Mini-Newsletter for Tuesday 23 November 2010.

Dear Parents

Many thanks to those of you who attended the Fireworks Evening. It was a great success and raised over £2,000 for the PFA to use for the education of your sons and daughters. Once again I thought it was excellent value for money as the display lasted a full half hour. I am most grateful to the PFA committee for the work they did in organising the evening and also to Fiona Gittins, Jo Beamish, Lyn Smith and Jane Ryan, who are staff members in the school and serve on the PFA committee and act as the link with the school. It was also delightful to see students from year 7 right up to our sixth form Lourdes Group involved in helping. As with all such functions there is a great deal of work behind the scenes undertaken by our maintenance and site team to ensure that we are set up for the event but also then equally ready for school on the Monday morning. It really is a great team effort to run such a massive event and to all who helped many, many thanks.

CHRISTMAS FUNCTIONS

I hope many of you will attend one or two of the following functions which the school will be putting on for Christmas:

• This year we are changing our format. There will not be a pantomime, but instead there will be a production of ‘Bugsy Malone’. This promises to be a superb evening’s entertainment. Our primary schools will be seeing it during the day and it is available to our students and staff on the evenings of 2nd and 3rd December. Please order your tickets on the attached reply slip. Prices are £5 for adults or £3 for concessions.

• On Saturday 11th December the PFA Christmas function will take place in our main Hall. This year it is a Christmas Ceilidh and it promises to be a super evening - guaranteed, as it will be a cabaret as well! I know this because the Ceilidh will be led by Mr Phillip Rush’s band and nobody, in my experience, provides a better Ceilidh than when Phillip is calling! There will be a licensed bar and supper will be available. Tickets for entry to the Ceilidh are priced at £2 for adults and £1 for children under 16 (food not included in ticket price). Again, you can order tickets on the reply slip at the back of this newsletter.

• Our Christmas carol service ‘Carols by Candlelight’ will this year take place on Tuesday 14 December at the Immaculate Conception Church in Stroud. It starts at 7.00pm and tickets, priced at £2, (free to senior citizens and students under 18) will be available from the school reception at the beginning of December. This is always a marvellous way to start the festive period and I hope the Church will be full.

• Christmas lunch will be served on Tuesday 14th December. There will be the opportunity to purchase tickets for Christmas lunch in advance. The price of Christmas lunch will be £2.75 students and £4 for staff. Details of when and where to purchase will be announced on the school tannoy early in December.

Yr 11 Presentation Evening - I was extremely disappointed that only 31 of our former year 11 students wanted the opportunity to be presented with their GCSE certificates. I find it rather strange that after five years of hard work the students decide they do not want public acclaim for the work they have put in. That, however, has to be their decision and although we had to cancel the year 11 celebration evening, I am delighted to inform parents that we will combine the GCSE presentation of certificates with the presentation of A-level certificates to last year’s year. This will therefore take place on Monday 20 December in the School Hall. Further details will be published in the near future.

SCHOOL TRANSPORT

Further to recent correspondence concerning school transport. I remind you that there will be a meeting in school on 8 December when you can drop in to the main Hall and ask questions that may be concerning you about the future of transport policy in the county. If you cannot make this meeting and wish for clarification simply ring and ask to speak to myself or Mr Phillip Rush, my Deputy.

CONGRATULATIONS

• To Niall Macklin in year 9 who has been selected to represent Gloucestershire U14s Golf team. This is a super achievement and although nothing to do with us helping Niall, we are always delighted to see our students make the most of their talents whether it be with our help or assistance they have gained from coaches and mentors outside St Peter’s.

• To Oliver Palmer and Charlie Chapman, two of our year 7 students, who continue to make a national impact at tennis! Both these young men are winning or reaching the final stages of national tournaments and the future looks incredibly bright for both of them if they keep at their training. Also, to Chris Cole, one of our year 12 students and Elliott Hopson, one of our year 10 students, who are playing at a tremendously high level and are getting through to the final stages of many tournaments.

To Eilish Fletcher and Bethany Walsh for being selected to play in the Gloucestershire Netball Squad.

BUDGET 2011/12

It is very early days yet but there may be scare stories in the press in the coming months concerning not only the county budget but national funding. We are determined at St Peter’s that we will keep the standard of education that we have at present and, indeed, enhance it. Once we know more about the budget for April we will inform you, but we are not, at this stage, considering any major cost reductions which would adversely affect your son’s or daughter’s education. Our governors and, indeed, the leadership of the school, are determined to protect the experience in the classroom 100%.

LIBRARY NEWS:

Author visit: Chris d'Lacey:
Chris d'Lacey's visit to speak to year 7 was a great success. He enthused the pupils about reading by teasing them with stories. Some extra-lucky pupils were involved in a question and answer session with him as well as hearing him talk in their English lessons. Year 7 represented St Peter's very well in their attitude to Chris as a visitor. The year 13 catering team provided a wonderful lunch for the day.

