The Friday Letter

Edition No 53 Friday 13 December 2013

Sing of the one who is coming Sing of the one who is coming, whose advent cannot be expressed in words, only in "silent music". (John of the Cross) Sing of the one who is coming, whose greatness cannot be grasped by words, only in "invisible light". (Denys) Sing of the one who is coming. Find him in the "deep but dazzling darkness" of that first Christmas night. (Henry Vaughan) Sue Allerton/CAFOD

Sunday Mass Times in our parishes Our Lady and Saint Thomas of Hereford Ilkeston - Saturday 6.30pm; Sunday 10.45am Our Lady of Good Counsel Eastwood - Saturday 5.30pm; Sunday 10.15am St Francis of Assisi Long Eaton - Saturday 6.00pm; Sunday 10.30am St John the Evangelist Stapleford - Sunday 9.00am Church of the Assumption Beeston - Saturday 5.30pm; Sunday 9.00am Saint Alban's Catholic Church, Chaddesden - Saturday 6.30pm; Sunday 10.00am

Prayers Please pray for the repose of Mrs Annie O Donnell a former member of the kitchen team who served Saint John Houghton for over twenty eight years. Annie’s funeral was held in the Catholic Church of Our Lady of Saint Thomas of Hereford last Tuesday and Mr Dozcyminskyi, Rachel, Mr Wain and Mrs Morley represented the school at the service. We were also sad to hear of the death of Mr Tom Saunders husband of Mrs Gwyn Saunders former Deputy Headteacher of Saint John Houghton. His funeral mass was held today at Our Lady of Good Counsel Eastwood and Mr Quinn, Mr Doczyminskyi and Rachel attended. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen. Christmas get together We were delighted to welcome some very special guests to Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy on Monday afternoon. Our guests were treated to mince pies and refreshments and entertained by our wonderful choir ably directed by Mrs Swaby. It was a special occasion for one of our guests Bill who celebrated his birthday also. My thanks to everybody involved in organising this lovely event.

Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy part of Saint Robert Lawrence Catholic Academy Trust

Advent Service My thanks to all staff involved in organising the Advent Service. Thank you Miss Bailey, Rachel, Mr Hope, Mrs Brambell, Mrs Forrest, Mr Long, Miss McPhee, Mrs Swaby, Mr Hackett. This is one of the highlights of the school year and this year’s did not disappoint. Thank you to the large numbers of parents and friends who came to join us in this beautiful and moving service. The theme of the service was passing on of the light with reflection based on the story of Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Elizabeth and Zechariah leading up to the birth of Jesus. Centre piece on the stage was a beautiful Jesse Tree, which depicted the key characters in the story of the Old Testament, and our beautiful Advent Wreath.

So many students and staff took part through dance, drama, music, backstage preparation, reading in this service and I can say that I did shed a little tear after the beautiful song “Dear Elizabeth” sung by Tilly Finn- Cook and Shay Ringland. Well done to Ellin McIntyre, Benito Preite and Harriet Goldsworth for their excellent portrayal of the story of Abraham and Sarah. Congratulations to Feargal Barber who played an excellent Moses as well as Okorite Ephraim, Luke Ryrie, Laura Maguire, Sarah Hutchby, Imogen Lambert and Merrin Shelton who introduced us to the prophet Isaiah. Thank you also to Evie Taddeo, Oliver Babe, Lewis Siara, John Wildey, Nazarene Gordon, Lucy Parsons, Elizabeth Ward, Shay Ringland, Leah Watkinson, Natasha Lavery, Vienna Burns, Bridin Retallick, Anna Stevenson, Olivia Priestley, Amy Dougall Gracie Rex, Sian Hooton, Amy Emmerson, Elin Retallick, Joan Fowudo, Emily Gilhooly, Daniel Ingall, Georgia Barrett, Thomas Kavanagh, Jane Biles, Amy Cullingworth, Jessica Szeniawski,

