses that were there for the day. The students also competed in a 1000m race and a team relay at the end of the day. Well done to all, as it was their first experience of competitive rowing and their results are as follows:

Tiffany placed 62nd Time: 4 min 49 secAmarabia placed 65th Time: 4 min 50 secGuylaine placed 66th Time: 4 min 52 secIasha placed 84th Time: 5 min 01 secFaith placed 99th Time: 5 min 12 secKate placed 106th Time: 5 min 19 secStaci placed 111th Time 5 min 26 secSimona placed 114th Time: 5 min 37 secMorgan placed 121st Time: 6 min 07 sec

Relay team came 21st out of 26 teams – our team was only made up of Yr 10 pupils and they rowed 2301m in 10 minutes.

Debate Mate Launch2014-15

In November we went to the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster to participate in the Debate Mate Launch. We watched an interesting and exciting debate focusing on the punishment for bullying with the proposition arguing that the bully should have to wear a clown suit! The tension was almost unbearable as both sides had really inspirational ideas and speakers. In the end the proposition won although we felt that the opposition were the true victors. All in all it was a day to remember and motivated us to join the Debate Mate Club each Thursday after school.

Anna (8 Malala) and Paula (8Maathai)


Well done to the U15 Cricket team who reached the finals of the Essex Lady Taverner’s Cup and were placed runners up. This was the first time that St Angela’s or indeed a team from Newham had reached the finals. The girls played valiantly on the day but Shenfield School were too strong for them. The final score was Shenfield 186 for 5 and St Angela’s 96 for 10. Well done to Nichole (captain), Lydia, Jesufemi, Grace, Melanie, Bukola, Simone, Ralitsa, Peace, Precious, Kira, Jessica and Connie.

ROWING

Essex Cup Lady Taverner’s Cricket Finals

THE TRIP TO WESTMINSTER ABBEY: ICONS30 Year 9 girls went to the Abbey for a workshop on Icons. We made our journey by tube – an easy, straight forward journey. We were welcomed by Fr. Reagan and the team at the Dean and Chapter – the Abbey’s education centre. To start off with, we were given a tour of the Abbey and we focused on the two icons that rest in the front of the Abbey. The girls then started to create an icon of their own using traditional ancient methods. The girls learned a lot – both about Christianity and Christian art. We left at 2:30pm. The girls did not want to leave - we had a really lovely time.

A group of Yr 7 pupils had the chance to row at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. However, a hailstorm and a torrential storm stopped the students from getting on the water. Olympic rowing gold medallist Mark Hunter spent the afternoon chatting to the students and being quizzed by them extensively. He answered their questions on a range of topics and they were intrigued to find out how he got into rowing, who are his heroes as well as the wealth of opportunities he has experienced through rowing. So although the girls didn’t get the opportunity to row they had an interesting afternoon.

To try rowing yourself come to INDOOR ROWING CLUB ON THURSDAYS 3.30 -

4.30pm IN THE GYM.


GCSE and dance club pupils had the opportunity to watch Manon at the Royal Opera House. For most of the pupils it was the first time they had seen the Royal Ballet perform and it was an exhilarating experience and we were very lucky to be sitting in the stalls.Manon is a classical ballet choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan, set in France during the early 18th century. The story focuses mainly on Manon and her lover Chevalier des Grieux.

One of the main points I found very important in the ballet was the orchestra. The music is like the narrator telling the story, you knew it would be a sad scene as the music would be slow and low pitched. You knew it was happy when the music was jolly and high pitched, and when a tragedy was happening it would be loud thunder like.Another feature of the performance was their facial expressions. You could tell how they were feeling by their faces, showing if they were sad or delighted, worried or scared. The facial expressions went very well also with their movements, for example, most of the ballet was graceful and the girls were relaxed but cheery. While on the other hand, when the men were fighting everything suddenly turned sharper and quicker. The movements were straightforward, aggressive jumps and angry facial expressions to show the mood of the moment.During the performance you could instantly tell that the type of dancing being shown was ballet because of the elegant and delicate movements . Everything would flow softly, the whole dance was very light. The way their backs were positioned were very erect and straight, the spine would be the centre of balance. I think the choreographer looked at every detail to make