Author visit: Pauline Fisk:
We are delighted that Pauline Fisk will be visiting the school on Wednesday 10 November and speaking to year 7 RIMS and the whole of year 9 in their English lessons. She is promoting her new book 'In the Trees'.

Booked Up:
The free books for year 7 arrived and have been given out. Ask your son/daughter about their choice. Is there a year 7 out there who can read all 12?!

Libraries at break and lunch:
As the weather gets wetter and colder, it is tempting for students to see the Libraries as a warm place to go. They are reminded that they are for reading and independent study. If pupils are involved in these activities, they are most welcome at break and lunch. If they just want a warm place to talk and eat, the Hall or, for sixth-form, the common room are available. Please support the continued facility of the Libraries as places of study. Many thanks for your support.

AUSTRIA SKI TRIP - FEBRUARY HALF TERM

Some places have become available due to cancellation! If you are in Y10 or above, and wish to experience skiing on snow in the Austrian village of Wagrain in the Skiwelt, please see Mrs Beamish as soon as possible.
Mrs Beamish

COOKING COMPETITION

On November 26th 8 students have been chosen to take part in a cooking competition to find the Best Chef at St Peter’s.

They will be expected to make their 2 course meal in the space of 2 hours.

They will begin to set up their practical area at 4pm and plate up their dishes in preparation for 6.30 where the judges (from the world of media and a local chef) will taste, test and score the students’ food.

The two winners will go to compete against other students throughout the county and if successful, will compete nationally to win the title of Rotary Chef of the Year.

SCHOOL MUSICAL PRODUCTION BUGSY MALONE

Our main-school musical production this year is the ever popular ‘Bugsy Malone’ and it is scheduled for early December!!

There will not be a pantomime this year but, as usual, we would like to extend a warm welcome to your families to join us at one of our evening shows – another chance for you to experience live theatre in the luxurious surroundings of the main school hall!!

The scheduled dates are Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd December at 7 p.m. Tickets will be available from reception at school, priced at #5 for adults and #3 for concessions. We look forward to seeing many of you on one of these occasions.
Mrs. H. Haywood Mrs. C. Perfect
Head of Performing Arts Head of Music

p.s………………….and don’t forget the PFA Christmas Family Supper & Ceilidh on Saturday 11th December!!

ST PETER’S CHURCH CHRISTMAS FAYRE

SATURDAY 27 NOVEMBER 9.45 Onwards

Christmas Gifts

Chocolate Fountain

Tombola

Brick-a-Brac

Books & DVDs

Irish Coffees

GLOUCESTER IN BLOOM SCHOOLS CHALLENGE AWARDS EVENING 2010

Tilly Hebbes 10S entered the schools challenge competition which was run in association with Recycle for Gloucester and Gloucester in Bloom. The competition involved an online quiz and a limerick to be written. Tilly won a special award which was presented to her by Geraldine Gillespie, the Sherriff of Gloucester, at an award evening on the 18th October. Tilly was presented with a certificate for herself, a certificate for the school and a bird feeding kit, which the Eco Club are happily making use of!

SCHOOL TRANSPORT SAFETY

Unfortunately, despite school transport drivers and staff repeatedly asking pupils to wear seat belts on school buses, some pupils have ignored these requests and do not appear to understand the possibly consequences of not wearing seatbelts.

The code of conduct for pupils who use home to school transport clearly states that:

• Pupils are to stay in their seats once you are on the bus and ALWAYS use the seatbelt if one is provided.

We would draw your attention to the fact that the County Council has the right to withdraw transport assistance at any time if any points within the Code of Conduct are breached.

We would very much appreciate your support in ensuring that all pupils who use school transport understand how vital it is to wear a seatbelt for both their own safety and that of others.

PERSONAL

It is with regret that I have to inform you I will be missing from school from 25th November until the start of the New Year in January. You are aware that I have had certain health issues over the last three and a half years and the support I have received from the St Peter’s community, friends and parents of St Peter’s has been incredibly humbling. I am so grateful for all the prayers and good wishes. Indeed, my family are also incredibly grateful for all the support. I am hopeful that this absence will be the last one for the foreseeable future. I will be having surgery which my consultants are hopeful, if successful, should substantially improve my quality of life and avoid the intermittent visits to hospital that have taken place, particularly over the last 9 months. We are all hoping and praying that this will be the case.

As always during my time away the school will be in the very capable hands of Mr Phillip Rush. Phillip has been tremendous the way he has stepped in over the last three years and I hope you agree that the school has not been affected and, more importantly, your child’s education has not been in any way diminished by my absence. I have always emphasised that St Peter’s is successful because of the team and the community spirit and no one individual is responsible for that. Although I will not be in work before the Christmas holiday I hope to contribute to the final newsletter of the term so I will save my Christmas best wishes until then. Do please, however, try to support the Christmas activities outlined in this newsletter and please remember in your prayers all members of our community who are undergoing medical treatment or suffering from bereavement.

