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St John Fisher Catholic High School Oxford Road Dewsbury West Yorkshire WF13 4LL

e: headteacher@stjohnfisher.org.uk t: 01924 527000 f: 01924 527004 w: www.stjohnfisher.org.uk

e: headteacher@stjohnfisher.org.uk t: 01924 527000 f: 01924 527004 w: www.stjohnfisher.org.uk

St John Fisher Catholic High School Oxford Road Dewsbury West Yorkshire WF13 4LL

Dear Parents/Friends, Welcome to this edition of our newsletter. As I write for you, I find

myself leading a school community that is both in shock and in mourning

following the sudden death of our

colleague Ms Andrea Clarke. A brief tribute to an outstanding teacher,

colleague and friend appears elsewhere in this publication but I would also wish to take this

opportunity to ask for your prayers both for Ms Clarke and

also those who mourn her loss. Confirmation

Congratulations to those students who were confirmed by the Bishop in the deanery celebrations in Birstall

and Beeston. We are very proud of these young adults. It is good to know that so many Fisher’s students are ready to

stand tall and declare their commitment to Christian living.

St John Fisher Feast Day Mass The mass led by Fr Aveyard and attended by

approximately 1000 staff and students was a fantastic celebration for the school. The steel band and orchestra

provided musical accompaniment, the singing was top class

and many students read the various readings and prayers. Such events are vital as it is important for the community to

come together to worship and to celebrate our distinctive identity.

Educational Visits/Pilgrimages A group of students from Year 10 and Year 12 have

journeyed to Lourdes as part of the Diocesan pilgrimage.

They have taken with them many prayers and intentions to be left at the shrine which has so much importance as a place of

special pilgrimage Catholics. Year 8 students have recently

enjoyed a pilgrimage to York as part of the

school’s spiritual development process. In addition, students from that year have just

returned from Paris. The recent Year 7 outward bounds camp in Scotland

and the Year 9 trip to the Ardeche were great successes. This is despite some unseasonal weather in France.

A number of one-day educational visits have been

approved and taken place and a full calendar has been prepared for next year. Thanks to parents for your support.

School Reopening/ Term Dates

School will close at 12.30pm on Friday 20th July and reopen for pupils at 8.50 a.m. on Tuesday, 4th September.

A copy of next year’s term dates has previously been issued.

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Exam Results

Students will be able to obtain their results on the following dates:

These are the dates of publication. GCE (A levels) – Thursday 16th

August – 9.30am

GCSE – Thursday 23rd August – 10.00am

Sports Day – Tuesday 10th July It is with great regret that the poor weather led to

sports day being cancelled this year. This was a great source of disappointment for us all.

Parental Holidays

A reminder that it remains the policy that holiday requests in term time will not normally be granted as

authorised absence. This is due to the adverse effect it has on pupils’ education. One measure by which

schools are judged is by the

attendance achieved by the students. Please continue to

help us by not asking for leave during term time.

Staff Departures This summer sees the departure of three

members of staff who have served the school over

many years. On behalf of the whole community, I wish Mr Kane (Senior Director of Studies), Mrs Burrett (Exams secretary) and Mrs Taylor (sixth form administrator) all the best for the future. Mr Kane has

served the school for 33 years and it will be very

strange entering the school in September and he not being present looking after the children in one of the

key stages. He has promised to return on a cover basis however, so will not be lost to the community entirely.

Two other members of staff who have been with us

less time but who nonetheless have made a significant contribution are leaving to take up promoted posts

elsewhere. Ms K Hall will be a new assistant vice principal at the Samuel Lister Academy and Mrs S Oldale will be the Head of Food Technology at the Wakefield Girls

School. In addition, Miss K Sinclair will move to take up her first permanent post at St Wilfrid’s and Ms R Foster is moving to expand her teaching elsewhere. They also leave

with our thanks and best wishes for

the future. I wish you all a fantastic summer holiday and thank you for your support of our school. Kevin Higgins, Headteacher

Summer Edition 2012

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St John Fisher Catholic High School

