easter 2010

newsletter

A Specialist College for the Arts & Applied Learning

Easter 2010

S T M A R Y ’ S C AT H O L I C C O L L E G E

OurOur WizWiz kids followed the kids followed the YellowYellow Brick RoadBrick Road I T was sheer wizardry! The magic of our latest

major production touched all the right nerves and ticked all the right boxes. It was stupendous, funny, action-packed and without doubt the most ambitious production we have ever staged. The Wiz played to packed houses over four nights, and everyone who had the privilege of seeing it made a very special journey down the Yellow Brick Road with Dorothy and her friends. They were off to see, of course, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The Wiz is a modern take on the older story by American writer Frank L Baum.

DON’T MISS OUR DON’T MISS OUR PICTURE SPECIAL! PICTURE SPECIAL! PAGES 11 TO 16PAGES 11 TO 16

A very warm welcome to our new HeadteacherA very warm welcome to our new Headteacher

A T LAST we can confidently say goodbye to the bitterly cold winter of our discontent! The

dismal weather has now (mostly!) improved. Spring has sprung....the blossom and the leaves are making their appearance...and St Mary’s prepares to move into a new phase of history. Our new Headteacher, Mr Tony Boyle, takes up his post in just over two weeks’ time. Liverpool-born Mr Boyle was appointed by St Mary’s Governing Body in the Autumn term and will succeed Ms Patricia McDonough as Headteacher. Mr Boyle, who is married with six children, is very much looking forward to his new rôle. Read his first message to students and staff on PAGE THREE.

New era for New era for St Mary’St Mary’ss

Our new Headteacher Mr Tony Boyle with Year 11 students Sean Gandy and Rebeka Dodd

R EMEMBER the first day of term?

How long ago it all seems, now that Spring is in the air. But what fun we had in the worst weather to hit the country in 30 years! This snowfall was the prelude to an extra three-day ‘holiday’ for most British schoolchildren as we all slid and slipped in the icy conditions.

White White magicmagic

How the snow affected St Mary’s website: see page 25

Message Message from from Mr BoyleMr Boyle

‘A PRIL is fast approaching as I look forward to taking up my post as Headteacher of St Mary’s. Since my appointment in November, I have had many opportunities to visit, and on each occasion I have

felt warmly welcomed by everyone I have met. This has further confirmed my initial feeling that I am privileged to be able to lead the school into the next stage of its development. ‘It is often said that education is a small world, and it has certainly proved to be the case as far as St Mary’s is concerned. Since being

appointed, I have met so many people with a connection to the school, including colleagues who have taught at St Mary’s, and students and parents both past and present. The common link in every conversation has been to congratulate me on becoming the Headteacher of such a happy and successful school. Certainly I am conscious of the challenge of building on such firm foundations. Earlier this term I was able to watch St Mary’s Arts College performance of The Wiz. I was bowled over by the quality of the production, with so many outstanding individual performances, but also by the number of students of all ages involved, including the musicians, sound,

lighting and backstage teams. There is clearly great talent at St Mary’s, not only for today, but also to look forward to in future productions. My congratulations to the Performing Arts staff, who obviously worked so hard to stage such an impressive production. ‘The season of Lent is always a time for prayer and reflection as we look forward to the celebration of Easter. This year it has also been a time of preparation for me for my new rôle. Can I

take this opportunity to wish every member of our school community and their families a happy and holy Easter, and ask that you pray for the Lord’s blessing on my work in St Mary’s. I look forward very much to meeting everyone in the summer term.’

St Mary’s welcomes our new HeadSt Mary’s welcomes our new Head

‘St Mary’s ‘St Mary’s clearly clearly has great has great talent talent today and today and for the for the future’ future’

‘I am ‘I am conscious conscious of the of the challenge challenge of building of building on such on such firm firm foundationfoundations’ s’

S T MARY’S is delighted to welcome our new Headteacher, Mr Tony Boyle, who will join

us after the Easter break. Here, in a special Springtime message, he makes his first address to students and staff:

‘A happy and holy Easter to all’‘A happy and holy Easter to all’

