JANUARY 2014 NEWSLETTER

Dear Parents and Carers May I take this opportunity to thank you for all of your support to the staff who serve your child(ren) daily by helping them to learn. Christmas is about love. The love of God knows no bounds. God sent his Son, Jesus, into our world to save us, to heal us, to give us a new life, a hope of life after death. This Christmas, my prayer is that we give each other hope for the present and the future. Fifty years ago, in 1965, at Vatican II, we were asked to give people “reasons for hoping and living”. Our aim as a Catholic School is to give our young people hope each day. The following poem sums up the love of Christmas. If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels and crocheted snowflakes, attend a myriad of holiday parties, and sing in the choir’s cantata but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.

Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband.

Love is kind, though harried and tired.

Love doesn’t envy another home that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love doesn’t yell at the kids to get out of your way.

Love doesn’t give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can’t.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things.

Love never fails. Video games will break; pearl necklaces will be lost; golf clubs will rust. But giving the gift of love will endure.

May you enjoy your Christmas and pray that 2016 will bring you greater blessings as individuals and as a family. We return on Tuesday 5th January 2016.

Brendan J. Wall Headteacher

ST SIMON STOCK CATHOLIC SCHOOL

December 2015 Newsletter

ANTI-BULLYING DAY Hello, my name is Fern Hake, Year 9. This month I attended an anti-bullying day in London at Alexandra Palace. Five students were chosen to go on the trip; fortunately I was one of them. Miss Reeves and Mr Freeman were our teachers.

During the day, we met some famous celebrities such as Twist and Pulse, Marcus Butler (a famous You Tuber) and Una Foden (from the Saturdays).

We discussed anti-bullying issues and online bullying. The whole day was sponsored by Facebook. We all had a great time; we even had random shake it off dances!

To finish the day, we let off hundreds of balloons into the sky with wishes written on them. We were asked to think what to write on them at the beginning of the day. These wishes were what we wanted to have achieved by the end of our fun filled day. It was beautiful seeing all the colours fly into the sky.

I had great fun meeting new people, learning more about anti-bullying and seeing how we can continue Lady Diana’s legacy. The whole day had a fantastic atmosphere - I wish I could do it all again!

Fern Hake, Year 9

BAG PACKING On Sunday 13th December, St Simon Stock Catholic School, with the help of a local Brownie and Guide pack from Barming, raised an amazing £885.07 through bag packing

at Sainsbury’s Supermarket. This was only possible by the generous support of Sainsbury’s customers in the Maidstone town centre store.

Can I please thank the students and staff who took part in the day. The money received will ensure the Heart of Kent Hospice is able to continue to make every day precious for people in our local community facing a life- limiting illness.

Mrs M Tilby DAME KELLY HOLMES TRUST

On the 10th December, two of our students were invited to a celebration event at the Skyloft in Millbank, London.

Rachel Pearson and Sophie Godden have been involved for the past eight months with the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust and this was the final goodbye to their Olympic mentor Michele Robinson.

Sophie, Rachel, myself and Mr Godden enjoyed a wonderful lunch, fantastic views of the London skyline and rubbed

shoulders with Dame Kelly herself. It was an emotional afternoon listening to the stories and achievements of students from across the country.

Sophie was brave enough to go on the stage and be interviewed about her experience and the 'Taking Stock' project the students organised in school. Well done to both of them and thank you for an afternoon I will never forget.

Mrs M Broadhurst

ENRICHMENT DAY 2 The 2nd December 2015 saw the second Enrichment Day of the school year. These days challenge staff to something different and allow students to experience something that they might not necessarily have the opportunity to do or even choose to do!

The philosophy behind our Enrichment Days is that: •We believe that extra-curricular and enrichment activities play an essential part in enhancing the educational experience of all our students. •We promote and value not just academic achievement, but student involvement, enthusiasm and personal development. •We are committed to developing the whole child as part of our school mission.

On this particular day, we ran a dance workshop, a baby-sitting course that included a section on infant first aid, trips to the Tate Modern, the Globe Theatre and the Imperial War

Museum. The Army came in to run activities on team building, problem solving and communication. There was also Christmas decoration making, STEM activities in Science and an introduction to bee-keeping workshop. Other departments ran activities to challenge and enthuse our students.

