St Peter's News & Views

Academy Status

2011-07-17T16:11:00.000+01:00

Dear Parents
I am delighted to inform you that we have had
confirmation that St Peter’s will change to an
Academy on the 1st August 2011. As I have constantly
said to you, you should see very little change in what
happens at St Peter’s with regard to us becoming an
Academy. The whole purpose of the Governors
making the decision was to preserve what we have
and the reasons why you sent your children to us in
the first place. I cannot commend highly enough the
work Business Manager, Steve Lester and our
Chairman of Governors, Jim Stenson have done to
bring this to fruition. They have put in countless hours
dealing with what at times looked liked a bureaucratic
quagmire and yet have come through to deliver ‘the
goods’. I am also delighted to inform you that it looks
as though four of our Primary Schools will be joining
us as academies and that all five RC Primaries in the
Gloucester and Stroud deaneries will be working with
us in partnership. We will be working very closely
together with them and of course the other Catholic
Primary Schools in the deaneries of Gloucester and
Stroud over the coming years.
What has not been so pleasing has been the constant
changing of demands from Government to acquire
academy status. It appears as if the goal posts are
being moved on a daily basis and this is never more
apparent than in the funding of the academies. You
may well have seen an article in the Citizen newspaper
concerning how Gloucestershire secondary schools
will be deprived of millions of pounds owing to a
change in the funding mechanism for academies. This
really is a total nonsense as Gloucestershire is already
one of lowest funded authorities per pupil amount in
the country. To make matters worse authorities
completing an essential form in a totally different way
has brought about different results. It is inexplicable
and unacceptable! In our case it means that the way
Gloucestershire County Council has completed the
form has cost our school the best part of £300,000.
That means we will therefore be better off to the tune
of £350,00 in the first year as opposed to the
£650,000 that we were looking at when we started
thinking about changing to an academy.
Gloucestershire Association of Secondary Heads is
working with the local County Council, elected
members and MPs to try and persuade the
Government that this situation is nonsensical and that
parents will not accept it. I am on a national working
group to try and bring about fairer funding of
education with a national formula for funding and yet
the way an authority completes a form actually makes
our situation worse. It means our young people are
worth £200 less per year than our neighbouring
county of Worcestershire. How can this possibly be
just? As I previously indicated all in Gloucestershire
are trying to persuade the Government to consider
some type of buffer arrangement for the financial year
2011/12 and come up with a far fairer system of
funding for 2012/13. It may be that I need to ask you
consider writing to your MPs about this matter as
none of us can be happy with the fact that our young
people are actually getting less of the national
resource for education than close neighbours who
have very similar geographic and economic indicators
to Gloucestershire. However I must stress that even if
we are reduced to £350,000 it will still be more
beneficial to us to be an academy and to be able to
protect the education we desire than if we remained
with the local authority. Yes, we will have to buy
services that previously were provided but as an
outstanding school what we have received from the
local authority over the years has been minimal and
there is a very strong case to say schools such as St
Peter’s have been subsidising general education in the
county for a number of years. That is not necessarily
bad but this is a fact of life and I would much prefer to
have the money so that we can assist other schools,
particularly our Roman Catholic feeder Primary
Schools in a way that enables them to maximise their
resources for the benefit of their young people.
If I need your help with writing to MPs I will outline
separately the areas where I think you might like to
comment.

Fete

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Many thanks to all of you who contributed to the success of our annual
fete. I am particularly grateful for the purchasing of raffle tickets and
the donations of prizes. However the fete could not run without the hard
working members of our PFA committee and those who help them. As
always it was fantastic to see staff, friends, Governors, students and parents all working
together for the benefit of the young people in the school. Our PE department did an
excellent job with the Primary School’s Sports Festival. This could not have run without
the fantastic work of our Year 10 Sports Leaders. It was a very hot afternoon but many
people were on the stalls for 3 or 4 hours and then stayed to help clear up. What a
fantastic effort! The ladies and gentlemen in the kitchen must have been so hot yet they
were on the go for nearly 3 hours and sold out.
As always the day was marked by a real sense of camaraderie and good humour. From the
sights and shouts of the ‘sumo wrestlers’ to the zumba dancers, the excellence of the jazz
band and assistance with purchasing uniform for present and new students, everybody
contributed to raising the fantastic sum of £4,700 for the benefit of our young people.
Very well done and many, many thanks for all your support. A big thank you to those who
came to support the fete.