Was this you?Was this you? A FORMER St Mary’s student would like to thank the group of ‘Good Samaritans’ who came

to his elderly father’s aid in Wallasey Village just before last Christmas. Mark Butler, who left St Mary’s in 1979, said his 84-year-old father was walking past the row of shops pictured right when he fell heavily on the pavement. Mr Des Butler was immediately surrounded by a group of St Mary’s boys who helped him to his feet and made sure he was all right. Mark told St Mary’s Newsletter: ‘My father was making his way back home through Wallasey Village after visiting Somerfield when it seems he took a tumble. He has been unsteady on his feet for a while and walks with one of those ‘lean-on’ shopping trolleys. Needless to say, he was a bit shaken up, but told me he was immediately surrounded by a group of lads from St Mary’s who were, in his own words, ‘extremely thoughtful and attentive’. They checked he was OK (he was, apart from a grazed hand), helped him to his feet and even walked with him for a while until they were satisfied there was no real damage and my father could proceed safely by himself. ‘This may not seem like a big deal, and perhaps it isn’t, but I think it demonstrates something really quite valuable. The care and attention these young lads showed to my old father was, it seems, an act of genuine kindness and thoughtfulness. I hope the lads involved get to read about something they have likely long since forgotten!’ Mark, who is now 46 and Technical Sales Manager for RS Clare in Liverpool, a major national manufacturer of industrial and marine lubricants, added: ‘I thoroughly enjoyed my years at St Mary’s. Indeed, I still enjoy raising a glass to Mr Pete Ruddell, my Geography teacher, and Mr Taffy Jones, my PE teacher, every now and then in the Cheshire Cheese!’

(Then a big(Then a big thank you!)thank you!)

And another thank you on Radio And another thank you on Radio Merseyside for mystery ‘snow angels’Merseyside for mystery ‘snow angels’ W ERE you one of the mystery ‘snow angels’ who helped residents in Seacombe?

During the three days we all spent ‘snowed up’ at the start of this term, a group of St Mary’s students left their warm homes, TVs and computers and went to the rescue of neighbours, clearing their paths of thick snow and refusing offers of payment. One lady was so impressed with their thoughtfulness that she contacted Radio Merseyside and the ‘angels’ were mentioned for their good deeds two nights on the run! Miss Christine Parker, who lives in Percy Road, Seacombe, emailed presenter Linda McDermott on The Late Show and told her about the girls, whose names she didn’t know, but who were aged between 13 and 15. Said Miss Parker: ‘The students were very polite and even asked where to put the snow, and had I any salt to put down. As they said they didn’t want any money, I gave them some sweets as I did want to show my thanks’. Miss Parker, who is Sacristan at Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Joseph, Seacombe, says she regularly meets St Mary’s students at school and church performances. ’I have always found them polite and respectful’ she said. ‘In fact Thomas Mannion (St Mary’s Sixth Former) is our head altar server and we have had several pupils from St Mary’s join us for our celebrations, especially the dancers.’ She added: ‘I thought that it was only right that the radio listeners should know about it. Thanks to the girls once again. I have also told many friends about their good deed.’

‘Thank you’: Miss Christine Parker

The row of shops where Mr Butler fell

Bishop Brian Bishop Brian welcomes welcomes Bishop MarkBishop Mark B ISHOP Brian Noble, Bishop of Shrewsbury, has welcomed his

successor, Bishop Mark Davies, at a special ordination ceremony in Manchester. To mark the occasion, a procession of clerics made their way to St Anthony’s Catholic Church, Wythenshawe, and joined a congregation of 1,000 representatives from churches and schools

across the Diocese. Two students represented St Mary’s accompanied by Acting Headteacher Ms Pat r ic ia McDonough ~ Holly Dawson from Year 7 and Joe McDowell from Year 11. Assisting Bishop Brian during the ordination ceremony was the Archbishop of Liverpool, the Most Rev Patrick Kelly and the Bishop of

Salford, the Rt Rev Terence Brain. Pope Benedict’s letter of appointment was read out during the Mass. Other guests included His Excellency Archbishop Faustino Sainz Munzo, around 30 Archbishops and Bishops, the Anglican Bishops of Birkenhead and Stockport, together with Wythenshawe MP Paul Goggins. Bishop Brian said afterwards: ‘I am immensely grateful to all who contributed to the day. I offer Bishop Mark our congratulations and the promise of our on-going support and prayer.’ Bishop Brian has a long history in education having previously been chaplain to students at Lancaster University. As Bishop he has the pastoral responsibility for 136 priests and deacons, 115 parishes and 119 schools. Bishop Mark will take over from Bishop Brian when he retires.