Yours sincerely



Lawrence Montagu
Headteacher

Newsletter items for Tuesday 19 October

Dear Parents

I hope many of you will be able to support our PFA at their Annual Fireworks Display on Saturday 6 November. Gates will open at 6.00pm and there will be sideshows in the Sports Barn prior to the fireworks display going off at 7.30pm. Refreshments will also be available from 6.00pm in our main Hall, e.g. soup, chips, burgers and drinks. There is plenty of parking on the school site; and the cost for entry to the fireworks display will be £4 per adult, £2 per child and U5’s free or £10 for a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children).

This evening is always excellent value for money. It is a real family night and with the display finishing by 8.30pm it is not too late a night for younger members of the family. Apart from bringing your families to support the PFA, if anyone can offer help on the night by either manning stalls or serving in the kitchen, or would like to run their own stall, please contact Mrs Jane Ryan by email on jryan@st-petershigh.gloucs.sch.uk.

I hope we will see many of you at this occasion.

APOLOGIES

The letter you received from our chair of governors at the start of the year had a factual inaccuracy in it, which I had provided to the chair. I inadvertently informed the chair that the excellent production of ‘Oliver’, which we all enjoyed during the last academic year, was ‘Joseph’! I think my only plea can be senility and I apologise to the students and staff for such an elementary error of communication. Equally, in this letter, the chair gave you an outline of the exam results so that you could see at an early stage how the school had performed. Obviously, these results are not finalised at that stage, but it is an early indication. We really did have an excellent exam year and our full exam results, subject by subject, are now on the school website, together with this newsletter. If you have any questions whatsoever on the results please do not hesitate to contact me.

PARKING AND COLLECTING FROM SCHOOL

We are having increasing difficulty with people parking in the vicinity of the school, particularly at the end of the day, and causing a nuisance to our neighbours. It really is very unfair for people to have to struggle to gain access to their own property because people are waiting to collect their sons and daughters.

The police have been informed of this problem and I fear parking tickets will be issued in the near future if the situation continues.

NB. I cannot stress enough that the most beneficial way, in terms of relations with our local community, and the safest way for you to collect your sons and daughters, is to arrange to come on to the school premises at 4.00pm, when our bus bay will be empty and you can collect your child in safety. By waiting outside at the end of the day you and your child will be moving at a time of maximum risk. That is because all of our buses will be moving along Stroud Road and there will be in excess of 300 cyclists and pedestrians moving at the same time. I ask you to seriously consider the benefits of trying to pick your son or daughter up 20 minutes later than recommended, as against the risk of being involved in a serious accident!

INCLEMENT WEATHER

We sincerely hope that between the start of the new term and Christmas we do not get weather which is bad enough to restrict our buses or the school opening, but just in case I do need to remind you of the procedure. If for any reason buses are unable to run or the school is closed, information will be put out on local radio before 7.00am in the morning. It will also be posted on the school website by 6.30am. If neither of these things occur you should assume that the school and buses will operate as normal.

A word of caution concerning individual buses
Please, even if a message goes out on local radio, CHECK THE SCHOOL WEBSITE, as the difficulty often occurs not with a full closure, but when it is one or two buses which are affected. The precise information and correct information will be on the school website.

I must also ask that parents ensure that your sons and daughters have access to safe, warm accommodation, if the school has to finish early on any day.

INSURANCE

I am legally required to inform you on an annual basis that your son or daughter is fully insured when involved in school activities or is on the school site, for any accident which is caused by the school being deficient or negligent in any way. However, the vast majority of accidents occur because they are accidents and there is no negligence or deficiency on the part of any individual employed by the school or any deficiencies with school plant. When an accident is purely accidental, your son or daughter will not be covered unless you have taken out private accidental insurance on them. I strongly recommend that you consider this way forward if you have any concerns concerning the consequences of accidental injury. Your insurance broker or any insurance company will, I am sure, offer you a quote for such cover. As always, however, it may be wise to obtain two or three quotes to see which offers you the best cover in the most cost effective way.

In keeping with my legal requirements, I also inform you that your son or daughter will be under our total supervision between the hours of 8.45am and 3.55pm each day. Outside those hours students are welcome to be on premises and if they are involved in an activity organised by a member of staff, full cover will prevail. If, however, they are on premises outside our core hours and not involved in an activity, they are on premises at your risk! That is not to say we will not help them or try to overview their safety - obviously we will. It is simply that we will not have the full cover outside core hours that we enjoy during the full school day. It is important, however, that your sons and daughters realise that if they are on premises at any time and they have a difficulty, they should approach a member of staff and ask for help.

HALF TERM

The school will close for the half term holiday on Friday 22 October. Students will be expected back in school at 9.00am on Tuesday 2 November.