Public Consultation

2011-07-17T16:09:00.000+01:00

I have been asked to draw your attention to the
Gloucester Partnership our City Councils desire to have
your views on certain issues.
To have your view on the City vision please contact
www.gloucesterpartnership.org.uk and on the City planwww.gloucester.gov.uk/cityplan. Hard copies of the
consultation document are available at the City Council
offices in the Docks, at the Guildhall, Tourist information
centre and all local libraries.
The consultations continue until 5pm on the 23rd August
2011.

Uniform and Appearance

2011-07-17T16:08:00.000+01:00

I remind parents that when the school returns in September years 7—11 students should be in
their winter uniform. That is KS3 the blazer and KS4 the crested sweater. Shirts or blouses
should be worn with a tie and for the girls black trousers which should be of a conventional nature. The boys
will be in black or grey trousers which again must be the conventional trouser i.e. fit for work not social
purposes.
I also remind you that with appearance we do not allow make-up to be worn and hair should be a single
acceptable colour and of a suitable style.
If in any doubt please contact us prior to spending money or at least ensure that the appearance is as required
by the school when students return in September.

If you have a child starting in Year 7 in September

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PLEASE do not delay in applying for their
bus pass.
Contact details for free bus passes is Shire Hall 01452 425387 or www.gloucestershire.gov.uk
and select Travel and Transport