Year 7’s Holly Dawson with the ceremonial horses at the ordination

Bishop Brian when he visited St Mary’s for the official opening of St Benedict’s Hall

Bishop Brian places the mitre on Bishop Mark’s head

Right: Shrewsbury Diocese’s new Bishop Mark Davies

The procession enters St Anthony’s Church, Wythenshawe

Ordination pictures courtesy of Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk

O UR annual Toy Appeal was a great success

yet again and more than 40 toys, plus a cheque for £1,000 were presented to Mr Peter Gordon of Shrewsbury Diocese Catholic Children’s Society. Mr Gordon is pictured left with St Mary’s school secretary Mrs Kathy Cook and Year 7 students.

Year 7’s Year 7’s SUCCESSFUL SUCCESSFUL

TRADERS TRADERS

Profitable exerciseProfitable exercise Y EAR 7 students used their marketing skills and

took over the Sports Hall for a Trade Fair...with Year 8 students and parents as their ‘customers’. It was all part of their Enterprise education and teams of five or six students decided what they would sell or do. The wide variety of stalls included home-made cakes, soft toys, craft work and even tombola. Each group was given a start-up allowance to purchase raw materials. Best of all, any profit they made, they were able to keep!

TOY TOY STORYSTORY

Sixth Formers Charlotte Kinnear, Josh O’Connor, Myles Hunter and Naomi Griffiths took advantage of the offer in the Times Square branch of Toys R Us to get their picture on one of the big screens… a once-in-a lifetime thrill!

Raising a hand to freedom in New York, Sixth Form Business Studies students Sam Cosgrove and Daniel Platt

Above: Central Park’s Imagine memorial to John Lennon who was shot dead in the city in 1980

Business Business Studies Studies trip to trip to The Big AppleThe Big Apple

Feeling the force...raw ‘recruits’ salute Uncle Sam

Moment to remember… at the Statue of Liberty

Right: Sampling New York’s more unusual transport… a forerunner of the Big Yellow Taxi?

Anyone for Anyone for a ride in a a ride in a

Big (Red) Big (Red) Taxi?Taxi?

‘Big Idea’ for Africa‘Big Idea’ for Africa Y EAR 11 students Joe McDowell and Ryan Stuart

had a Big Idea. It was to organise a concert, have fun, entertain a crowd and raise money for our partner school in Africa. Joe ’N’ Ryan’s Big Idea Under the Spotlight concert succeeded on all fronts, and raised £250 for Maryland School, Chito, Nigeria. The evening was entirely the work of students and featured performances from St Mary’s Swing Band, St Mary’s home-grown rock band Hodgson and the Plant and an unforgettable rap duet from our very own, inimitable Mr Jordan and Year 11’s Molly Mason (pictured below).

S T MARY’S has been fundraising for two years to send aid to our

partner school, Maryland Secondary, and the villagers of Chito, Benue State, Nigeria. The main aim is to help build additional classrooms but we have also sent three large consignments of books, computers and art equipment. Nearly 500 students work in hot, cramped conditions in very basic, breezeblock buildings. Parishioners at St Alban’s, Liscard, raised £5,000 in 2007 to bring fresh water to the village for the first time, via a bore hole. Before that, villagers had to walk three miles to collect river water.

Where the help goes…Where the help goes… a village school called Marylanda village school called Maryland

St Mary’s own stand-up comedy duo Joe McDowell and Ryan Stuart put their own unique stamp on the evening

Rocking to the beat of Hodgson and the Plant

The beat of Guinean drums...The beat of Guinean drums...

T HE rhythm of African drums echoed through

St Mary’s during our Music Festival Week when Ibro Soumah, Master Drummer from Guinea, West Africa, joined us for a series of special workshops. Ibro (pictured above with Year 9 students, complete with headdresses they made in Art) taught traditional Guinean songs and phrases in his own language, Susu. Africa is the source of many of the rhythms played today throughout the world. Other St Mary’s Music Festival events included a Key Stage 3 Recital in English Martyrs’ Church, ‘The Big Sing’, an all-day event in the Drama Theatre and even some of our brave and musically talented students busking in the school corridors!

£1,000 £1,000 ‘Swing’‘Swing’ for Haitifor Haiti

W E have raised more than

£1,000 to help the people of Haiti in various activities this term, including a lunchtime concert by St Mary’s Swing Band (right).