Can I once again emphasise that all students, including sixth formers, should be on site by 9.00am. We have a constant difficulty with students who use public transport from Gloucester City Centre. There are sufficient buses and space on the buses if students time their journey. Problems occur when they want to get the last bus from the City Centre and, of course, this is full. Then too many arrive late. My advice is that they should be getting a bus from the City Centre at 8.15am or 8.30am at the latest, to be in school on time for 9.00am.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

• The first HPV vaccination for Year 8 girls will take place on Friday, 5th November. Vaccination consent forms and leaflets will be handed out with this newsletter flyer. The second vaccination is scheduled for 10th January and the third for 12th May.

• The Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio vaccinations for Year 10 students are scheduled for Thursday, 25th November. Older students may be called if they did not receive the vaccinations in Year 10. Vaccination consent forms will be handed out nearer the time.

• The Extra-Curricular Activities/Clubs information is now on the school website. This information can also be obtained from reception.

Data Collection Sheets have been handed out to all students in Years 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13. Please indicate any changes to your details on the sheet, sign it and then return the sheet to reception, even if you have no corrections.

FORTHCOMING DRAMA PRODUCTIONS

• 11th November - George Farquhar's The Recruiting Officer - a Senior Drama production 7pm in the Drama Theatre

• 2nd/ 3rd Dec - Bugsy Malone - school production 7pm in the Main Hall.

ATTENDANCE

Last year our average attendance in the 11 – 16 years was 94.4%. This is extremely pleasing and I do not think it is any coincidence that the improvement in attendance corresponds with the excellence of our exam performance. It is very important that unless a student is really ill, every endeavour is made that he/she attends school each day. If a problem occurs during the day we will contact you or our first aid staff will offer assistance.

If your child is absent
Please call the school on the first day of absence. Once the student returns please send a letter in to school to explain the absence.

Where any absences are not explained they are assumed to be unauthorised. We are required to notify the Education Welfare Service of all unauthorised absences, and continual absence may result in a Penalty Notice being issued.

Should you wish to take your child out of school during term time please complete a Leave of Absence form (available from reception) and return it to the student’s Head of Year for consideration.

TERM TIME HOLIDAYS

I would like to remind parents that if you wish to take a holiday during term time you must submit a ‘Request for Absence during School Term’ form, which is available from Reception. If the school does not agree to you going, the absence is unauthorised. Obviously I am very aware of the economic advantages of taking holidays during term time, but unless it is absolutely necessary I would ask you to consider how disadvantageous it could be to your son or daughter. This is the case at any stage of their school career, but from year 9 onwards any time lost can have a negative impact in terms of future examination performance.

BIOLOGY CONFERENCE

On Friday 9th of July a group of Year 12 students studying A2 Biology paid a visit to the University of Gloucestershire in Cheltenham for a conference and a set of lectures on a variety of topics, entitled “Bees: Not Just For Honey”, “Wives and Mistresses: The Infidelity of the Pied Flycatcher” (not as bad as it sounds!) and “Fly on the Wall: The use of Insects in Forensic Entomology”. We spent from 10am to 2pm within the University and were encouraged to look around the place during the breaks – as far as we could see, the complex was modern and comfortable with sizeable outside space and we were made to feel welcome by the staff there, and were even provided with drinks and cookies at break (note to the staff at the University: never offer a basketful of leftover cookies to Jacob Kent).

We were offered notebooks to scribble down notes during the lectures on the way in and were directed straight to one of the lecture rooms for the first presentation. Dr Adam Hall, the lecturer was enthusiastic and contrary to our expectations he interacted with the audience frequently. He talked about the topic of bees and the many varieties that can be found – it’s a common misconception that people believe there are only two species of bee: the honey bee and the bumblebee. There are actually twenty thousand-plus species, more being discovered often. Dr Hall described bees as, essentially, “hairy, vegetarian wasps” and launched into an effective presentation on the life of bees and their history. Also, if you want to sound really brainy and sound like you know some Latin, you can shout “Bombus!” whenever a bumblebee floats near.

The lecture by Miss Goodenough on the Pied Flycatcher was less fast-paced yet just as informative as we learned about the “social structure” of species of animals and their mating habits – generally known as monogamy, polygamy and polygyny. The key question was why, if the survival of the species is so important, females mate with already-mated (i.e. naughty) males. Hypotheses included that of deception and the necessity of breeding, whatever the species, and other, less creditable explanations like competition and available gene pools.

Our last lecture was by the professor from the Natural History Museum. We were also presented with a real life case of a dead body found in a farmhouse and we learned what the entomologist’s job would be. This gave us an insight into the daily work of an entomologist. This was arguably the most interesting as we were shown some graphic images of how maggots are one of the best decomposers of dead bodies. We plunged into the world of cadavers and crime, studying the use of insects in determining how long a corpse has been dead after it has been found. The lecture was centered on the extra-sensitive sense of smell of blow-flies in picking up the odour given off by decomposing bodies and how, with the correct formulae and knowledge, one can estimate the time lying there between the last live sighting of the person and the discovery of the body. Although we digressed slightly, one of the more interesting facts of the day is that police presence at a murder scene is actually rising into the multi-million pound range!