sure we understood the story line well as there were no words so you would have to really concentrate on every

specific movement.The costumes they wore hinted what time the story was set in and also which country, in this case, France. Depending on the colour and style of the costumes you could tell who was on a higher level and who had less power. The richer families wore quite big, bold, expensive looking clothes, in colours of; red, blue, green and gold. The poorer people wore simple clothes in beige and white. When the rich people were dancing, their movements were strong and precise to show the level of power, while the lower class would be lower than them, to distinguish rich from poor.I liked many of the solos because characters would really express their feelings but the group dances were extremely interesting also. They used canon, different

levels and shapes, and a lot of repetition. A variety of moves were shown, many jumps and various turns. The girls used their arms much more than the men, therefore it became very feminine. A very emotional scene was when Manon died by the swamp. Her lover looked torn and you could clearly tell from his expression that she had passed away along with all the flashbacks in the background. I thought that, that was very important because if you are not clear in everything you do, the audience will not be able to tell what is going on.

Overall I thought the performance was very good and I really enjoyed going to the Royal Opera House to see this production.

By Marilia Reis

Manon performed by The Royal Ballet


Homework Club Achievements AQA Homework Study Skills

Over the last month four students with an excellent record of attendance at Homework Club were selected to participate in the AQA ‘Homework Study Skills’ Unit Award.

Congratulations to the following students who all participated and will, after Christmas, receive the certificate for the award:

Sephora Dokoui 7BESZharys Consolacion 8MAA

Victoria Ipanga 8BAMAdelade Laureta 8BAM

We are looking forward to seeing the next group of students achieve the award! If you are interested in participating or in learning more about what is involved, please see Miss

MacMillan in the LSU or at Homework Club in the TLC.

UKMT Senior Team ChallengeTuesday 19th NovemberFour mathematicians, two from each year of the sixth form were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to represent the school at Queen Mary’s University for the UK Math Trust Senior Team Challenge, one of whom was me!

We were given 10 so called ‘warm up’ questions to try out before it all began - to our surprise they were hardly warm up questions at all and we found ourselves spending a good 15 minutes on one! Nevertheless, it was a great chance to take in the beautiful Octagon Library in Queen Mary’s where we were sitting.

Once all the arrangements and rules were explained it was game on. We took part in three different rounds (all numbers based obviously): a 10 question challenge; crossword; and shuttle round. The 10 questions were tricky and we much preferred the crossword and shuttle rounds where we were divided into pairs, and had to work with our partners to find answers that corresponded to the other pair’s answers. Overall, it was this idea of relying on each other’s (hopefully correct, though not always!) answers that made it so fun! Not to mention the 6-minute time limit for the shuttle round which made it just that little bit more tricky and adrenaline fuelling.

Overall, the challenge was an experience I think all math lovers would enjoy! The puzzles were tricky but fun, because you knew the answer was there and could probably be reached easily, it was more about working out how. One personal lesson I learnt from the quiz though, was to trust my instincts and not panic. I changed my answer at the last minute on a question only to find that I was right in the first place! It was all worth it for a bit of fun and of course, it’s all about taking part.

Sophie, Year 12


Year 10 & 11 pupils share their highlights from their recent exchange visit to Kaiserslautern in GermanySimona: I don’t think I can put to words about what the exchange was like for me, and be able to do justice to what I felt when I was in Germany. However, I can try to describe some of my most favourite moments whilst in Germany and hope to show what it was like for me. My top favourite moment was when we went on Saturday to a nearby lake with a couple of my exchange partners’ friends and their partners. Then we went swimming, not that you could do that in England in September. I swam with Sarah till she lost her glasses, ha-ha. My next favourite moment was the Kletterpark (climbing park). I loved the climbing and the scary jumps and I’m-about-to-die zip lines. My hands were aching after attaching every hook to the safety line, mostly because I couldn’t reach and had to jump or ask Yasmine to do it for me. Overall, Germany was amazing and honestly I wish I could go back right now.