...and ...and The Big Sing The Big Sing made our made our music festival music festival go with a swinggo with a swing

Burning interestBurning interest in bush craft in bush craft S T MARY’S students have been learning

Ray Mears-style bushcraft ~ such as how to light a fire and carve wooden tools. They went to Tam O’Shanter Urban Farm, Bidston, where Wirral Ranger Nick Harding gave them essential tips on survival techniques. Year 8’s James Williams said: ‘It’s really good and makes me think how lucky I am to be in a school like St Mary’s. Bush craft is a very good thing to learn because you can use it for so many different things’. The bush craft lessons are organised by Mr Colin Archer, who runs St Mary’s Youth Club and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

Warm thoughts and woolly thinkingWarm thoughts and woolly thinking

BLANKET COVERAGE: These are just some of the blankets knitted by St Mary’s students and staff each year. The blanket appeal means cosy cots for babies in developing countries who would otherwise have little

to comfort them during cold winter nights. The project is organised through Lions International. Mrs Joan Elliott of West Kirby Lions came

to collect the blankets and present certificates to our knitters. Last year’s blankets went to Sri Lanka and Bucharest.

Wirral Ranger Nick Harding demonstrates wood carving skills

Mr Archer helps the boys to put their firelighting skills into action

Mr Archer and Wirral Ranger Nick Harding with the students at Tam O’Shanter Farm

Wonderful, weird, whimsical and whizzing...but most of all worth it!

F UNKY, fresh and certainly not in Kansas any more, our performance of The Wiz, a modern adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, continued our

school tradition of fashioning a school play unlike any other. St Mary’s version of The Wiz contained Lion Bars, green shades, soul-drenched anthems and an elusive character named Edna. Needless to say, the shining talent, innovation and creativity of the cast was received with riotous laughter, thundering applause and four evening performances sold out! For me, The Wiz experience marked the end of my time performing in school productions. And just like

the other five (Blood Brothers, Grease, Dracula Spectacula, Bugsy Malone and High School Musical), the attitude of the cast and the atmosphere of rehearsals reminded me of the reasons why these shows are so important. They continue to do what they first did for me - taking the dreams and aspirations of would-be actors, dancers and singers and converting them into moments of exciting, daunting and joyful experience. We may have complained from exhaustion, questioned our costumes and

become fraught with nerves but in the end, once we were under the heat of the spotlights, holding our final pose of celebratory fists in the air, we would all agree that The Wiz was wonderful, weird, whimsical and whizzing,

but most of all, worth it!

SIXTH FORMER JACK MURRAY shares his experience of The Wiz

Jack in role as Underling

Sheer Sheer

wizardry!wizardry!

What a showstopper… The Wiz was a sell-out over four nights

The Wiz himself

Fighting Fighting

the the

forces forces

of of

EvilleneEvillene LEFT: Our trusty friends strike a fighting pose to defeat the forces of Wicked Witch Evillene (right)

The The

wiz wiz

kids...kids...

At the end of the Yellow Brick Road

Dorothy meets her first friend in Oz...Scarecrow

So you’re the Wiz...

Page xx

At the Court of Witch Evillene

Good Witch Addaperle

Hanging around, wishing for brains

RIGHT: Using courage and brains at the gates of the Emerald City...Lion and Scarecrow

Meeting the glamorous Witch Glinda

Meeting Munchkins

BELOW: The Wiz Band provided the music… with the true sound of soul.

RIGHT: Scarecrow gets his brain from the Wizard. But of course, he really had it all the time!

Showing true mettle, the Tin Man

Beware of making friends with Crows...

The wonderful Wizard of Oz, and the citizens of the Emerald City

Crowing over a Scarecrow

Whoops!

Right: Time for a brief moment of relaxation with the show’s main characters and Arts College staff

At lastAt last

The wicked The wicked

witch witch

is dead!is dead!

Meanwhile backstage...Meanwhile backstage...