Staff Leaving

2011-07-17T16:01:00.004+01:00

At the end of the academic year we always have certain staff leaving to take up
positions in other schools, moving area or indeed retiring. This year is no exception.Paul Murray
Paul is retiring after serving St Peter’s magnificently for over 25 years. I was delighted to see him
presented with a long service award from the County Council at our Mass on the 29th June. It was all
the more special that it is was presented by local authority council Cabinet Member, Andrew Gravells.
Paul has been an outstanding teacher over his time in the school. He has built up a reputation within the
county for being one of the very best Spanish teachers and the results he has helped our young people
attain emphasise the quality of his work. Paul was also a first rate leader of an excellent languages
department prior to stepping down and commencing part-time work some 2 years ago. Many of his
former students have great cause to be grateful to Paul for the excellent jobs they find themselves in at
present. Not only is Paul an excellent language teacher he is also a brilliant role model for everything St
Peter’s stands for. A truly Christian man who contributes greatly to the music of the school with his
exceptional singing talent. Paul will be greatly missed but we wish him and his wife, Jan, a long and
happy retirement, I suspect he will spend a significant amount of it in his beloved Spain!!Vin Kilty
Many of you know Vin as the linchpin of our Lourdes Group work and also as a member of our 6th form
leadership team. Two years ago Vin decided to step down from teaching and concentrate on pastoral
work with support for the 6th form and a small amount of A level teaching. He has now decided to retire
permanently and I suspect enjoy playing a few more rounds of golf! Vin has been Head of RE as well as
in the leadership of the 6th form and he has also provided priceless support to many young people when
they have had great personal difficulties. We wish him a long, healthy and happy retirement.
Wendy Knight
Wendy has been one of the stalwarts of our teaching assistants over many years. Wendy has helped
some of the most vulnerable young people in the school and many have had great cause to be grateful
to her not only for the help she has given them to come to terms with school life but also the personal
support she has offered them. With her medical training she has been an invaluable asset with many
young people and she will be greatly missed by the school in general and the TA team in particular.
Wendy has been marked by her permanently being on the ‘run’ in school and this has masked a real
problem she has had health wise in trying to undertake her TA role. It is for this reason that she has now
decided to retire and we wish her a long, healthy and happy retirement.
Alison Perrio
Alison is one of our young science staff. She is leaving us to join a school in Bath. We are sorry to see
Alison leave as she has made terrific progress in the early years of her teaching career but she wants to
gain wider experience with a view to working abroad eventually. In thanking Alison for all she has done
whilst at St Peter’s we wish her every success in her future career.
Mel Umbleja
Mel is a member of our highly successful PE department and has been particularly influential in
developing the girls netball. She is an excellent role model for the girls and we have been fortunate to
benefit from her expertise during her time at St Peter’s. For personal reasons she is now moving to
London and we wish her every happiness in her personal life and every success in her professional
career as she commences at a new school.
Louisa Harris
Louisa has been a member of our food technology department for 2 years. She left us at the Whit halfterm
and will be taking up a new post in a school in London in September. We wish Louisa every
success in her new appointment.
Kirsty Thomas
Kirsty left our maths department at Whit and will not be returning in September. She is taking a little time
out of teaching. We thank her for all she did for us and in her work with Bishops College. We wish her
well for the future and hope that her time away from teaching enables her to make decisions about when
she wishes to return to the profession.
Chris Denton
Chris, as many of you know, has been a member of the school for 3 years in different capacities. He is
an excellent musician in his own right and you often see him performing with our jazz band and in our
musical productions. Chris is endeavouring to secure work closer to his home in Swindon and we wish
him every success in finding the appointment he desires. We would also like to thank him for
undertaking the many roles he has had during his time at St Peter’s.
James Morelli-Green
James has been teaching Psychology in the 6th form over the last 2 years. We are changing our 6th
form courses and unfortunately it has meant that James, who is on a temporary contract, is no longer
required to cover A level Psychology. We wish him every success in gaining qualified teacher status
and securing a post he desires in the not too distant future.
Pam Powick
We lost a very loyal and long standing servant of the school on the 1st July. Our Assistant Cleaning
Manager Pam Powick has had to retire for personal reasons. Pam was one of the stalwarts of St
Peter’s, always willing to assist and played a major role in ensuring the standard of the schools cleaning
was at the highest level. She has been so much a St Peter’s person in the sense that she always gave
her best for the benefit of the young people of the school and we shall miss her. We will keep her in our
prayers as she leaves to go into what will be a challenging period of her life.
Jamie McDonald
Jamie is a vital member of our Extended School team having come through St Peter’s as a student He
went on to join the Extended School where he excelled as a tennis coach and also in the manner in
which he dealt with the many people who use the facilities of St Peter’s. He has formed an incredibly
strong working relationship with Keiran and together they have built something extremely special in the
schools’ extended school activities. Jamie however has always had a wanderlust and he loves to travel.
He is a young man and has decided that the travel bug is too much to resist. Hence he is leaving us to
once again wander the world. This time I am led to believe on a bicycle! We thank Jamie for everything
he has brought to St Peter’s and wish him well in his travels.
Mrs Marie Palmer and Miss Lindsey Roberts
I would like to thank Mrs Marie Palmer and Miss Lindsey Roberts for their work in Science and
Technology respectively over the last 12 months. They have both been in the unenviable position of
being on a one-year contract due to covering maternity leave. It is never easy working in an
environment where you know you will not be staying but both these ladies have been totally committed
to the students and their departments. Thanking them for the work they have done I wish them success
in their future careers.

Congratulations to Miss Holliday and Mrs Meade,

2011-07-17T16:01:00.001+01:00

two of our lab technicians. They have been
voted teachers of the year in the County for their work on the environment. There is
another piece in the newsletter about our highly successful YEP! group and Michaela and
Zena lead these students who do excellent work in highlighting how we might save energy in
the school and also assist our environment.