As you may appreciate, Enrichment Days take staff time and commitment to

organise and all we ask is that students embrace and participate. The next two days are Thursday 21st January and Tuesday 12th July 2016.

Mr A Williams

HOUSE NEWS An update from Archbishop Romero House this academic year…

Since the beginning of the year, Archbishop Romero House have been brilliant in engaging with the different termly competitions. Stephanie Crayford won the House prayer competition with this prayer: Let us remember we are in the Holy Presence of God.

Let us pray for the ones we love by aspiring not to have more but to be more in our lives. We pray to help people in hard times.

We pray to thank God for life and happiness. Amen

The prayers that were entered were collectively made into a Romero Prayer book which can be read in forms for the prayer at the start of the lesson. I would like to thank all of those students who entered the competition!

We have just announced the winner of the art competition. This was to create something artistic for the real meaning of Christmas.

Ms King’s Year 9 and Year 7 group worked together to create a wonderful nativity scene made out of clay! So congratulations to them!!!

During term 2, students from all Houses were able to donate their time by attending a ‘Christmas Wrap’, wrapping presents for people in the West Malling market for donations to their House charity. All together we raised £85!!! It was an enjoyable day for the students and staff who attended, even though the weather was not on our side!!

So all in all, this side of Christmas, we have had a wonderful two terms and look forward to what the New Year brings! Happy Christmas to you all!

Miss B Reeves, Christian Youth Worker and Head of Archbishop Romero House

KENT YOUTH COUNCIL

ELECTIONS 2015 You will recall from the November edition of the Newsletter, that we were very excited to have three

candidates standing in the Maidstone KYCC elections. Skyla, Uthara and Dami had all been actively campaigning in school and using social media to try to secure a seat on the council this year.

I am delighted to report that the results were announced at the beginning of the month and:

We have TWO full members of the council – Skyla and Uthara – and Dami was elected as a deputy member.

What a fantastic result for the school and particularly for these amazing students. Staff will be actively encouraging them as they will now spend the next two years involved with the Kent Youth Council.

Next stop – Parliament! Remember we are shaping their young minds!

Mrs M Broadhurst

PERFORMING ARTS Dance We were very lucky to have a group of 25 dancers perform two items at the Carol Service this year. They were absolutely fantastic and it was a lovely way to finish the occasion. I look forward to seeing them perhaps at the School Production later in the year. Well done everyone!

Drama The Year 11 Drama group is going to see ‘The Woman In Black’ in London on February 10th. Mrs Speers has agreed to drive the minibus and the visit is keenly anticipated.

Meanwhile, Year 9 have produced a photo-story version of Macbeth, soon to be displayed in the SLC.

Mr J McCarthy

Music Carols at the Hospital Once again, a large group of students from Years 7-13 walked up to Maidstone Hospital to sing carols in the foyer.

They made a great sound and members of the public commentated on how lovely they sang. Thank you also to Mrs Broadhurst who organised the 6th form groups and Ms Welcome who sang with the students. Maidstone Music Festival Well done to the students who took part in The Maidstone Festival this year. Harriet Sutton gained two firsts in Vocal Composition and a Merit in Piano.

Congratulations also to Lucy Gibson, Year 7, who came first

in her category, playing the piano.

Examination Success Congratualtions to Nathan Hood, Year 11 who gained a distinction for his Grade 4 Piano exam. Well done, Nathan – that’s brilliant!

Singing for your dinner Last year we started a ‘tradition’ of 6th form students singing in the restaurant as the rest of the school enjoyed their Christmas Lunch. This year, we had another fantastic group singing and playing (in exchange for a Christmas dinner!). It was great fun and a lovely sing song. Thank you to the 6th form students who helped out.

Carol Service Thank you to EVERYONE who helped at the Carol Service, whether it was reading, singing, playing or dancing.

We had a great variety of performances this year and the evening was truly wonderful. THANK YOU!

Miss J Kingdom, Subject Leader

PTA The PTA would like to wish all families a Happy Christmas and New Year and we look forward to seeing you at meetings and events during 2016. The PTA are busy planning several events throughout the year. Some of the events include:

11th February 2016 - Theatre Trip – to see Bend it Like Beckham – details emailed to parents.

4th March 2016 –Quiz Night - 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start - details to follow in the New Year - do come and join us at this fun event.

1st July 2016 - Strawberries and Pimms Concert

Further details to follow nearer each event – do check your emails for information.