Sprinkle a little water...and Evillene gets that shrinking feeling

The final struggle but the good guys are set to triumph

I T took 14 hours by coach to get to the heart of the French capital, but our

Year 10 students were soon bright-eyed and ready for the time of their lives...here three of them share their experiences. ‘First stop was the Montparnasse Tower

for a trip in the fastest lift in the world, taking just 38 seconds to go up 56 floors. The feeling was immense. The views were unbelievable. We saw the whole view of the capital, including the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre and the River Seine. The following morning we enjoyed a relaxing cruise on the Seine before a short, calm walk to the Eiffel Tower. We travelled up the tower to take photos of more magnificent views and to buy souvenirs. Then it was on to the Louvre museum where we had a long, interesting walk around the many exhibits, including the Mona Lisa, one of the most famous paintings ever. That evening our fantastic teachers had booked us into the Hard Rock Café for a brilliant meal surrounded by memorabilia from many famous people. Then, a real highlight ~

Disneyland Paris! ~ for an amazing time. We had most of the day to enjoy the atmosphere and the quality rides. Thank you for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!’ Ciaran Gregory, Sebastian Bowe, Nick Madden

Paris in the Paris in the spring timespring time

Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, the most famous painting in the Louvre, and probably the world

Ooh la la! Paris’s most famous landmark, the Eiffel Tower...and our Year 10 students

C’est trés belle ici!*C’est trés belle ici!*

Above: At the base of the glass pyramid beneath the Louvre, made world famous by Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code

The heart of the matterThe heart of the matter

Y EAR 9 students got to the heart of the matter when

they learned lifesaving skills at John Moores University. They took part in an AimHigher health taster day learning CPR techniques and gaining a valuable insight into Health Service careers. The activity is part of the ‘Next Step’ programme run by LJMU’s AimHigher team which aims to raise the motivation and attainment of young people across Greater Merseyside and encourage them to aspire to Higher Education.

Heard the one about…?Heard the one about…?

Read more at: www.ahgtm.ac.uk

T here’s nothing quite like a good book! There’s nothing better, is there, than finding a really exciting page-

turner and floating off for a while into a different world. In St Mary’s Library you will certainly find something to your taste, whether it’s JK Rowling, Jacqueline Wilson, Dickens or Jane Austen. In addition to our wide range of standard books, we are also building up our collection of audio books to support students in their literacy skills. And now, to make matters even better, Librarian Mrs Sue Simpson has launched a special appeal to parents and staff. She explained: ‘Our audio books are proving really popular, but we need as many as we can get. If anyone has any old audio books lying around at home (or you see any in charity shops!) please consider donating them to St Mary’s Library.’ She added: ‘The players we can use in the Library are outdated technology for most people these days, so if anyone has an old CD/cassette player they no longer need, we can give it a very good home!’

Audio books and old CD players needed!Audio books and old CD players needed!

Callum’s pictures - a few of which you can see here - give a flavour of his time with the people of the Indian Himalayas

F ORMER St Mary’s Sixth Former Callum McKenna has been on an Indian Odyssey...to a remote village in the Himalayas.

He spent ten weeks in the Palampur region, known as the ‘tea capital of India’, with a group of young volunteers who went to teach English and to transform the school facilities in the village of Malainta. Callum, 19, is taking a gap year (or possibly two!) before going on to study a degree in

Philosophy. And he had such an amazing time, he says, that he wants to work again soon on a similar project. Callum, who also helps as a leader with St Mary’s Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, went to

India courtesy of the charity organisation Platform2. ‘It was incredible’ he said. ‘I loved every minute. It really opens your eyes to the world. ‘I used to think I knew about poverty, but this kind of work puts a name to poverty, and a face. The children were so eager to learn and the people so grateful for what we did.’ Callum and his fellow volunteers painted classrooms with vivid colours and pictures and even dug toilet facilities for villagers, as well as running English classes. He added: ‘Now I can truly understand why teachers get annoyed when students don't do homework - it really messes the lesson plan up! But, my annoyance never lasted long as it's very hard to be angry with the cutest kids in the world.’ Callum’s visit was organised through Platform2, a £10m UK Government-sponsored scheme. You can find out more at www.myplatform2.com.

Read Callum’s amusing blog at www.escapadesandadventures.blogspot.com

Callum’s Callum’s Indian Indian OdysseyOdyssey

‘I used ‘I used to think to think I knew I knew about about poverty’poverty’

Callum with a new friend...the village shopkeeper

Situations Situations vacant!vacant!

I T was a great career move! Year 11 students and Sixth Formers browsed the stalls at our annual Careers Fair on

a fact-finding mission to consider their futures… Employers from the region were on hand to give expert advice, demonstrations and more. Among them were the NHS, the Police, the Armed Services, the Maritime and Engineering College North West, universities, colleges and the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA). The Careers Fair is an integral part of the Year 11 Options procedure.