The general consensus was that we all thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to take a day out to experience a change of scenery and learn some remarkable biological facts. For honest and hardworking students grappling with university applications and examinations, it was refreshing to take a day out and learn some new, offbeat stuff from one of our more local Universities. No doubt we’ll be making a special effort to do something similar again soon.

PE AND SPORTS NEWS

Congratulations to Chloe O'Donoghue and Meg Brazil who have both been selected to represent the Gloucestershire U17 Hockey Team.

Ski Team who finished fourth, in a very competitive U19 age group, at the Regional races on September 19th. (James Davies, Christiaan Marment, Jake Bailes).

St Peters Eco Club

St Peters Eco Club has been running for a few months now and in that time we have participated in many projects.

• We planted 50 saplings on Green Britain Day and had the privilege of the Gloucester MP, Richard Graham visit up and plant one of our oak tree saplings.

• We took part in the National Recycle Week Competition and recycled our old electrical appliances.

• We were also lucky enough to get the chance to visit Hinkley Nuclear Power Station to find out how electricity is generated.

We are planning to do many more projects this year and have some great ideas that we want to put in place. We are planning to create a wildlife garden and pond, put up bird feeders and encourage energy saving in the school with the help of our new energy monitor. We are also planting 30 more trees after winning a tree planting pack with the Active Kids Sainsbury’s vouchers.

We are holding a ‘Wear your wellies for wildlife’ day on Tuesday 21st December, in aid of the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. By taking part in this we will gain a year’s free membership to the wildlife trust, which will be very useful for Eco Club. Pupils will be able to wear their wellies to school for the day in exchange for donating 50p, which will be used by the wildlife trust to protect local wildlife.

LIBRARY NEWS

Brilliant news is that 'Booked Up' runs again this year for year 7. Each year 7 receives a free book! Its goal is to encourage reading for pleasure and independent choice. Year 7 pupils choose their free book from a list of specially selected titles. St Peter's pupils have now made their choices and we eagerly await their arrival. The books usually arrive some time after the half-term break. For more information see www.bookedup.org.uk

We are delighted that Chris d'Lacey, author of amongst other things 'The Last Dragon Chronicles', will be visiting and speaking to year 7 in their English lessons on Friday 22 October. He will also do a question and answer session with specially selected pupils from year 7 and 8. Check out www.thelastdragonchronicles.com for more information. Year 7 should get his books from the Library and get reading before he visits!

There has been an improvement in the way the study area is being used in the sixth-form Library. It is great to see students taking responsibility for ensuring that they and their fellow pupils always have somewhere to work quietly. We ask that sixth-form continue to support this working atmosphere.

Pope Benedict’s Visit to the UK

St Peter’s was officially represented at the Big Assembly Papal event at Strawberry Hill College on Friday 17th September by Eileen Padfield and Peter Taylor from year 13, Stephanie Jackson one of Teaching Assistants and myself.

Other members of staff and students also attended the Mass at Westminster Cathedral and Hyde Park on Saturday and the Mass at Cofton Park on Sunday.

The visit was a very moving as well as an historic occasion. The name ‘Benedict’ means ‘blessing’ and many people have already shared the blessings of his visit with me. Pope Benedict reminded the young people gathered for the Big Assembly, “In your Catholic schools, there is always a bigger picture over and above the individual subjects you study, the different skills you learn. All the work you do is placed in the context of growing in friendship with God, and all that flows from that friendship”. We pray that we continue to follow that vision in all that we say and do here at St Peter’s.

Below Eileen shares her experiences of that special day.
(Mandy Baker Chaplain)

Papal Visit - 17th September 2010: Twickenham
Knowing I was going to attend a once in a lifetime event made the early start seem a little more worthwhile. Meeting outside the school gates at six o'clock aroused the feeling of excitement I used to get as a young child when going on holiday in the early hours of the morning. On the minibus I settled down for the long journey and as we set off, I managed to catch up on some sleep. When we reached London, I was awoken to the sound of the primary school students’ excitement over the low flying planes heading into the airports. Their enthusiasm and excitement seemed contagious as the rest of our group became slightly more restless and there was an air of anticipation of the bus. The younger members of our group were completely oblivious to the protesters outside the college. After the swift journey through security, we finally felt like we had arrived.