Lolu: My favourite part of the trip was the day we went to the restaurant as a group because I had the chance to speak to lots of different people and the food was terrific. I also really enjoyed staying with my family because they really made me feel welcome and when I had a cold they all looked after me. I learned about life in Germany and how it is different to ours, especially in school. The school felt a lot more relaxed. I got along with Elif, my partner,

and we had a lot in common. We have been talking to each other a lot since I got back and I am looking forward to seeing her when she comes to visit us next

year.

Lara: I have learned so much more German. I have also learned to be much more independent. The overall exchange has given me so much confidence in German and in other areas of my life. Louisa: This exchange trip to the small, but wonderful town of

Kaiserslautern has impacted me in such a way, that I am positive it will stay with me forever. It has given me a greater insight into the culture of German people (THEY SURVIVE WITHOUT KETTLES??!!) and boosted my interest in the subject itself. I would relive the whole experience several times over if only it were possible, and I eagerly await the arrival of our German friends in the coming year.

Fausta: My best memory of the exchange was feeling a part of the family when we went bike riding to

the lake. I also enjoyed baking cakes with my partner Hanna to share with everyone in the group. I have learned that the Germans speak very good English and are also very friendly and welcoming. I liked that they were very family orientated and did things together. This also made me think about how I treat my family. I also liked the pace of life because in

London it is so fast and we rush about a lot. I found Kaiserslautern more relaxing.

Germany Trip Highlights


We started our year with a trip to the Hindu temple at Watford. We set off early in the morning to Watford by coach. It was a long journey which was very interesting for the girls as they observed London through their coach window. We arrived at the temple at 10am to a warm reception from the temple ‘dasis’. The girls then had a workshop on Hinduism where they learned more about the culture connected to what is considered the world largest religion. They painted their faces and wore saris before they went into the temple room to experience Hindu worship. We then ate a hearty vegetarian Indian meal which was provided to us by our hosts. We left the temple premises at 2:15pm to arrive back in school for 3:30pm. The girls later created presentations on their trip to share their experiences with all those who did not go to the trip.

30 Year 7 girls went to Wimbledon Ursuline on a Community Cohesion Trip. It was a long journey and the girls endured it well in the true spirit of St Angela. When we arrived at our sister school, the girls were introduced to their Wimbledon buddies. They then embarked on a series of activities to explore the theme – INSIEME. They tried everything from art, drama, poetry and reflections. We were treated to a lovely lunch by our host sister school. After this, our girls took a little tour around the school with their buddies. They were very struck by the common elements of the school including the names of buildings – BRESCIA, MERICI, and St URSULA. INSIEME means togetherness and on this day, the two schools really came together in the spirit of SERVIAM.

TRIP TO WIMBLEDON URSULINE SCHOOL: COMMINITY COHESION

VISIT TO THE HARE KRISHNA TEMPLE, WATFORD


Year 7 PantomimeOn Friday December 5th, the whole of Year 7 went to the Pantomime to watch ‘Beauty and the Beast’. It was a cold, crisp afternoon when we started our journey to Stratford. When we finally got there, we were freezing cold and ready to eat our packed lunches. Inside the theatre we sank into our cosy, crimson velvet seats.

The story was about a lazy prince who was selfish... although it was based on ‘Beauty and the Beast’ it was a more interesting and entertaining version. There were some funny moments, like when Bear (Don’t Call Him Baby!) was dancing. There were also some dark moments, like when the Evil Witch and her daughter Pru were trying to ‘badify’ all the books in the library by giving every story a bad ending.