Our favourite author...that’s offOur favourite author...that’s officicialial

St Mary’s students have their books signed by the author herself

St Mary’s Newsletter acquires yet another reader!

Wirral Paperback author of the year: Maria V Snyder with St Mary’s students

The winning book

A WARD-WINNING American author Maria V Snyder began her UK tour in style...by visiting St Mary’s!

The youth fiction writer’s first novel Poison Study has been voted best Wirral Paperback of 2009. She received the honour in our Drama Theatre in front of more than 200 students, representing eight Wirral secondary schools. She also gave a talk on the work of a writer before fielding questions and signing books. She was then interviewed by three Year 9 students. Maria, whose later book Fire

Study made the New York Times bestseller list for two weeks, went to a Catholic school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before becoming a meteorologist specialising in air quality. But it was sheer boredom at work, she told her specially invited audience, that led to her first attempts at storytelling. ‘My head is always swimming in a sea of ideas for stories and characters’ she said. ‘The secret of writing is to be watchful, to observe, eavesdrop. It’s all fodder for the writing soul.’ Meticulous research is also extremely important, she said, having learned herself how to work with molten glass for another of her novels, Sea Glass. And her tip for dealing with writers’ block? ‘Take my dog for a walk, or have a long shower’ she said. Poison Study was rejected 17 times, however, and went to 40 literary agents, before being published by Harlequin under their LUNA fantasy fiction imprint. It tells the story of a young woman who, to save herself from execution, is forced to become a food taster for the ruler of her country. Maria’s husband works as a chocolate taster for the M&Ms food giant and it was this that gave her the idea for the story. The thrilling plotline has obviously grabbed the imagination of local students, who chose it

from a list of 20 titles to receive the annual accolade of Wirral Paperback of the Year. Schools represented at the Wirral Paperback Award presentation were Wirral Grammar for Boys, Hilbre High, West Kirby Grammar, Weatherhead High, Upton Hall, Pensby Girls’ and Park High. Maria left St Mary’s for a week-long tour of book-signings and appearances in Liverpool, Manchester and London. Wirral Paperback of the Year Award is run in conjunction with John Moores University.

Paperback Paperback writerwriter Maria was interviewed by

Shimal Nemat and Kieran Sands with Harry Walton on video camera

‘Observe, ‘Observe, eavesdrop. eavesdrop. It’s all fodder It’s all fodder for the for the writing soul’ writing soul’

* In case you were wondering, the V in Maria V Snyder stands for Victoria!

I T was a little bit of the ‘real world’ brought into the

classrooms of St Mary’s…and all to give our Year 9 a taste of what life will be like in a few years from now. These students are among the many who enjoyed the full day Real Game programme in which they were given various ‘jobs’ and roles, learned about citizenship and had to make ends meet on a budget. The programme is an essential part of the Year 9 Options procedure.

Year 7 geographers Year 7 geographers and the world’s bestand the world’s best

T HE highest mountains, the longest rivers, the widest bridges, the deepest waterfalls...they are

the superlatives of the Geography world. Our Year 7 geographers have drawn inspiration from the world’s wonders to produce a simply superlative display of models. Among the amazing places they have chosen to represent are realistic scenes from the Polish Tatra mountains (see right), Antarctica (below) and a book of paper sculpture illustrating the rainforest floor (bottom right). The overall winner was judged to be Jennifer Hanley for Antarctica with runners-up Nicole Stasik for Tatra and Milo McAleny for the Forest Floor. Eighteen students received their Superlative certificates from Mr Kaloumenos, Head of Year 7 (above).

Take a break, take a … banana, pear, grapes or raisins!

P UTTING the RE into RETREAT were these Year 7 students who went to Alton Castle in

Staffordshire and enjoyed a variety of activities as part of their Religious Education studies. Lots of fun as well as more thoughtful times were the order of the day, as you can see here.

I T was Healthy Eating Week again in St

Mary’s and the focus was on tasty treats with no gunk and no junk! Delicious fruit at the giveaway price of 20p was snapped up by hungry students each break time and throughout the week there were various activities for different year groups including a Junk Food Roadshow for Year 7 (pictured above right). Other events included drug and alcohol awareness drama presentations and special assemblies.

Retreating to Retreating to Alton CastleAlton Castle

Tasty Tasty treats,treats, minus minus junk!junk!