Awards

2011-07-17T15:59:00.000+01:00

On the 29th June we celebrate the patrons feast of the school i.e. St Peter and St
Paul. We had a lovely Mass, more of which later, and it was followed after
lunch by our award ceremony. The full list of awards winners appears on our
school website. It is a delightful occasion, the award ceremony, as it rewards both hard
work and achievement. We were honoured to have with us once again Councillor Andrew
Gravells who awarded the Community Trophy in memory of his mother and members of
Anna McGurk’s family. You may well have seen photographs in the press of the award
winners receiving the Anna McGurk award. The occasions is always marked by
excellent music demonstrating the talent of our musicians and singers. It truly
is reflective of what St Peter’s stands for, namely giving of your best and
achieving your potential. It is not all about achieving top grades but it is about
making the effort to achieve your top grades.

MUSIC DEPARTMENT HEADPHONE REQUEST TO ALL STUDENTS

2011-07-17T15:53:00.003+01:00

All students in Years 7, 8 and 9, along with GCSE and A Level Music
Students use school headphones in the majority of their Music
lessons. It has come to our attention that, for a number of reasons,
students would benefit from using their own headphones in lessons
instead of the sets provided.
Due to the daily wear and tear, we have to replace much of this equipment annually and
feel that this money could be used to benefit the students more resourcefully in other
areas of the Music department. Students also regularly comment on the health and
safety issues associated with sharing headphones and there is an overwhelming
preference from the students to use their own equipment.
Therefore, we are asking all students who own headphones and are willing to bring them
into school to bring them to their Music lessons from September please. I must
emphasise that this does NOT mean that students should be purchasing any new or
specialist equipment; regular iPod/MP3 headphones are perfectly adequate. Students
who do not have their own headphones or who would prefer not to bring them into school
will be able to continue to use school sets. Splitters will be provided for everyone.
Please note that the school’s insurance unfortunately does not cover students’ personal
possessions so there would be no compensation if headphones were lost.
Thank you very much in advance.
Mrs C. Perfect
Head of Music

Congratulations

2011-07-17T15:53:00.001+01:00

To the youngest members of our school. Our U13s i.e. Years 7 & 8 boys and girls
tennis teams. Each of them have won the County Championship. This is a
fantastic effort as they have beaten different types of schools to achieve this success. It
is a great credit to the students and the staff who coach them.

G15 Schools Celebration

2011-07-17T15:52:00.003+01:00

Congratulations to
Brian Mwangi, who
represented the
school superbly at the G15 Schools'
Celebration at Gloucester Cathedral.
As the Chair of the G15 Student Steering
Group, Brian spoke to over 400 guests,
talking about the work being done by young
people from the City Schools helping to
shape the future of Gloucester.

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Congratulations to Haemish
Chylinski Reid who recently
came first place in the
South Western Archery
Society ‘Recurve’ competition.
Haemish is a member of the
Glevum Archers in Gloucester.

Results Day

2011-07-17T15:51:00.003+01:00

GCE - 18th August, 10:00am (Y13), 12:00 (Y12)
GCSE - 25th August, 10:00am (Y11 ONLY)
Y9 and Y10 students will receive their certificates in September, please DO NOT come into school
on 25th August.
Please collect your statement of results from the sixth form centre. If you are unable to collect them
pelase provide a stamped addressed envelope and we will be more than happy to post them to you.
We will NOT, under any circumstances, disclose exam results over the telephone or to a third party!
Certificates
We would STRONGLY recommend that you attend the presentation evenings (please check the school
calendar for details). The school will only hold the certificates for 12 months before sending them back
to the exam

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We appear to have 4 unclaimed and paid for LEAVERS’ HOODIES FROM Year
11. They have the following nicknames on the backs: ROSSY B, THE
DUTCHMAN, CANDYMAN. If they belong to you please claim them from the
Upper School Office as soon as possible.

Plastic Containers Needed!

2011-07-17T15:50:00.001+01:00

A plea from the Food Technology Department. We are in need of plastic Ice-cream or
take-away containers with tight fitting lids.
We are desperate to accumulate a stock as they are invaluable for students who forget
containers to take food home in.
There will be a prize to the person who brings in the most at the
start of next term!!
Please take any containers to Mrs Taylor in the DT department.