Of course there is a happy ending. The moral of the play was that it doesn’t matter how you appear on the outside, it’s the inside that counts. Here’s what the Year 7s thought:

Grace A “It was really excellent; the costumes and the stage were brilliant! It was different in a good way and very unique from the usual version of the story.”

Anika G “I thought it was very good, but it wouldn’t be appropriate for very young children because of the jokes and the scary scenes”

Azaria “I loved Baby Bear. I liked the Beast - he was really tall and had an amazing costume”.

Reviewed by: Wiktoria, Tracey, Diamond, Victoria, Kimberley, Mariam, Grace, Anika, Merin & Azaria.

TRIP TO WESTMINSTER ABBEYHenry Tudor And The Reformation

30 Year 9 girls went to the Abbey to study the Tudors and to understand how the Abbey transferred from being a Catholic monastery to the Abbey of Church of England royalty. The girls started the workshop with a specially made film. They then took a detailed tour of the Abbey where they took in the history of the place. Amongst other things, they were shown where the images and statues of saints were defaced. They attended two prayer services at the Abbey. The highlight of the tour was visiting the tomb of the only catholic saint – St Edward the Confessor (we were privileged because it was a ‘no go’ area for other tourists). We left the Abbey at 12:30 pm and then had lunch. We then walked down to the Cathedral to explore the differences between the Abbey and the Cathedral. We had a lovely guide at the Cathedral who gave the girls all sorts of information – from profiles of saints to history of Catholics in England. We would like to mention that people kept stopping us and telling us how wonderfully behaved our girls were – on the tube, on the street while walking towards the Cathedral and staff at the Abbey and Cathedral. We are very proud of them.


RUN DEMWe were first told about Run Dem in the first few weeks of September, it started off with a motivational speech from Charlie Dark. I thought his life story was really inspiring, he was shy in school, was into music, had some ups and downs but eventually he got to do what he loved best. Some year 13s from the previous Rundem group came up and told us about their experiences with Charlie and the Rundem Crew. I thought it was nothing that I could do, but it was great to see that they were passionate about running. During all this I thought “me, run? No way, not possible” but I thought if I can get a space, why not try?

Fortunately I did; When the day came for the first session, we arrived at the Nike Lab in Shoreditch so early, Feeling a bit nervous. Once everyone arrived we were in awe of the friendships we could see and the cohesion of the group. We got a formal welcome, we stood up and got the longest loudest round of applause, that’s when I knew I had started something worthwhile.

The run itself was agony, we all started off sprinting like we were all mini Usain Bolts, and tired out so fast. Matilda, one of the people taking us on this journey,

told us to slow down and go at a pace we thought comfortable, and that there was no point trying to be the fastest, it’s finishing that counts.

After the first 3 mile run I’d ever done I felt good till the next morning. Agony and pain is all I felt, I couldn’t walk down the stairs and I had Geography period 1.

The pain went away after 3 days and I was trying to prepare myself mentally for the next run, but all I thought about was the pain that would come after. That week we ran 4.6 miles, there was no pain after and I had started to like it, it wasn’t something I thought I’d enjoy but it was a nice feeling.

We also met Ellie that week, such a positive person and a great motivator. What made it better was that I was running alongside people who were encouraging me to keep going. It’s only been 4 weeks but I’ve already achieved a lot from joining Run Dem, one of the most important things is perseverance, something that can be applied to all aspects of life. In March a few of us are taking part in the North London half marathon (13.2 miles) so we can only hope we’re better and fitter by then!