W E are connected to the world via our school website. And it really is a world wide web of surprises, looking at the large number of ‘visitors’ we get from

places as far afield as Ontario, Canada and Melbourne, Australia. The map above shows a snapshot of recent visitors, including ‘hits’ from all over the globe, proving that St Mary’s website is important to lots of people in faraway places. The website statistics, provided by CounterCentral.com show the origin of surfers in detail, including their town, IP web address, broadband provider and even the screen size being used! But who are they? Perhaps they are former staff or students. St Mary’s Webmaster Mr John Hanson has launched an online appeal for our web readers to contact us directly. He said: ‘We know from the details supplied that these are not accidental hits, or the robotic trawls of the net performed regularly by Microsoft or Google. It would be really interesting to find out why they look at our website and, in some cases, browse several pages per visit.’ One

recent visitor, for example, from The Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board in Belleville, Ontario, looked at 18 pages during a single visit to our website!. Another, from Odessa in Texas, looked at 15 pages. Mr Hanson added: ‘We expect, and we get, lots of people from this country accessing our website regularly, especially before a new intake of students and when there are teaching posts advertised. For most people these days websites are the first port of call, and they increasingly access the net from iPhones and Blackberrys. St Mary’s website is an ideal way for former

students to keep in touch with all the latest school events and to look at the picture galleries and Newsletter Archive.’ *Other visitors have originated from places like Tangerang in Indonesia, Madras in India, Fullerton in California and Murcia in Spain. It’s certainly an intriguing list! Do you know who they are? Please email us.

From Texas and Ontario to Melbourne...who’s watching us? From Texas and Ontario to Melbourne...who’s watching us?

Our website window Our website window on the on the worldworld

Right: A snapshot of hits to St Mary’s website earlier this month, including the mystery surfers(ringed) in Texas, Ontario and Melbourne

Our home page with Webmaster Mr John Hanson pictured (inset). Log on to www.stmaryscollege.wirral.sch.uk

Do you Do you know the know the mystery mystery visitors?visitors?

T HE icy weather that closed all Wirral schools at the start of this term caused a

dramatic ‘spike’ in the traffic on our website as parents, students and staff logged on for all the latest information. And the statistics show that many stayed online to browse other pages. Parent Mrs Sally Meyer, whose son Alex is in Year 9, emailed to say: ‘I’d just like to congratulate the IT people at St Mary’s. The site has been super in advising when the school will be open. Congratulations also on the callparents system—a superb invention!’

You can access this interactive map yourself on the website. Click on Online Support, Website Statistics and select last 1,000 visitors

Cold weather ‘spike’ in surfer hitsCold weather ‘spike’ in surfer hits Click on Click on Newsletter Newsletter Archive going Archive going back to 2004!back to 2004!

O UR Year 8 netball team has triumphed in the Wallasey Schools Netball Tournament … bringing home a

prestigious piece of silverware. The girls (pictured right) beat a number of schools, ultimately winning against Oldershaw High School in the final.

Wirral Wirral netball netball championschampions

KEEN LADYKEEN LADY NETBALLERS NETBALLERS WANTED!WANTED!

S T MARY’S Ladies’ Netball team is going from

strength to strength under the leadership of Head of Girls’ PE Miss Nicola Lam. Miss Lam coaches the squad in St Mary’s Sports Hall on Sunday evenings. If you are interested in joining, please contact Miss Lam on 639 7531.

Skipping a beat for healthy heartsSkipping a beat for healthy hearts Q UESTION: Give Year 8 girls a little rope and what do they do? ANSWER: They skip along

to their PE lessons, of course! These energetic students took part in a sponsored skip to raise more than £100 for the British Heart Foundation.

Learning lessons Learning lessons at Savio Houseat Savio House

Y EAR 10 students left their classes in school but learned valuable lessons in life when they spent three days at Savio House, near Macclesfield. They had

fun in the snow and fun getting warm in the retreat house run by the Salesian Youth Ministry of Don Bosco. It was all part of their Religious Education studies.

S PORTING excellence obviously runs in the Walters family...because Samantha’s older brother Jonathan

is a professional footballer, currently captaining Championship side Ipswich Town. Jonny (pictured right) who left St Mary’s in 2001, signed first for Blackburn and then went on to Bolton, followed by spells at Hull, Wrexham and Chester. He was capped by the Irish Republic at B and U21 levels before being voted Ipswich Supporters’ Player of the Year in 2007/8. Moreton-born Jonny, now 25, is married with two young daughters and lives in Ipswich.