Daniel Body, Milla Rigby, Oliver Thornhill, Catherine Oliver, The Fair Trade Group, Anna Pancisi, Megan Murphy, Megan Guest, Ellie Clayton, Reagan Lane, Olivia Bainbridge, Sasha Sheridan, Grace Lee, Elizabeth Rimmer, Jessica Gilhooly, Merrins Shelton, Lorley Shelton, The Sound Crew, Mr David Boott, Mrs Folan, Mr McNally, Mr Wain, Mrs Taddeo, Mrs Smith, Mr Doczyminskyi, Mr and Mrs Slysz, Mrs Morley and Mrs Swindell. I am sure that I will have omitted some names and I hope to confirm more names in next week’s letter.

Christmas Dinner On Thursday we had our beautiful Christmas dinner prepared by Paula and all the team in the Kitchen. Thank you to the office staff who manned the tills to ensure that all the kitchen staff could dish out the beautiful food to everyone. Thanks to Mrs Limb and the midday supervisors for coming in early to supervise and assist the students. Thanks to Mr Quinn for overseeing the event.

Chaplaincy Department Advent Action: Help us to remember others in Advent The students of Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy have written their own Advent prayers and included thoughts for the day and an action. Well done to Laura Sellers, Abbie Monaghan, Georgia Clarke, Harrison Bromley and Joshua Boott. How lovely to gather on Monday afternoon as a community and celebrate Advent with a real feeling of Joy with mince pies and music. Thank you, Andrew, John, Betty, Dave, Pauline, Judy, John, Margaret, Francis, Kathleen, Angela, Bill, June, Nuala, Jane, Margaret, Peter, David, Amy, Piers and David for coming along and a special congratulations to Bill who celebrated his Birthday. Rachel would like to thank Mr Wain, Mr Britton, Mr and Mrs Spittle, Mrs Berry, Mrs Slysz, Mrs Swaby and the ladies in the canteen. Rachel would like to thank Mr Wain for collecting the Christmas tree which was blessed then decorated by Sian Hooton, Holly Guest, Grace Teasdale, Freya Windridge, Bridin Retallick, Alisha Duro, Leah Watkinson, Bradley Martin, Tom Andrews, Laura Banks, Nazarene Gordon, Robyn Grant, Danielle Townsend, Vienna Burns and Meghan Murphy. It was a pleasure to have Mrs Julia Palmer deliver the Advent 'thought for the day' to the staff during briefing and remind us to wait in joy and hang onto a sense of humour. Rachel would like to thank the staff, for praying and showing kindness to their Advent Prayer partner. Thank you for the opportunity to serve the community with an Advent Liturgy on Tuesday evening. Thank you all for your support. It was a privilege to attend the funeral of Annie O’Donnell on behalf of the students and staff at Saint John Houghton Academy. May she rest in peace and her family feel God's love in a powerful way this Advent. Thank you to Mrs Slyz, Holly Howarth, Sian Hooton, Grace Teasdale and Isaac Smith for making the Oasis Team Oasis Party a pleasant occasion. Thank you parents for your support. Thank you to the canteen ladies for providing a lovely Christmas Dinner ... and even Santa joined in. Thank you Jessica Szeniawski, Joseph Heath, Catherine Oliver, Molly Keyworth, Bridin Retallick,Thomas Kavanagh, Anna Pancisi, Grace Lee and Jacob Shanks for coming along to the Team Chaplaincy Christmas Party, thank you to the parents for their support. Rachel would like to thank Rev Michael Pettit for his support in the Chaplaincy Department this week. Rachel's heroine of the week has to Mrs Brambell.