Ayomipo Year 12

In September, after attending an inspirational assembly run by Action Jackson, I decided to organise a 6th Form football tournament at St Angela’s. My motivation for this was to help students find a way to deal with the pressure I knew many were under in their studies. In addition, as a bonus, I thought it would be a really entertaining way for the students to exercise.In preparation I interviewed girls and boys in both years 12 and 13 at random – the notion of having an after-school football tournament indeed proved to be very popular with the students. Furthermore, after notifying Mr Pleasant, we agreed on putting together an assembly on the subject matter so that everybody, teachers and students included, would be aware of it. In addition, I created a sign-up sheet that was full within a week; people simply could not wait for it to take place. Finally, I thought that having a team of organisers would be better than doing it alone. Therefore, with the help of Mr Pleasant, I joined up

with Numan and Daniel in year 12.On the day of the event I was incredibly nervous, which was not helped by the fact that I was the only person on the sports field when I arrived. Very soon, however, people started to turn up and, to my amazement, well over 50 people attended – some to play and others to support. There was a truly fantastic atmosphere and I felt quite proud because not only did everybody have a great time, but we also raised money for CAFOD.

6TH FORM FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT


MOCK EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT DEBATE, WHITEHALLOn 8th December, two Year 12 girls participated in the Mock European Parliament debate. The theme of debate was the environment. The girls held the honoured, privileged and much sought after position of general secretariat (yes, they were co-chairs). In an event that welcomed schools from all over England, the girls enjoyed their leadership role where they passed motions and approved of solutions. The event took place in Whitehall – in the offices of the Foreign and Commonwealth Ministry. They had the honour of meeting the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The event organisers from the Foreign Office referred to them as “stars” in their feedback. The girls who participated were Maya Fraser Hall and Minty Acquah.

MODEL UNITED NATIONS DEBATE, IMO United Nations buildingsOn 9th and 10th December, another group of Year 12, Year 10 and Year 9 girls went to the United Nations building to debate the rights of children all over the world. They won two awards and were absolutely fabulous in the way they conducted themselves on behalf of the countries they represented. For example, seeing Linda Ogunsanya holding her own as a leader of a power block was delightful – other delegates hung on to her every word. We would like to congratulate the Year 10s for taking their first steps in an international event that can be overwhelming and

intermediating. We would also like to congratulate the Year 12s for their success in the event. The event was attended by over 33 schools including international schools from Lebanon, Israel, Bahrain, Japan and India. The organisers of the event then proceeded to tell our Year 12 girls that they would like to see them chairing committees next year. Many thanks to St Angela’s staff for their continuing support.

The following sixth formers were put forward for and attended the Pre –Selection Evening for the Credit Suisse Scholarships. If successful this pays all University fees for all 3 years and includes periods of paid internship with Credit Suisse:

St Angela’s Sixth Form:Kimberley Sison Samuel Wilson Monica KauzeniKatrina Feklistova

St Bonaventure’s Sixth Form:Adrian Polius Amiable Ranch ClemenoClaudette Mendoza

Chris Jarvis Careers Adviser

Credit Suisse Scholarships Pre-Selection Evening

Students at the event, with Dominic Zyznowkski our former head boy, who won the scholarship last year!

MODEL UN

Ms. Afonso


SEO London Scholars Mentoring Project 2014/15

SEO is an organisation which links students from high achieving state schools to mentors from major City firms. Those who are successful getting onto the programme are linked to professional mentors working in careers such as accountancy, banking, investment, IT, law, marketing, PR or advertising, etc with a prestigious city firm. Students also benefit from insight days with employers, visits to leading Universities and are able to apply for work experience placements with corporate city employers such as Herbert Smith Freehills, Linklaters, BDO and Barclays to name just a few!

I have just been informed that 9 of our Year 11 pupils and 5 of our Year 12 St Angela’s Sixth Form students have been successful in getting a place on this competitive project. St Angela’s School hosted a launch with SEO for our successful applicants this December and students will now be linked to their mentor for the New Year.