Term Dates - Academic Year 2012 - 2013

PUPILS

AUTUMN TERM 2012 73 days

SPRING TERM 2013 53 days

SUMMER TERM 2013 64 days

FIRST DAY

HALF TERM

LAST DAY

FIRST DAY

HALF TERM

LAST DAY

FIRST DAY

HALF TERM

LAST DAY

Tuesday 4th

September *See below

Monday 29th

October to

Monday 5th

November inclusive*

Friday

21st

December

Monday

7th

January

Monday 18th

February to

Monday 25th

February inclusive*

Thursday

28th

March

Monday 15th April

Monday 27th May

to Friday 31st May

inclusive

Friday

19th

July

Ardeche 2012 On May 19th 80 year 9 pupils began their annual journey to the Ardeche, hopes of fun in the sun in the Mediterranean and the Ardeche area were high. The trip was (as always) a fantastic experience, despite being rained off the first couple of days. This didn’t put the pupils off, however, as they showed true “St John Fisher spirit” braving the sea in cold conditions to ride the waves on their body boards. We left the cold weather behind as we travelled up to the Ardeche, with a brief stop off to visit the spectacular Orgnac Caves, descending 200m underground to view the amazing sights within. Finally arriving at Segries to stay over in the converted farm house, we prepared for the highlight of the trip: the 19 mile decent of the Ardeche River. We were greeted by a full river which gave us plenty of white water to

manoeuver and made for lots of fun and empty canoes along the way as the pupils got to grips with their new mode of transport. Over the 9 day trip the pupils where fantastic and represented the schools proudly, working together in unfamiliar groups and making new friends. A. Saunders - P.E

Year 13 Leaver’s Dinner On Friday 29th June over one hundred and ten students and staff attended the annual Y13 Leavers' Dinner which was held at The Royal Armouries in Leeds. It was a fantastic event which was organised by the school presidents; Aimee Rhodes and Jack McGuire. There was a lovely atmosphere and the food was excellent. After the meal there was a disco to burn off those calories! All the students looked fabulous and a good time was had by everyone! Staff wish Y13 students every opportunity for the future and hope that they have enjoyable and fulfilling careers. M. Goodfellow - Assistant Head for Post-16

“We had a brilliant time in the

Ardeche and it was really good to

spend time with friends and speak to

people who I don’t really speak to

usually. Even though it rained, we all

had a lot of fun and enjoyed the

activities that we did ,like canoeing

down the Ardeche River and going to

the beach in Mimosa.”

- Martha Rounding & Finty Kissane

Good Friday: Friday 29th March 2013

May Day: Monday 6th May 2013

* Staff Training Days: Mon. 3rd September ‘12 Mon. 25th February ‘13 (pupils do not attend) Mon. 5th November ‘12 22nd & 23rd July ‘13

The ‘God Particle’ - Fr. Hall

So they’ve finally discovered the “God Particle”. The rejoicing of scientists in Geneva and around the world was even enough to get to the “number two” slot on the evening news. Predicted by a British professor fifty years ago, it was the missing piece of the great jigsaw of particle physics. Some scientists thought it didn’t exist. Some thought that, even if it did, it would never be found by experiment. But the reason it was nicknamed the “God Particle” was neither of the above. Professor Brian Cox – a self-confessed atheist – puts it like this: “The Higgs Boson fills every cubic centimetre of the universe. It interacts with every other particle, and gives them their mass and their other properties.” Now, priests always draw parallels between science and religion at their peril. But for an atheist, Professor Cox has a neat understanding of what Christians – and many people of other religions – think about God. God is not part of creation, but he fills it with his presence. It is God who gives life, meaning and purpose to every part of his creation. He does not contribute mass, or spin, or electric charge – he communicates the gift of being itself. As a Catholic school, this scientific discovery gives us two reasons to rejoice. On one hand, we rejoice at the advancement of human knowledge, helping us to understand even more about God’s wonderful world. On the other, we thank God for this reminder that it is he who has called us into being; that we depend on him for our every waking breath; and that it is he who can give true meaning and purpose to our lives.

Junior Maths Challenge Success 2012 In April 100 of our top mathematicians in year 7 and 8 competed against 240,000 other year 7 and 8 students from across the country, in the Junior Maths Challenge. The two problems below were on the challenge, why not have a go?

Certificates are awarded to the highest scoring 40% of candidates, of which the top 6% get a gold certificate; the next 13% get silver, and the remaining 21%, a bronze. It is an excellent achievement to be awarded a certificate as our students are competing against so many others from all around the country. The following students were awarded certificates:

Well done to all those who took part in the challenge and those who were awarded a certificate, especially those in year 7. It is quite an achievement for the year 7 students to be awarded a certificate as they were in competition with students from year 8 whose skills and

knowledge in maths is greater, so well done to those above.