Mrs Morley’s report on her Charity Head Shave A few weeks ago I asked Mrs McCarthy if she would mind if I had my head shaved for charity. Luckily,

she agreed and so the fundraising began leaving no time for me to change my mind, despite a few people attempting to convince me otherwise! The Charities were chosen by two special people from our School community. Alex Read chose The Bone Cancer Research Trust and Mrs Pam Taylor chose The Breakthrough Breast Cancer Charity. Both Alex’s and Pam’s families have raised funds for other charities but specially chose these two for this event. The charities are perhaps ones which are not as well-known but, as with the bigger charities, they rely on donations from fundraising events to fund their work. Luckily my hairdresser agreed to do the deed, even though she was

extremely worried (me too!) about being on the stage in front of an audience of students, staff and my family who came along to support me on the day. Mrs McCarthy commentated on the event while I smiled, nervously, as the hair began to fall. The worst moment for me was probably when I heard the gasps from the audience as the

clippers took the hair off the top of my head. I can tell you I was a bit worried at that point! Everyone has been extremely supportive and I have been touched by

the messages I have received from people in our community. I set a target of £200 for each charity and I am delighted to tell you that so far I have received donations totalling over £1,700. I have no doubt now that it was worth it! Thank you so much to each and every one of you for your part in my fundraising effort. People in our community give so readily and in these difficult financial times it really is fantastic that you have been able to support me and make a difference to the two Charities.

Looking nervous

How does it look?

Year 11 and Year 10

Study Skills and Revision evening for parents - Wednesday 15th January 2014 - 7pm in school. During the evening we hope to be able to inform you of our provision for revision and study in school and also to offer some ideas on how you can help your child to GCSE success.

Year 11 Post 16 Applications As the year marches on and year 11 students start some of their exams, their attention will be turning more and more to what comes next. We recommend that students apply for places at sixth forms/colleges and training providers by the beginning of next term in order to give them time to consider a range of options, as well as leaving the remaining terms free from concerns to focus on their current qualifications. If students or parents require any information or advice on applications or choice of courses, they should book an appointment via Mrs Kelly with Rosemary Barker our Careers Adviser from Derbyshire Careers Service. Rosemary is in school on Thursdays for booked appointments and she holds a Drop-In session in the LRC at lunchtimes. Rosemary will also be available (no appointment necessary) at the Year 11 Parents Evening on Thursday 9th January.

Thank you Thank you to our friends at Leisure Furnishings Ltd in Long Eaton for their generous donation to the textiles department. We are very grateful.

Well done Natalie Natalie Monk had been highly successful in her many Tae Kwon Do competitions this year. Her achievements for 2013 are as follows:

Welsh Open Championship – Bronze Sparring

Unified Scottish Open Championship – Gold Sparring

British Championships – Bronze Sparring

English Open Championship – Bronze patterns, Bronze Sparring and Silver special techniques

Unified World Championship – Gold team sparring, Bronze Patterns

Unified Open Irish Championship – Gold team sparring 14 and under category, Silver 15-17 age category.

Congratulations on a successful year Natalie and I look forward to hearing of more success in 2014.

Badminton News This week’s matches were both very exciting. The closest game of the tournament so far saw Mr Hope and Mr Lovelock beat George Summers and Danny Porter 21-17. The second game saw the reigning champions Mr Rutter and Mrs Waring once again destroy the hopes of the young pretenders Joe Cuomo and Joe Collins 21-12. Next week’s games involve Ethan Harrnett and Jonathan Lee take on Mrs Harris and Mrs Adams and the second game sees Mr Barrett and Mr Timms play Kai Grant and Matthew Mortimer-Beeston. Both games will take place next week, day to be confirmed.

The Knit and Stitch Club Well done to all the members of the Knit and Stitch Club who have been busy making their Advent Calendar. The club meet every Wednesday at lunch 12.30pm - 1.15pm and are always looking for new members. Please contact Mrs Ryan or Mrs Adams for more information.

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On the couch with Mr Thomson It is a very sad interview for me today as it is with a man who is sadly leaving our school community. Mr Doczyminskyi (Mr Dosh) has been a Saint John legend and a great servant to the school; without giving too much away about his age he taught me! He will be greatly missed, so I thought it very appropriate to interview him before his sad departure.