ART NEWS

2011-07-17T15:46:00.001+01:00

A level Art Show
Many thanks to all of your who attended the A Level Art
Show on Wednesday 6th July. This was the first time we
have coordinated the show with the Media Studies
Department Awards Night (‘The Oscars’) and we hope you
will agree that the evening really did
showcase the imagination and
creativity many St Peter’s students
evidence in their work, whether this
be in the Visual or the Performing Arts. An increasing number of
students are opting to study both Art and Media at A Level so it is
always interesting to see the ‘cross-fertilization’ of ideas across the
disciplines. The Creative Industries remain a huge area of
employment, Art and Media remain very popular subjects at
university; we are certain the talent on show
at St Peter’s will put our students in very
advantageous positions for future study and the job market. We
would especially like to congratulate our Year 13 students who have
gained places on the Art Foundation
course at Stroud College.
A big thank-you to Mrs Kefford and the
Year 10 BTEC Hospitality students for
the refreshments!
To see these pieces of Art in full colour please view this
Newsletter on our website.

MORE ART NEWS!

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‘The Railway Children’
Despite the distractions of modular exams and school trips, our
Year 10 Gifted and Talented Artists managed to complete all four
murals for the Gloucester Railway Station improvement scheme.
The murals were officially presented to the station
on Friday 8th July in a ceremony attended by
Richard Graham MP and local artist PJ Crook and
will then go on permanent show on Platform 3
later in the year. Ten schools across the City were
involved so do look out for St Peter’s work
amongst the display! Many congratulations to PJ
who gained an MBE in the recent Birthday
Honours, we are all thrilled that her fantastic work has been recognised.
You may recall PJ visited the school a few weeks ago to talk to the
students and give advice on the completion of the murals. Well done to
all the students involved and to our two trainee
Art teachers, Chloe Robinson and Felicity Hughes
Games who led the project. The students involved will be going
to London next term courtesy of Great Western Railways for a
visit to the Houses of Parliament with Richard Graham, and an art
gallery. Congratulations to Kate Altham, Georgi Henry, Catherine
Glanville, Lauren Gower, Priscilla Mwale, Frances Diamond,
Rachel Douglas-Phillips, Liam Mustoe-Linnane, Joe Jennings,
Kameron Blair and Jack Hardiman.
To see these pieces of Art in full colour please view this Newsletter on our website.

Holiday Cover

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The school will close for the summer holiday on Thursday 21st July. Buses will be away from the school by
2:15pm but if you wish your child to remain at school until the normal time let us know and we will make
appropriate arrangements.
During the school holiday a member of the senior management team will be on duty each day. They may not
be in school all day but if you wish them to contact you simply ring the school and leave a message with our
reception staff and the SMT duty member will get back to you within 24 hours. I stress this is only an
emergency service and any minor points should be left until the school reopens or at the very least until after A
level results are distributed which will be on the 18th August.
I remind you that the school will reopen for the 2011/12 academic year as follows:
Friday 2nd September
Years 7, 12 and 13 only
Monday 5th September
Whole school returns at 9:00am

Go4Set Celebration and Assessment Day

2011-07-17T15:42:00.002+01:00

On Friday 8th July, the Go4Set Teams went to the
Gloucester Resource Centre for the Celebration and
Assessment Day for the projects that they have
been working hard on over the past couple of months,
alongside their YEP! Project.
They set up their display boards and began to
rehearse their oral presentations. When the
assessors entered the room, the mood changed and
everybody became very serious and focused. Each
team gave their presentations and sounded very
professional. The assessors then had the chance to
ask the pupils questions about the project, including
how they worked as a team and what they learnt on
the site visit to ARC Energy, their company mentor.
After lunch,
the
celebration
part began.
Each school
team who
completed
the project
received a
certificate.
After this,
the big
prizes were given out and St Peter’s managed to win two of them!!
They won the ‘Pupils Choice Award’. During the course
of the day each team can visit other team’s displays
and have the chance to vote on which one they like
the best (not their own of course!), and out of all the
schools taking
part St Peter’s
Team B were
voted as the
best! They
were given a
certificate
which will be
displayed in
reception in
the near
future.
After the other awards were given out the big prize
was presented. This is for the ‘Best Overall Project’.
Everybody was very nervous about who was going to
be given this as there was some tough competition
from the other schools. The winner was then
announced as St Peter’s Team B!!!! The pupils,
company mentor and staff involved were over the
moon with the result as they had all worked very
hard.
St Peter’s Team A have also worked very hard and
should be very proud of what they have achieved.
Their report and presentation was superb!