Quality Second hand Uniform During the last year, the sale of second hand uniform has again raised money for PTA funds which ultimately goes back into the school. Donations of second hand uniform can be left at the school reception. Anyone wishing to purchase items of uniform can do so by contacting Mrs Pengelly on 01622 671422 or Mrs Share on 07817 938526. Alternatively second hand uniform is always on sale at Parents’ Evenings.

PTA Meetings for the next year- All Parents/Carers are

invited to these meetings which take place at the school on a Monday starting at 6.30pm.

25th January 2016 7th March 2016 9th May 2016 20th June 2016 12th September 2016 10th October 2016 -

AGM and meeting 5th December 2016

Please come and join us.

Miss S M Worron, PTA Secretary

PE DEPARTMENT

Year 9 Boys’ Football: Chatham Grammar School for Boys 5 – 0 SSSCS (Kent Cup last 16)

Unfortunately the Stocky Year 9 team did not have the rub of the green in this Kent Cup fixture, going down to a well drilled team from Chatham Boys. CGSB took full advantage of the mistakes created by Stocky and took their chances well. Stocky did indeed have lots of chances themselves but just couldn’t find the back of the net and found the opposition goalkeeper in excellent form. The score line did not do the fixture any justice but the team who deserved to win did. Josh Ladlow was awarded the Man of the Match award for his tireless work in the midfield. Better luck next season gentleman and well done for reaching the last 16 of the County Cup for your age group.

East Kent U15s Two of our pupils represented East Kent U15s recently in a representative match. Charlie Brooker and Jasper Mulrooney-Skinner played from Year 10.

Mr K Fiddler, PE Department Headline - Year 9 Stocky students getting their new branded Sports Studies polos Students who currently take Sports Studies in Year 9, 10 and 11 were given the opportunity to purchase a specialist polo for their PE lessons - this is still available. Please see Mr Fiddler if you would like to order one.

SSSCS 7 – 0 Cornwallis The U16 boys, in their final fixture before Christmas, found themselves up against a physical and game side from the Cornwallis Rugby Academy which saw the Stocky side succeed with a hard fought victory in the mud.

The side, led by Adam Dring, encountered a second half comeback from Cornwallis and ground out a victory through able defence and periods of control through possession – even if it was in our own 22!

Ben Tugwell scored a good individual try, converted by Charlie Brooker in the first

half. Adam Dring was awarded the man of the match award, but really this was a good team performance from the Stocky students who remain unbeaten this season.

Year 7 Basketball: Team A #NimaniArmy and Team B #ORowArmy Both teams competed in great competitive spirit and demonstrated excellence on the court and positive team cohesion throughout the tournament.

Team A

Team A finished second in the league and qualified for the Semi-final and were only stopped by a free throw shoot out after a dramatic extra-time draw. Both Mr Nimani and Mr Rowe were very proud of the boys and optimistic about future competitions.

Team B

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT STEM ambassador visit to Year 8 As part of the Enrichment Day on 2nd December, Mrs Cardwell arranged for Mr John Davies to talk to Year 8 students about the importance of the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) subjects in our everyday lives.

He spoke about the amount of technology needed to make a mobile phone work. The students then had an engineering challenge to design a lifejacket to allow a full tin of beans to float for one minute.

Special congratulations go to Aidan Cullen, Andrei Vasile, Corin Aisake Aisea and Harrison Barker who all showed good understanding of how to solve engineering problems.

There are further STEM activities arranged for other year groups during the course of the year.

Thank you to Mrs Cardwell for arranging the visit.

Ms J Whitehead, Science Department

YEAR 11 MOCK EXAMINATIONS

Year 11 students are in the midst of an intense period of revision, in preparation for their Mock Examinations, which occur between the 11th and 22nd of January 2016. Each student has drawn up and should be following a revision plan, to ensure all work is thoroughly reviewed in advance of the tests. Revision involves writing out notes, covering and repeating these, and condensing information down to the key points / memory-joggers, in the form of revision cards and mind-maps.

In amongst the Mocks there are also a number of Public Examinations, including a cohort of Year 11s sitting their GCSE Maths early – Good Luck in particular to those students, please make sure you are fully prepared for your January papers.

The key message for all students is to Treat the mocks like the real exams – by following this tried-and-tested method, we hope to sustain our recent Excellence both in terms of percentage attainment figures and the progress made by each individual student.