C Anchor – Maths AST Answers: C and A

Year 7 Year 8

Gold Thomas Wilde (Best in school and best in year) Catherine Bailey

Silver Kacper Lubisz Zach Thompson Saad Yususf

Thomas Nowoslawski (Best in year) Liam Hargreaves Nathan Dehaney

Bronze Abigail Peel Catherine Warne Mollie Hunter Noah Hawkins Lily Booth Molly Reid Lauren Harris Lee Toothill Olivia Boocock George Starkie Jacob Caine

Megan Parker Samuel Kettlewell

What is half of 1.01??

A 5.5 B 0.55 C 0.505 D 0.500 E 0.055

Arron says his age is 50 year, 50 months, 50 weeks and 50 days old. What age will he be on his next birthday?

A 56 B 55 C 54 D 53 E 51

New Staff In September we will welcome the following new teachers to our school. We are sure that they will help us to provide excellent education for our children. Assistant SENCO – Mrs M Boffey Food Teacher - Ms. T South PE teacher - Ms R Lee A significant number of appointments have also been made to the support staff. - K. Higgins, Headteacher

More Able Update I accompanied Mariella Enstock and Anthony Hatch to Leeds University on Monday the 9th July for a taster day organised by the Russell Group of Universities. The aim of the day was to inspire More Able youngsters from Year 9 to go to university. Presentations were given by students of the University past and present. We were also given a guided tour and the pupils took part in activities. Teachers were treated to presentations on how the University gets top grades from its students. Leading academics talked and we met other More Able pupils from around the country. Mariella came a close second out of around 20 schools represented, which was fantastic,as some had travelled as far as Hertfordshire in order to take part. Both pupils thoroughly enjoyed the day and are now fully inspired to go on to a top university. On Thursday 12th July some year 7 pupils will be taking part in a kirklees wide spelling competition called a 'spellathon'. They will be asked to spell difficult words and compete against many schools in Kirklees. The winners will recieve a silver salver and a cash prize. The mayor of Kirklees is attending as well as the local press. Good luck to those taking part! Mrs. Gavaghan

Sixth Form Extra Curricular Many of our Sixth Form students have been busy making their forthcoming University application or CV look impressive! There have been lots of opportunities for Sixth Form to become involved in, and many students have seized the opportunity to become involved. There have been lots of opportunities promoted within school to attend various University Taster Courses, Focus Days, Student Shadowing and subject Conferences. A number of students have also been selected to take part in different projects led by two local Universities. ‘Tomorrows Health Professionals Today’ led by Leeds Metropolitan University, and ‘Reach for Excellence’ led by the University of Leeds, are just two of the projects which are taking place this year. A lot of the extra curricular opportunities available take place within school, and just one of these is the ‘student support’ programme, similar to peer mentoring. We have a number of Year 12 students who regularly help out our younger pupils in classes, which is invaluable experience, especially for those considering a career in teaching. Work Experience – Our Year 12 students were asked to seek a work experience placement for one week commencing 9 July. The majority of the students have managed to secure good placements which are directly linked to their career choice. The small number who haven’t arranged placements will be put to good use helping out in lower school classes. In total, 55 Year 12 students have taken part in extra curricular activities this year which will form a vital part of their job or University application. Well done to those people who took part and very best wishes for Year 13. J. Hamill - Sixth form mentor

Jubilee Concert On Friday June 1st, the Show Steelers were invited to perform at the Jubilee celebrations of Batley Parish Primary School. The children were all dressed in red, white and blue and there were Union Jacks every-where. Two pupils were king and

queen for the day and wore long white robes and gold crowns. The Headteacher led the pupils in singing the national anthem. While everyone ate a picnic lunch on the school field, the Show Steelers entertained them with some of our liveliest numbers (In the Mood, Give me Hope Joanna, Day Dream Believer and Tequila to name a few). The performance went very well and all the children and parents enjoyed it despite the weather being cold and drizzly. Sadly this is one of our last performances with some of our sixth form band members who are leaving St John Fisher this year. Thanks to Andrew Martin, Katie Shires, Will Poulter, Thomas Allen and Jayne Edge who have been an asset to the band and will be missed greatly. - Miss Butterworth