There was a definite buzz in the air as we moved down through the congregation, collecting our free packs and finding our spots. The hour and a half wait felt like nothing when there was fantastic music coming from two choirs and a brass band. However, there was no doubt the anticipation was growing. As an image of the Pope appeared on the large screens, the sense of how important this event finally hit home. The assembly all rushed to the sides of the field to catch a glimpse of the Holy Father when he drove past in his Popemobile. As he took to the stage, the audience settled down for the Big Assembly and the mass began. The crowd fell silent and the Pope said Mass. Presentations were made throughout the service representing the countries of the United Kingdom. There were people from all over the world at the college, including young people from Australia! The whole celebration was a great success and the feeling of community and peace between us all was just fantastic. I had never felt such a part of the Catholic community as I did that day. Now I am looking forward to seeing the Holy Father next year when I attend World Youth Day in Madrid.

Eileen Padfield
13H


My thoughts on the Pope’s visit

I have been asked to write a few words about my experiences of the Pope’s visit, last month. I was delighted to be asked to represent the youth of my parish (St. Joseph’s, Stonehouse) to go to Westminster Cathedral and Hyde Park on Saturday 18th September 2010. We arrived at 5am in Stroud to catch the coach to London. When we arrived we walked to Westminster Cathedral to join 3000 other young people who had all come to watch the Mass. We watched his holiness celebrate Mass on a huge screen, sat outside the actual cathedral. It was especially nice when about 20 priests came out to give every one of us communion. It really made us feel like we were part of the mass. Then, the Pope came out to greet us. The atmosphere was incredible. I have never seen someone get such an amazing welcome. We listened avidly whilst the pope gave us his message. Something that really stuck with me was his advice on how through silence; we can feel Jesus’ presence. It’s hard to describe the reaction. Some of us were just awestruck by the Pope’s interaction with us and how the speech really applied to all of us. It really showed his love for us as young Catholics. We then walked to Hyde Park. The streets were closed for us and we even had mounted police escort! There were a lot of protestors but we all just ignored them. They certainly didn’t dampen our spirit! We had a nice lunch in the park and proceeded to the seating area of the Park. We were really fortunate to be about 15 rows back from the front so we had an excellent view. There was plenty of entertainment in the afternoon, from joyful singers, to families telling us about how Catholicism has changed their life. At 6 o clock, the Pope came and hosted a prayer vigil. It was very solemn and everyone really enjoyed it. Then as the Pope was leaving, he received an excellent reaction from all of the audience. Overall, it was an amazing day, one that I will definitely not forget.
Ciara Wakefield
12L

I have, along with many, been extremely blessed to experience such a fantastic moment in history. To be part of such an important event means an awful lot to me and I'm very grateful for the opportunity I had.

I was extremely privileged and grateful to go to Strawberry Hill, Twickenham, to see the Pope when he came on his State Visit to the UK this September. This particular service and event was dedicated to all those in Catholic education. I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting beforehand or when we got there, but it was fantastic and memorable. It was absolutely amazing to see the amount of young people there, who were so enlivened and encouraged by this momentous event.

I have to say the highlight for me was standing at the barrier and seeing Pope Benedict XVI approximately 4ft away from me in his Pope mobile. Seeing the smile on his face as he greeted the crowds was amazing, a real sense of warmth, humility and care came across, he is a very kind and gentle man. The cheer he got when he invited all the youth to join him in Madrid next August was a cheer that only celebrities get. I am also privileged in being one of those joining Pope Benedict XVI next year at the World Youth Event in Madrid, and I am extremely excited about the prospect of this.

The theme of the visit was 'Heart Speaks Unto Heart" or in Latin "Cor ad Cor Loquitur". This is the motto that Blessed John Henry Newman chose to have on his coat of arms when he became Cardinal in 1879. He is now only one miracle away from being a Saint. The Pope spoke to us all about our lives and how we should strive to become like Saints. He said:

"When I invite you to become saints, I am asking you not to be content with second best".

We must all strive to do our best in everything we do whilst showing love and compassion to all those around us.

It was very moving to hear how he spoke of the important need for families:

"Only Jesus knows what 'definite service' he has in mind for you. Be open to his voice resounding in the depths of your heart; even now His heart is speaking to your heart. Christ has need of families to remind the world of the dignity of human love and the beauty of family life. He needs men and women who devote their lives to the noble task of education, tending to the young and forming them in the ways of the Gospel...do not be afraid to totally give your life to Jesus. He will give you the grace you need to fulfil your vocation".

To me this said that it is not just our families at home but our whole school community as a family, teaching each other and supporting one another, sharing in love, trust, communication and respect for each one of us to others.

I am extremely happy that I was part of this amazing occasion; I shall treasure it as a wonderful memory of happiness, encouragement and a unique moment in history, and I am looking forward to being part of the World Youth Event in 2011.

God Bless
Steph Jackson

HALF A TON OF LOVE SHARED WITH THE COMMUNITY!