Mr T- Welcome to the couch Mr Dosh…..What is your favourite book? Mr D- Thank you…..It has to be The City of Joy. Mr T- Good choice…..What is your favourite film? Mr D- Midnight Express Mr T- Oh ok……What is your favourite drink? Mr D- Water Mr T- Mmmm….interesting……What is your favourite food? Mr D- It has to be Fish and Chips Mr T- Yes I’ve enjoyed many a Fridays with you in the school hall eating fish and chips……What is your motto for life? Mr D- True Grit with Faith Mr T- Good one to live by….What is your favourite childhood memory? Mr D- Passing my 11+ when nobody expected me to do so, because I couldn’t read until I was 7-8 years old, but then eventually the penny dropped. Mr T- That’s inspirational for many young people who find work challenging……What is your favourite hobby? Mr D- Rugby Mr T- I prefer footy…..not as violent, but each to their own….Where is your favourite holiday destination? Mr D- Jamaica/Rome Mr T- Lovely….Name 3 people you admire and say why! Mr D- Mrs Dosh (my rock and she makes me complete) -My Mum (she taught me how to fall in love with God) - My Dad (a great survivor and fighter) who taught me to stick at it no matter what. Mr T- What a lovely answer…..Mrs Dosh is often my rock as well, in her role as Head of Team Pastoral!....(at this stage Mr Dosh looks at Mr Thomson as if to say “No, she is my rock, not yours)…. If you weren’t a teacher what would you be? Mr D- Something involving creative advertising. Mr T- If you could go to dinner with one person, who would it be and why? Mr D- Pope Francis, I would like to talk to him about his vision of justice for us all, and introduce him to fish and chips. Mr T- Haha….I bet he would love Marilyn’s fish and chips….If you won the lottery, what would you do with the winnings? Mr D- I would ensure family was secure but not spoiled. The vast majority would be invested in good causes that would make a difference and change peoples’ lives for the better, I would have to be involved in this or may be even set a project up. Mr T- Very noble of you…..I would go down the classic car route, but each to their own….What is the best thing about working at Saint John Houghton Catholic School? Mr D- It’s been my second family. Mr T- I still can’t believe you are going ….What are you going to miss about SJH?....I know this is hard to mention in a sentence or so. Mr D- Being there and what it entails, which is the people in their joys and sorrows. Mr T- Yes, agreed…..What are you going to look forward to in retirement? Mr D- I don’t see it as retirement as such. It’s a call to another way of building God’s kingdom here on earth, which is basically the calling we all have as children of God. I did not consciously choose teaching but felt pulled in that direction. I now feel called to care in a different way, I have a number of ideas to pursue and the rest is unknown, but I am comfortable with that because I believe God will lead me to something. Mr T- Well I think I speak for all of the staff and pupils, when I say you have been an amazing role model whilst at Saint John Houghton and wish you a long and happy retirement! Happy Christmas!

Happy Christmas Folks and we will see you all in the new year!

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Learning and Teaching at Saint John Houghton Catholic Voluntary Academy

Environmental Engineering Workshop A group of 16 hardworking scientists from Year 8 took part in an enjoyable and challenging workshop at Nottingham University led by Lecturer and Head of Admissions John Turner. Following some research which they carried out prior to the visit the students split into 4 teams and were challenged to produce a water pump that would pump water successfully for at least 2 minutes. Each student had a different role, Team Leader, Designer, Engineer or Scribe and had to work together using very basic materials to design and build their pump. Kitted out with helmets, goggles and stylish overalls all the teams showed great ingenuity in completing the task. Results

Winners 2nd 3rd 4th

"Rainbow Unicorn" "Brainstorm" "Fluffy Heffalumps" "Insert Name Here"

Josef Fowkes Jake Gaskin Mili Cunningham Joshua Boott

Hayden Hefford Jacob Gregory Anna pancisi Ethan Harnett

Sean Keogh Peter Murphy Ella Powell Adam Kavanagh

Elizabeth Ward George Rawson -Sensecall Elizabeth Rimmer Thomas Kavanagh Congratulations to all involved particularly “Rainbow Unicorn” and hard luck to “Insert Name Here” whose pump looked very strong in testing but developed a catastrophic leak in the final stage!