Toby Carvery On Monday 9th July, a group of 10 KS3 students were invited to the Toby Carvery in Huddersfield for a morning of “nutritional learning”. We were met by Duty Manager, Siobhan, who talked to the group about the foods available from a Toby Carvery. We discussed proteins and carbohydrates and the nutrients in the various foods we like and eat. We learned that you can get all of your “five a day” vegetable requirements in one meal! We were given materials to decorate a display board which we covered in pictures and used the words which we had used during our discussions earlier. We then carried out a taste test on peas, carrots and mashed potatoes. We had to decide by colour and taste whether they were fresh or tinned (or Smash in the case of the potatoes!). When we had finished all of these tasks we got to meet the chef who had prepared all of the food for the carvery lunch. Siobhan invited us to stay for lunch and we felt that it would have been rude not to sample all of Chef’s hard work – and we can confidently report that it was delicious! If you need a treat in the school holidays we can highly recommend Toby Carvery, Ainley Top Huddersfield for a fresh, nutritious and very tasty meal. ` - A. Crowther & J. Booth

60 Second Interview– Mrs. Giraud What is your job? I teach English, organise the exams in Key Stage 4 and organise Whole School Literacy. Where did you go to university? Did you enjoy it? I went to Trinity and All Saints College in Leeds to do my degree in English and had an amazing time! Doing an English degree means a lot of reading but I had a lot of fun as well; despite the massive student loans! Training to be a teacher was a lot harder though and I often had to work late into the night; it was all worth it though. What's your favourite genre of film/ film? Definitely action films! I love all the Die Hard films and I've had my tickets for the new Batman film booked for weeks... I've also got a soft spot for David Tennant in Hamlet as well. Which four people, dead or alive, would you invite to a dinner party? William Shakespeare, of course! He was a clever, witty and intelligent man and I'm sure he would entertain us all. George Clooney because he is so sophisticated, Peter Kay because he's great Lancashire lad and absolutely hilarious. Finally I'd invite my big sister Rachael because she is the most amazing cook.

Year 7 Trip to Dalguise Eighty-five year 7 pupils and nine worn out and weathered teachers have recently returned from a fun-filled week in Dalguise, Scotland. The annual trip is an action packed activity week in the great outdoors just outside of Perthshire. Pupils had the chance to gain new experiences including ‘the giant swing’, zip wires, climbing, abseiling, raft building, archery and much more with specialist instructors. The trip gave pupils in year 7 a chance to get to know each other outside of the classroom and to challenge themselves both physically and mentally . Throughout the week pupils surprised themselves with their bravery; climbing higher than they ever thought they could and pushing themselves in a range of different feats. The trip also showed how supportive of each other the pupils at St John Fishers can be, with screams and shouts of encouragement and congratulations throughout the week.

Evening activities included camp fire songs and games with pupils in full voice. Voices which seemed to desert some pupils by the end of the week after all the shouting and excitement. A great week was had by all and big congratulations should go to all the pupils who took part for their effort, behaviour and courage to push themselves. Well done. - C. Egan Pupil Comments: “My favourite activity was the giant swing, it was amazing. It was a really great trip, a once in a lifetime experience. “ Charley Oldroyd, 7S “I liked everything we did, I’d go again tomorrow if given the chance! It was great because I became friends with new people.” Tom Wilby, 7I

Year 9 Cross-Curricular Day Based on an ancient Olympic theme, pupils were involved in designing and building a model Olympic chariot to race on the tennis courts. The event was a huge success and the pupils showed excellent creativity with a wide range of designs being produced. During the afternoon, Russell Prue, a leading educational broadcaster, came in to work with pupils on creating a radio programme that was broadcast live to the world at the end of the session. Pupils were split into groups and each group had an Olympic-themed topic that they had to research. The group then had to plan and prepare a script to be used in the

broadcast. They were also taught the technical skills involved and how to put together a broadcast. The fact that this was done live meant that pupils really had to focus and there was no room for error! The pupils worked tremendously well and it was said that the shows created were some of the best that have been done. A journalist from the TES was listening in and was so impressed she intends to run a piece based on the work that was done. M. Ward, S. Shaw, A. Harris