Our beginning of year Mass was celebrated on Thursday 16th September to coincide with the Pope’s arrival in the United Kingdom. During this celebration hampers of food, collected by each form group, were offered and blessed. The food hampers were then donated to Gloucester Food bank who does such valuable work to support those who find themselves in difficulty. The hampers were decorated in yellow and white, the papal colours; and enabled us to reach out in love and service to the needy of our area during the historic Papal visit. Half a ton of food was donated by us - well done St Peter's!!

FACEBOOK

I am aware that most of our students are on social websites such as Facebook. Parents, however, need to be very aware of the dangers that can ensue from these social websites. There are well documented cases of bullying on such sites, which has led to the most tragic incidents. We do not want anything like that from families in our school and it is, therefore, vital that parents support us in emphasising to their sons and daughters that Facebook must only be used, in a positive way, to make contact and support fellow students. Gossip or criticism of other students or families should not be put on Facebook. I would ask that you constantly reiterate this message to your children and get them to report to you if they see other people being abused in any way on the site, so that you can then let us know. All adults must work together to ensure that the abuse of such social sites is well and truly outlawed in our families and in our schools.

St Peter’s Extended School offers a Twilight AS in Classics Advanced Subsidiary Ancient History and Archaeology for years 10, 11 and 12

Greece: the home of western civilisation.

The History Department is offering an AS course in Ancient History and Archaeology as our contribution to the 'Extended School' programme. Officially it is OCR Classics.

This will be open to more able students in years ten, eleven and twelve. The different age groups get on fine. Students can change into their own clothes if they wish and refreshments are available in the Hall and the Extended School pavilion, at the end of school. Lessons last from 4.00 to 5.30 on Thursday evenings. Our aim is to fast track our keenest students to AS and to allow those who may not take History as an option, the chance to do this exciting subject as an enrichment package. We have had many students at A-Level, who have chosen Ancient History or Archaeology as the subject of their special project and we have often been asked, 'Why can't we do real History?' Well, here's your chance!


There are two modules: 1 Archaeology and 2 The Spartans

The Archaeology of Greece at the time of the Trojan Wars is the subject of the first module. It looks at the techniques and skills of the archaeologist. The examples used are taken from around the classical Greek world, its temples, houses, art, ships and architecture. Once we have learned how archaeology works, we concentrate on the remains of Mycenaean Greece: the home of Agamemnon, Achilles and the heroes of Homer’s great tale of the war against Troy. We would aim to run a trip to Greece next year, if numbers warrant.

The second module looks at one of the most extreme societies in History: the Spartans. Ancient Sparta has fascinated people by its extraordinary approach to the education of its people. Sparta produced a warrior class that led all Greece in the war against the invading armies of Persia – and then tore Greece apart in a bloody civil war that ended the glory of Ancient Athens. This is meant to be fun and we do not want to add extra pressure at key exam times, so we will cover the AS course over two years. AS Classics can be taken with any other subject, it ranks alongside History and Literature. It ranks alongside History and Literature.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM THE MODERN LANGUAGES DEPARTMENT

MANDARIN LESSONS
Reminder to students in Key Stage 3 that Mandarin lessons are available after school on Thursdays for any students who are interested. Please see me for further details.
J Beamish

SKI TRIP TO AUSTRIA

There are still some places left on the Ski Trip to Austria at Feb half term. Cost is £840 including all transport, accommodation on a full board basis, ski hire, ski school tuition and full insurance. Anyone in Years 10 and above see me if interested.
J Beamish

Cotswold Care Midnight Walk – Gloucester 3rd September

From St Peter’s: Henrietta Butler, Helen Shipton, Phoebe Sheppard, Sue Scott, Margaret-Mary McNeill, Becky Kefford, Sue Williams and her daughter, Emma wore pink and pink bunny ears and took part in the 10 mile walk through the streets of Gloucester raising between us about £700. Steve Lester was also there on the night as a volunteer.

VISITS TO THE SCHOOL

I remind all parents that when you visit the school you must sign in for security reasons. It has been brought to my attention that one or two parents meet their children at lunchtime in the car park to pass on either forgotten equipment, lunches or money. Please do not do this! If you wish to see your child, come to Reception and we will get your son or daughter to see you. We do not want to encourage students to meet cars in the car park at lunchtime, as if it starts with parents it could lead to arrangements to see other people, which would be far less desirable.

I look forward to your help and support in this area of safety for your children.

ACADEMIES

In his letter to you in August, Mr Jim Stenson mentioned the information finding exercise we are on concerning the future of St Peter’s and possible Academy status. He informed you that when we had sufficient information we would call a meeting of parents. That situation still remains. It is very difficult for us to get all the appropriate information, as some of it simply is not out there. We are, however, working with Diocese and the Catholic Education Service to ensure that we have the fullest possible information, so that when we call a meeting with you we can give you all the facts.

Please do not become concerned that you have not heard on this issue; as soon as we feel a meeting is going to beneficial it will be called.

LIFE’S GOT TALENT!

The 'Life's Got Talent!' event which was held in the school was a success with over 120 people attending and over £1,000 raised on the night.