Mr P Chittenden, Assistant Headteacher, Head of Science & Year 11

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF WELFARE

At the end of term one, I sent out over a thousand messages via our school email system, congratulating many students on achieving 100% attendance during term one or for receiving all achievement points and no behaviour points.

At the end of term two, I will be sending out similar messages. Rewarding students for their excellent behaviour and conduct and for their outstanding effort and academic progress, has to be one of the most rewarding parts of the work of a teacher. Please share these messages with your sons and daughters when you receive them and celebrate their success.

I have also been very impressed with all the community work that students have completed this year. This has ranged from collecting cans for the homeless, to raising funds for Children in Need and packing shopping in Sainsbury’s in aid of the Heart of Kent Hospice and many other fundraising events. The young people we have in the St Simon Stock community are a credit to the school, themselves and to their parents and carers.

After two very full and active terms, I hope the students and their families have the opportunity to relax and have fun, whilst keeping safe and well.

In the New Year, I hope they come back refreshed,

organised in terms of uniform and equipment and ready to work hard and to contribute to the wider school community.

I would also like to wish all the staff that work so hard to support them in school an equally festive and relaxing holiday.

Happy holidays to all!

Mrs A Denny, Director of Welfare

CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES I was extremely impressed with all the rehearsing and the efforts of all the dancers across the year groups at the Carol Service on 15th December. They put in so much energy throughout all of the performances and their efforts clearly shone on the night.

All of the girls deserve lots of credit for putting on the first dance of the school history during a Carol Service and I’m sure, like me, you can’t wait to see the next one.

Many thanks!

Mr D Housden, Mathematics Department

GOSPEL CHOIR AT CHRISTMAS

The Gospel Choir performed at this year’s Carol Service, very kindly led by Suriya and

John who have been working with staff and students of St Simon Stock over the last six months.

The carol “Jesus, O What a Wonderful Child”, was chosen by the choir who felt it would lift spirits and introduce a taste of gospel singing to guests who included parents and governors.

The choir was very well received and certai nly created a bit of a buzz, along with all the other very talented and stunning performances.

The Gospel Choir would like to thank Suriya and John for all their help and guidance in turning a bunch of enthusiastic, but amateur singers into a competent sounding choir. We appreciate all their efforts.

Mrs T Colley, Teaching Assistant

PHOENIX YOUTH CLUB AT CAROL SERVICE

On behalf of Father Bart, Lydia Burchell and the Phoenix Youth Club members, we would like to thank everyone at the Carol Service for their generous support of the fundraising in aid of World Youth Day. An amazing £290.60 was raised on the night.

Phoenix Youth Club

Fundraising CHRISTMAS ART EXHIBITION

Thank you to Sixth Formers Karl, Clare and Rachel for organising this year’s Annual Christmas Art Exhibition which was displayed for the enjoyment of students, parents, staff and governors. On display was a variety of media, including photography, textiles, ceramics and paint.

CHRISTMAS JUMPER DAY On Wednesday 16th December students and staff were invited to wear a festive jumper for a donation of £1.00.

Monies raised will be divided between the two school charities, Heart of Kent Hospice and Sacred Heart School in India.

Mrs Tilby in festive mood!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM CATERLINK

Staff and students enjoyed traditional Christmas fayre on ‘Christmas Jumper Day’ with the Restaurant Team getting into the festive spirit.

HEART OF KENT HOSPICE Also on Wednesday 16th December, we were delighted to welcome Keith Blair, an ambassador from the Heart of Kent Hospice, who was presented with a cheque for £1,000.00 which has been raised since September.

The Reception team have also been hard at work for the Heart of Kent Hospice organising raffles to raise much-needed funds.

‘SAY SOMETHING NICE’ During December, our students pledged to say something nice to each other. These pledges were written on paper chains to symbolise the chain reaction that we hoped would happen if everyone in school made an effort to be extra nice to each other.

The chains have been on display in the School restaurant.

Mrs M Broadhurst, PDW Co-ordinator & Citizenship

CHRISTMAS TREE

The students and staff would like to say a big “Thank you” to Woodstock of Hermitage Lane for supplying our beautiful Christmas tree which has taken pride of place in the school Reception for all to enjoy!

Merry Christmas from the Students and Staff