New York 2012 During the Easter Holidays, 12 members of our sixth form accompanied by Mrs Goodfellow and Dr O’Donnell made an exciting journey across the pond to visit the Big Apple, first jetting off from Manchester to Heathrow, and then touching down 5 hours later in Newark. This was followed by an hour long drive to the YMCA in New York (no Village People jokes, please.) The students were given a guided tour of many of the city’s incredible sights and visited famous attractions such as the iconic Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, where many immigrants first set foot in the USA. What followed was a whirlwind of exhilarating bike rides around the vast Central Park, the busy atmosphere of Times Square, Bubba Gump and the dizzying heights and impressive views from the Empire State Building and The Rockefeller Center and to the Museum of Modern art. “The best thing about it was seeing Times Square at night. You could spend hours there and not get bored.” remarked Joe McDermott. However, there was some poignancy during the 6-day visit, as the group took a trip to the memorial at ground zero, which was the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. The group set off from JFK airport back to England, after what was described by Owen Cooper as “A once-in-a-lifetime

experience that’s going to stay with me forever.”

“Great to see the Statue of Liberty in

reality”

“It was interesting to hear the history of the city and get our bearings.”

“Impressive views of Manhattan.”

Stadium Spectacular Concert - Friday 29th June

Standing in a crowd of voices, singing Olympic themed songs, the Stadium Spectacular was defiantly a day to remember. Hosted at Galpharm Stadium, with special guests FISH and Kirsten O'Brien, the concert was open to families and friends to come and enjoy, something that only happens every 10 years! St John Fisher was just one of the many schools participating to form a mass choir of 5,000 children and several large scale orchestras, which all performed to a crowd covering the pitch and seats. A late night it was but a fantastic opportunity not to have been missed. Ellie Riordan

Rave About Reading! Readathon During April and May Years 7 and 8 put down their x boxes and picked up a book! All in aid of charity raising over £400! Not only have the students helped some other young people who are desperately in need many have discovered a love of books. Just have a look at the reading tree to see how many books have been read to raise this money. Well done to all those involved! DEAR! School life can be stressful for everyone. It’s time to take a break; it’s time to DEAR! Drop Everything and Read is going to become a regular part of our form time on a Friday morning. For 10 minutes a week EVERYONE in school is going to take the time to read… It can be anything that interests you! Pick something that you have enthusiasm for, something a friend has recommended or ask in the library. The important thing is to relax and enjoy some time e-Reading! Books are wonderful. Books hold stories, adventures and knowledge! Technology is now changing the way we read. We use the inter-net to research and now all the stories and adventures can be accessed through new e-Reading technology. Six e-Readers and an exciting e-Reading application are going to land in the library in the au-tumn term! Join Future Read-ers from September to be part of this exciting development in

Year 7 Cross-Curricular The whole of year 7 recently took part in an Olympic themed cross curricular day. The day was a huge success with pupils given the opportunity to witness the Olympic torch passing through Dewsbury and to cheer on the torch bearers with banners which the pupils had designed in lessons. Students spent the morning in subject areas of their choice; The Mathematics Department organised a mid morning session called 'Sports Management and Olympic Values'. Pupils were grouped by houses and had the opportunity to compete against each other in an inter-house competition. The houses planned the running orders, posters and name cards for their houses in the afternoon to ensure smooth running of the 20.12km challenge. Year 7 pupils were a credit to the school throughout the session and showed excellent leadership and management qualities. The pupils led the sessions and worked extremely well together. Design and Technology offered a range of activites. Pupils rotated through food technology, Graphics, textiles and reistant materials. All worked extremely hard to produce a range of items to support their house with and contributed to finishing the house shields. The delicious multicultural snacks made in food technology were given to pupils in the afternoon as part of the celebrations, a feast fit for an olympian! The day culminated in a 20.12km House challenge in the afternoon. Each pupil represented their Houses of Campion, More, Beckett or Clitherow by running 0.5km. The challenge was a huge success and the support pupils gave their houses was great to see. The race finished with a fast paced sprint with Campion just pass-ing the finish line first. Pupils also got the opportunity to meet one of the torch bearers and see one of the Olympic torches. The day was a huge success! C. Egan & L. Blanchfield

Don’t Forget! Come and pick up your exam results:

GCE (A levels) – Thursday 16th August – 9.30am

GCSE – Thursday 23rd August – 10.0-0am

Thank You!

A huge thank you to Sam Bailey, who has been invaluable in putting together this

edition of The Fisher Focus.

Goodbye Year 11!