I would like to express thanks, on behalf of everyone at Gloucester Life, to those at the school who enabled us to host the event there and who offered their support. I have sent some personal thank you’s to the performers (inc from school - Paul Murray, Dafydd Richards, Peter Taylor, Bernadette Johns, Laurence and Eileen Padfield). I have copied in Seb Hammond, who with Jack Metcalf, Lino Meloscia and one or two others did a fantastic job with technical support - THANK YOU! Many thanks also to the group of volunteers who ran the refreshment bar, and Kieran who was extremely helpful and worked very hard on the night. I know that Mr Montagu mentioned the event many times over the tannoy, and I believe he attended. His support has been most gratefully received and appreciated.

Overall it was a great team effort and much positive feedback has been received.

Clare Northcott

Conclusion

We enjoyed a really super start of the year liturgy celebration with two Masses. They were celebrated by Canon Bernard Massey, who was saying his last Masses for us prior to him leaving St Peter’s in Gloucester and taking up parish priest responsibilities in Bristol. Canon Bernard obviously spoke about the Pope’s forthcoming visit at that time, and it was so lovely that a number of our young people and staff went to different venues to see the Pope. What really pleased me about the Pope’s visit was his emphasis on how important young people are to our society and to our Church. It was also incredibly impressive that the young people interviewed by the media came across as being thoughtful, considerate and above all, thoroughly decent young men and women. It was a great advert for our faith-based schools and for our mission of ensuring that our young people are fully aware of their responsibilities to others as well as to themselves.

The month of November is the month in the Roman Catholic Church when we remember our dead relatives and friends. It is our belief that if we pray for dead relatives and friends it will help them pass into God’s presence for eternity, if they are not already with him. The reason they need our prayers is our belief that there can be a period of time after death when they are in a state called purgatory where we are not in God’s presence and atoning for any misdemeanours we may have committed during our lives. Our religion states that if souls are in that state, it is the prayers of people who are still on earth that can assist them to enter God’s presence. During November, therefore, we will have our Holy Souls box in Reception. You and/or your children can put in the box the name of loved ones you would like the school to pray for at the daily Angelus. In praying for those who have departed their earthly life and are already in God’s presence, we are giving thanksgiving for their life and what they offered us during their time on earth. In many ways November, in our Church, can appear quite morbid, as none of us like to consider our own mortality. It is particularly the case with young people and why shouldn’t it be! However, we must try to avoid the morbid side and emphasise the positive of what we are actually praying for. Namely, for our loved ones to enjoy the utter pleasure and delight of being in God’s presence for eternity. At the end of our lives that is what we hope for all of us, as despite how much we love our earthly existence and how much we cling on to our precious time on earth, we must not forget it is a preparation for the joy and happiness of eternal life in God’s presence. Hopefully, in the presence of the loved ones who have gone before us. It is, therefore, a time of great hope and not of despair, and this must be a message which we offer to our young people so that they see the real value of remembering those people they loved when they were enjoying their earthly existence.

I hope you and your family enjoy a good break at half term and that once again you are able to spend some time as a family to cement very special relationships which exist in families and are so important to our society in general.

Yours sincerely

Lawrence Montagu
Headteacher

St Peter’s Parents and Friends Association – parents, you’re part of it!

Every parent with a child at St Peter’s is automatically a member of the PFA, which raises thousands of pounds for the school every year through its events. A new minibus, £5000 of sports equipment for the multi-gym and the stage lighting rig in the hall are all thanks to the PFA.

Please do support these events. Offer to help with the Fireworks, our first event of the year, by filling in the reply slip. Join our PFA Committee to have your say in what we do for the school. Or, for any parent who wants to help – join St Peter’s Lotto!

St Peter’s Lotto
For an annual subscription of just £2 per month, you could win a cash prize of £125, £75, £50 or £25, in a draw that takes place four times a year. To join, fill in the reply slip below and send in to Reception, or email jryan@st-petershigh.gloucs.sch.uk.

PFA Events 2010 – 2011

All the dates of this coming year’s PFA Committee meetings are on the Calendar
of Events on the school website, so please come along – we’d love to meet you!
We meet at 7.30pm in the Boardroom, on the second floor of the Rosemary
Steele Training Centre at the bottom of the school.

Saturday 11th December 7pm – 10pm: Family Supper and Ceilidh. This is a really sociable event, with music, dancing, a licensed bar and fab food.

Friday 11th February 2011 7pm – 10pm: Quiz Night. Fun for all the family, Quiz Night was a terrific success when it was introduced last year.

Saturday 2nd April 7pm – 10pm: Easter Bingo. From very young children to grandparents, everyone has a great time at Bingo, with large numbers of prizes.

Saturday 2nd July 1pm – 4pm: Festival of Sport and Fete. With the huge range of sports events organised by the students, the Fete really took off last July.