The Northern Lights On Monday Year 11 Triple Science groups were given a fascinating introduction to their next module. Dr Alan Wood, lecturer in Physics and Maths at Nottingham Trent University, attended their lessons and gave a talk on the Northern Lights. His lecture looked at the history of ideas about this phenomenon and gave them detailed information about how it is caused. They saw beautiful images of the area around Svalbard taken by Dr Wood during his visits and then they were presented with research data and asked to try and calculate the energy of the Northern Lights. Dr Wood’s enthusiasm for his subject made it an inspiring session and students were encouraged to pursue studies in STEM subjects as they can lead to many absorbing and fascinating careers.

DT Food Technology - Chefs of the Week

Brilliant Fruit Crumbles 7LMC Emily Sutton, Kenzie Henshaw, Evie Miller 7CR Claire Bradley, Josh Forbes, Mary Martin 7RL Annie Doherty, Finlay Hayes,Abby Hudson, Cavan Lane. 7ST Erin nelson, Mia Marquis, Regan Till. Christmas Muffins Year 8 Francesca Dorn, Reagan lane, Elizabeth Ward.

Religious Education Mrs Brambell would like to congratulate the following students in Year 11 for having praise postcards sent home this week acknowledging their continued fantastic effort in RE: Lucy Heffernan, Tara Robinson and Daniel Ingall Lucy. Well done!

9EB Mrs Brambell would like to congratulate the following students in her tutor group who have not received a single demerit this term: Natalie Cahill, Peter Christodolou, Saul Cobb, Joshua Ferguson, Sophie Ingall, Charlie Manchester, Owen McDaid, Bridin Retallick, Laura Sellers and Elizabeth Varley. Well done! Sophie Ingall and Taylor Holmes are to be given special acknowledgement of their generosity in donating several toiletry items to the Form's Justice and Peace Christmas Box. Bridin Retallick, Ellie Clayton and Shannon Garratt are to be thanked and congratulated for representing 9EB in the Advent Service this week. Bridin sang in the Choir and Ellie and Shannon performed a beautiful dance to the Choir's rendition of "Mary did you know?". Thank you to you all for your continued support of our Form and the School.

Art Miss Jenkinson would like to say a massive well done to all the year 11 art students for their Mannequin outcomes. They worked extremely hard and have gone above and beyond with this work. They are a credit to the school and are developing into talented, determined artists. She told me that it has been a pleasure working with them throughout this project. Special mention to Chloe Baldwin and Katie Saunderson who worked extremely hard and created incredible outcomes. Well done to all of you.

Science Dr Landy's Amazing Science Discoveries this week.... Year 11 Nicola Morris for commitment to improvement Year 10 Natasha Lavery for improved effort Year 9 Joe Heath and Finn Broderick for improvement to answers (written and verbal) Year 8 Georgia Clarke for commitment Year 7 Jordan Casey for great usage of keywords

Mrs Bowley says well done to Olivia Sharpe from 8set3. Keep up the good work Olivia.

Geography Mrs Hartharn would like to congratulate Students from Y10 Option B Geography who have met or exceeded target grades on their most recent assessment: Josh Axe, Callum Boam, Alice Bosworth, Vienna Burns, Amber-Lea Fitzgerald, Sarah Hutchby, Oliver Leadbitter, Daniella Loffreda, Oliver Lowe, Jordan McMullan, Kathryn Parsons, Imogen Radford, Isaac Reading, Simon Rotherham, Tiffany Smith, Millie Wheeldon, Imogen Radford. Well done to all of you.

Quiz Congratulations to Joe Cox who knew that Nelson Mandela is the name of the former President of South Africa who died last week.

This week’s question is Who was the winner of “I’m a Celebrity get me out of here?” Answers on a piece of paper and left in reception by Wednesday 19 December. Wishing you and your families a happy week ahead. Best wishes Mrs Joan McCarthy