Year 12 and 13 Media Studies students, accompanied by Mrs

Woodhouse, Ms Clarke and Mr Ward visited the Warner Bros

Studio Tour: The Making of Harry Potter. The tour is part of the

Leavesden Film Studios where the Harry Potter films were made.

The students were able to visit the sets; see the

costumes and how all the CGI and special effects were

created. It was a great day , giving an amazing insight into the

various aspects of film making.

Au Revoir, Matthieu! “Voici maintenant 8 mois que je suis en Angleterre et que je travaille dans cette école. Cette année fut une expérience incroyable, l’occasion de découvir une nouvelle culture et un nou-veau métier. J’ai vécu cette année comme une opportunité de plonger dans la vie anglaise, en vivant à Leeds d’abord pour vivre une immersion total dans cette ville et exploiter au maximum tout ce qu’elle a à offrir. Leeds, et le Yorkshire en général, est une région chaleureuse et accueillante qui réserve énormément de rencontres et de moments à partager avec les habitants. Et j’ai ensuite découvert un métier passionant et gratifiant qui nous place au coeur de l’éducation des enfants, et qui permet de leur faire développer la connaissance d’un autre pays et d’une

autre culture par le biais d’une langue étrangère. Et cette école a de particulier que les gens qui y travaillent sont impliqués par leur travail et vivent leur travail comme une vraie passion pour augmenter les chances de réussite de leurs élèves. Je voudrais donc tous vous remercier pour m’avoir donné la chance de pouvoir travailler dans cette école et de pouvoir vivre une telle experience, merci beaucoup.” - Matthieu It is now 8 months since I arrived in England and started working in this school. This year was an amazing experience, the opportunity to discover a new culture and a new job. I have seen this year as an opportunity to “dive” into the English way of life, by first of all living in Leeds to totally immerse myself into this city and to get the maximum out of what Leeds has to offer. Leeds, and Yorkshire in general, is a warm and a welcoming area which provides a lot of opportunities to socialise with people. And then I’ve discovered an exciting and a rewarding job which puts us in the heart of the education of children, and which allows us to develop their knowledge of another country and another culture through a foreign language. And this school is special because people working here are truly involved in their work and are passionate about their work to increase the chances of success of their pupils. I would like to thank you all for having given me the chance to work in this school and to have such an experience, thanks a lot. - Matthieu

Career Academy Graduation On Wednesday 9th May 2012 it was a very proud moment as we waited to get the train to Manchester to attend the Graduation of our four Career Academy students. The cere-mony was held at Manchester Town Hall in the Great Hall and was attended by 28 schools and colleges from all over the North of England along with past graduates, Tony Collins, Chief Executive for Virgin Trains and Action Jackson, Motivational Speaker. Our students (from left to right) Cameron Kirby who graduated in Business, Nicole Penn, Bethany Hirst and Jodie Williams who all graduated in Health and Social Care. In order to graduate the students have completed an internship of between four and six weeks, met regularly with their mentors and attended workshops and various guru lectures. They have also had the opportunity to visit various places of work. The Career Academy at St John Fisher Sixth Form is continuing to go from strength to strength and we currently have 14 students on the programme. The Career Academy aims to forge links between academic study and the real world of work. We are constantly looking for local people who are involved in either Business or Health and Social Care work to help facilitate this process. If you feel that you can offer us anything such as a short talk on your career progression, a lecture on your speciality or if you are a Partner in Business who is able to pass on their experiences. We would also appreciate the opportunity for our students to be able to visit your workplace and even do some work experience. Please call St John Fisher High School on 01924 527000 and ask for Rachel Brooke or Andrea O’Hare or email our administrator on h-blanchfield@stjohnfisher.org.uk. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank our supporters who have made this experience possible for these students, they are Sephie Collins of Disken & Co Solicitors, Bronwynn Bennett from Kirklees Gateway to Care, Liz Bishop and Zoe Mason from Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS FoundationTrust, Mrs Pat Thompstone and Lloyds Bank.

AS/A2 Textiles End of Year Exhibition Yet again the year 12/13 Textile students have produced some amazing work with all students meeting

target grades or above. J- Riordan

Reminders - Please make sure you have your name written I nside your uniform and bag, incase it gets lost.

- Although the bag rack is handy, do not leave any belongings there for days on end. This is how they

get lost. - Please clear the bag rack before the holidays as

anything that is left will be cleared.