F ORMER St Mary’s student Samantha Walters has taken on a

unique sporting challenge...in Africa. Samantha, aged 21, volunteered to work with s c h o o l c h i l d r e n in Namibia on a special sports programme with UK Sport’s Physically Active Youth division. Currently a sports science student at John Moores University, Samantha’s aim now is to teach PE...hopefully back in Namibia! ‘It is such an amazing place to be’ she said. ‘The language is unique, wonderful and easy to learn. I have had the best time of my life and I will never forget it.’ Samantha ran a sports programme alongside other volunteers who focused on other school subjects. ‘We worked with children at risk of failing their Grade 10 exams, which are the most important ones in their life. In Namibia, if you fail that exam, your education is over. No second chances. So it’s really important for some students to get help with their homework. I was so lucky to meet such a lot of wonderful, imaginative and talented individuals. I can’t wait to go back.’ The Namibian people generally live in small houses or mud huts and live off the land. While she was there, Samantha had the chance to sample many local delicacies, including ostrich, crocodile, springbok and oryx (types of antelope) as well as oysters, snails and kapana (lamb stew). ‘The kapana is the nicest meal I have tasted in my life!’ said Samantha. She added: ‘During our free time we went sky-diving, quad-biking and sandboarding in the desert, swimming with dolphins in the Atlantic (which was freezing cold) and seal-watching. I would recommend this kind of programme to anyone. It really broadens your outlook and opens your eyes to all the wonderful things the world has to offer. And anyone can do it. Money is not a barrier as there are many organisations like P.A.Y. who will provide funding.’

And big brother Jonny And big brother Jonny is captain of Ipswich is captain of Ipswich

Samantha’s Samantha’s sporting sporting challengechallenge

Here and below: Samantha (front) with some of the children she and fellow students taught in Namibia

CHECK OUT OUR VIRTUAL NEWSLETTER ARCHIVEVIRTUAL NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE GOING BACK TO 2004! Visit St Mary’s website: www.stmaryscollege.wirral.sch.uk

W E are the champions! Our Year 7 rugby team have stormed their way to the trophy in the Emerging Schools North West Championship. After winning their first major tournament, the

HSBC Merseyside Rugby Festival last term, the boys qualified for the regional finals at Blackburn Rugby Club. They competed in a knockout tournament against teams from Bury, Blackburn and Cumbria. Their coach, PE teacher Mr Adam Ritchie, said: ‘I am delighted with the

b o y s ’ t e a m performance this year. They have worked really hard and have just gone from strength to strength.’ In the final tournament

the team faced four tough games, two of which they won with their excellent rucking and handling skills. In the remaining two games the St Mary’s boys were up against tough sides from Cumbria. Mr Ritchie added: ‘Both teams were very smart players and showed greater skills in the scrum and at the breakdown. However they could not cope with our strong running rugby and both games finished with a draw. This was excellent for St Mary's as we were the only team not to lose, making us top of the group and North West champions!'

Remember, this copy of Newsletter is not just for you, it’s for your friends and family too!

‘Strong, ‘Strong, running running rugby’rugby’

St Mary’s Newsletter is published by St Mary’s Catholic College, Wallasey Village, Wallasey CH45 3LN. Tel: 0151 639 7531 Fax: 0151 201 4514 Email: [email protected]

North West rugby North West rugby champions! champions!

The kings of clubsThe kings of clubs S t Mary’s golfers have hit straight down the middle to championship success.

Our own fab four (pictured left) carried off the Wirral Schools’ Open Championship shield at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club! Elliott Wakefield, Wayne Norris, Josh Rylance and Nick Madden have all played the sport for four years, and competed together for the last two. They are coached by PE teacher Mr Dave Killoran and regularly practise their skills at Bidston, Leasowe and Wallasey golf clubs - all excellent golf courses. However, the boys agree that walking in the steps of the famous at the world-renowned Royal Liverpool in Hoylake was a really special experience.

Fantasy Football Fantasy Football I T’S not fantasy to those who take part,

it’s a reality! St Mary’s is a Fantasy Football League Champion School. The growing fraternity of top-flight managers among students, staff and parents employ great skill and judgement in choosing and running teams with multi-million pound budgets. St Mary’s currently has 76 members including staff, students and parents. You can join them by logging onto: www.schoolsfl.com But remember, this is serious stuff, and it’s seriously fantastic!

easter 2010

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