WAITROSE GREENWICH Mock Job Interviews and Work Experience

After setting up a link with Waitrose in Greenwich we were able to run our 1st Mock Interview Skills morning at Waitrose in December. 5 of our St Angela’s Year 12 Health + Social Care students took part alongside 4 BTEC Business students from St Bonaventure’s. All were able to practice a 1 to 1 mock interview with managers from Waitrose. Our students were also able to take part in a Group Interview to discuss customer case studies, matching customers to Waitrose food products, before presenting their marketing ideas. We had excellent feedback from Waitrose on all of our student’s mock interviews, team work, communication and presentation skills. They were so impressed 2 St Angela’s and 2 St Bonaventure’s students will be invited back for work experience next February and April.

Careers Department News

Realising Opportunities Russell Group Widening Participation Project

5 of our St Angela’s Year 12 students were successful getting onto Realising Opportunities. This is a programme of activities, taster lectures and mentoring provided by 14 Russell group Universities.

The Universities are: Birmingham, Bristol, Exeter, Goldsmiths, Kings College, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield, Sussex, Warwick and York.

Each of our students will be linked to an undergraduate mentor for a subject they aspire to for University. They will complete an academic assignment supported by a University academic tutor and also attend the RO National Student Conference along with participants from other schools.

If our students successfully complete Realising Opportunities they will get extra consideration for offers of places at the participating Russell Group universities and if they get an offer it is likely to be 2 A level grades lower that the standard offer!

THAMES TIDEWAY TUNNELS Engineering Project Work Experience

Through our links with the major Thames Tideway Tunnels Project we were able to set up 1 week work experience placements for 2 of our Year 13 St Angela’s students to learn about tunnel design, project logistics and shadow civil engineers on site. The placements took place in September and November and have greatly enhanced these students University applications for Engineering degrees.

Chris JarvisSchool Careers Adviser


Our ‘Lessons from Auschwitz’ journey began with the initial seminar where we learnt about what we could expect on our visit to Poland. This process was very exploratory, as we shared any preconceptions we had before embarking on our journeys. We discussed the removal of impersonal and cheapening terms such as victims, perpetrators, bystanders and collaborators - these terms simplified the Holocaust, and to do so would be an injustice and incredibly inaccurate. By understanding all those involved in the Holocaust were human beings, we can began to deal with the problems that still pertain to it.

On 1st October, we flew to Poland, where we visited the Jewish Cemetery, Auschwitz 1 and Birkenau. There were rooms filled with shoes, suitcases, and one even with human hair. These personal belongings stand as a reminder of the ordinary lives disrupted and destroyed in the Holocaust.

When we returned from the trip, we found it extremely difficult to talk about our experience - when people asked ‘How was the trip?” or “Did you have a good time” we could only really express how overwhelming it all was.

But now, two months later, we are able to articulate our experience and plan to implement a project within the school that helps to share our understanding with others so that we can all learn of the period in time we call the Holocaust.

Lessons from Auschwitz

Article written by Lucia 12 Sterlini

Christmas is a gift of love wrapped in human flesh and tied securely with the strong promises of God.

Christmas is angelic music in the form of a carol and oratorio with a celestial descant.

Christmas is “glory to God,” “good will to man,” and “joy to the world.”

Christmas is “peace on earth” for those who accept it and live in unity with God’s will.

Christmas is a man on duty tending sheep, or machine, who senses the upward call and stops to worship.

Christmas is a tall green tree which serves as festive altar for any household which discovers the true meaning behind it all.

Christmas is a ringing bell calling a distraught humanity to gladness and hope.

Christmas is a glowing hearth gently placed in the winter of man’s loneliness.

Christmas is an altar to which man can bring his heartache for comfort, his lostness for guidance, and his sin for forgiveness.

Christmas is the sparkle of anticipation and the steady light of faith in the eyes of a little child as he hears the old, old story.

Christmas is the shining star of hope in the sky of all mankind.

Christmas is more than words can tell, for it is a matter for the heart to receive, believe and understand.

Christmas is…

SPRING TERM BEGINS ON TUESDAY 6TH JANUARY 2015

st angela's christmas newsletter 2014

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