The school community was left in deep shock at the recent sudden death of an outstanding

teacher, colleague and friend. Andrea Clarke died during the late afternoon of

Saturday 30th June. The previous day, Ms Clarke had escorted lower sixth students to Newcastle University in her role

as Director of Studies post 16. She was encouraging our young adults to consider application to university. That evening, Andrea was due to join colleagues and

students at the Year 13 leavers’ celebration. Sadly, however, she was taken ill at home

and rushed to hospital. Despite surgery for a brain aneurism that went on through the night, she did not

recover. Andrea Clarke was an ‘outstanding teacher’.

All teachers are regularly assessed against rigorous standards and just a few days before her untimely

death, Andrea had achieved the top rating. She was rightfully very proud of this.

Since 2001, she had taught English and Drama to hundreds of our students and was very keen that they

should fulfil their potential whilst taking responsibility for their own learning.

She wanted people to achieve their dreams and to see that everything was possible.

Ms Clarke was a caring human being. Not only was she deeply concerned for her students but also for those less fortunate than herself. Last year, she

turned 50 years of age. Many would mark such an event with a special holiday or treat. Andrea chose to spend her summer holiday working in an orphanage in

Tanzania. This was typical of the woman who supported many charities and encouraged students to be generous in their alms giving.

Andrea Clarke’s generosity of spirit can be seen even in her death. Her major organs were donated to save the lives of others and up to seven individuals may

now have hope, where previously they had none. Similarly, only family flowers are to be provided for the funeral with funds being

raised for two charities as a consequence. Ms Clarke was a talented performer and musician. She contributed massively to the

extra-curricular and social life of the school. Andrea had two daughters, both of whom were educated at St John Fisher. This further highlights what a key part she played in the life of our

school family. Andrea will be sorely missed but long remembered.

- Kevin Higgins

Andrea Clarke - RIP

Sports Awards The PE department also recently held their annual sports awards evening to celebrate achievement in the subject and were joined by Batley Bull dogs prop Alex Waumsley. Winners: Commitment to School Sport (year 7-11): Callum Pearson, Olivia Oldroyd, Billy Yarrow, Katie Keegan, Lewis Cooper, Isobel Hilton, Max Senior, Ellie Riordan, Sam Tattersfield, Lucy Cawtheray Sports Leaders winners: Jordan Lynch, Joe Maguire Charlotte Oates Scholar of the Year nominees: Amy Chapman (winner), Max Senior, Sam Tattersfield, Leonie Laycock, Alex Drake Individual Sporting Achievement Winner (year 7-11): Elliot Rayne, Poppy Brown, Chloe Dempsey, Paul Foulstone, Millie Brown, Dom Hale, Nyle Flynn, Grace Farrar, George Croisdale

This year has been another successful year for the school rugby, football, netball and round-ers Teams!

Rugby Not wanting to be outdone by the Football teams reaching the Spen Valley Finals in all year groups, the School Rugby teams have reached the finals of the Kirklees cup in all year groups. The year 7 team beat Earlsheaton in a very competitive semi final. After coming up against a strong Earlsheaton team at the beginning of the year and coming off second best, the team showed great determination and commitment to book their place in the final by coming back from a 10-0 half time deficit to win the semi final 28-20. The year 8 team capped off an extremely successful year by being the first team to win their final, beating Holmfirth 24-10 after winning their semi final 36-10 against Spen Valley. This followed on from a great showing in the Yorkshire cup against Castleford High to narrowly miss out on a quarter final spot losing 20-16. This means two wins in two years for the current year 8’s. The year 9 are scheduled to play Salendine Nook in the final after putting in an excellent performance against Earlesheaton in a hard fought semi final. Winnning 32-22. Year 10 sailed in to their 4th consecutive final winning their semi final convincingly against Shelley College and are due to play Honley in the final. The Year 11 team booked their place in the final in an enthralling and emotional semi final for some of the boys. Having been defeated by Honley in the final of the last two Kirklees cups it was time to finally get the win so many of them desired. Thanks to an outstanding defence and some last ditch tackling the team was able to hold on to their much deserved lead to win 18-16. They play Colne Valley High in the final.

Rounders Y7/8 Rounders

Year Team Result

7 Westborough Won 5 ½ - 3 ½

7 Morley Drew 5-5

7 Earlsheaton Lost 5 ½ - 4 ½

8 Westborough Won 5 - 3

8 Morley Won 4 ½ - 4