COMIING SOON........

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GREASE OCTOBER 2011
Senior Drama Production November 2011
Junior Production May 2012

Year 12 Engineering Education Scheme

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Once again St Peter’s were proud to participate in the 2010-11 National Engineering Education Scheme (EES) ably
led by Mr Thorp and supported by our sponsor company, Messier-Dowty Ltd. Following a visit to Messier-Dowty
and a tour of the manufacturing facilities five students have been working during sixth form enrichment all year on a
project set by our sponsors on finding an environmentally friendly and fuel efficient solution to the fuel expensive
problem of aircraft taxiing on the ground.
The team considered a range of options but their preferred solution was to design a KERS system using the energy
generated by the plane wheels on landing to charge a battery to
assist powering the plane as it taxis on the runway. The students
worked together as an excellent team, sharing ideas and
responsibilities and completing the project within the deadlines
set. The completed project was presented to a panel of senior
engineers from industry at the South West Region Celebration
and Assessment Day and received a very positive response.
Congratulations to Charles Martin, Musie Habtemichael, Issac
Howells, Daniel Forrester and Niall Keeble for an excellent effort.
Our thanks of course extend to Messier-Dowty Ltd for their
generous support of time and sponsorship to our project.

Library News

2011-07-17T15:41:00.001+01:00

This term, the poet Andrew Peters came to talk to Year 8. Andrew is a regular
guest in our school. He is well-loved for his exuberant performances of his
poems and the digiridoo. Between the shows he ran a writing workshop for a
group of students in the library, transformed for the occasion into Ravenwood,
in celebration of his new book.
This year, we have had more author
visits than ever before. In October
Chris d'Lacey talked to Year 7
students about racing pigeons and his
dragon series; in November Pauline
Fisk gave slide-shows about Belize to
illustrate her book In the Trees; and in February Alan Gibbons
worked with Year 9 on horror
stories. These authors have made a
powerful impression on all the students who heard their amazing talks (almost
stand-up comedy in some cases) and had the chance to meet them
afterwards.
On Harry Potter Day the library will again be transformed, into The Herbology
department of Hogwarts - complete with Mandrakes.
In the Sixth Form too there have been exciting
promotions of The TV Book Club, The Sports
Book of the Year and Harry Potter amongst
others. We have been keen to develop collections for broader interest
and background reading as well as books for supporting study. At times
the library has been bursting at the seams because Sixth Forms students
use it so much.

Peter’s Pilgrims…..

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Sixth form students from St Peter’s represented the school on 20th June at the invitation of Bishop Declan to take
part in a Pilgrimage walk around the beautiful Woodchester park. They joined Students and teachers from many
schools in the Diocese in this day of reflection and mini-retreat. The St Peter’s students were joined by Miss Baker,
our chaplain and Mrs Eakin from the RE Department.
We met together in the pouring rain at the Marist Convent at Nympsfield where Mass was celebrated by Bishop
Declan in the chapel. He spoke about how it may seem that we live in a time when God speaks rarely, but the
problem is that we don’t listen. He said that creation tells us something of God, and asked of the young people that
they be attentive on their pilgrimage walk to listen to the voice of God in creation and in one another. With that in
mind, we set off. By now, the sun had come out and the earlier rain was forgotten.
The St Peter’s pilgrims cadged lifts from various school minibuses to the start of what must be one of the most
beautiful walking areas in the country. The trail took the pilgrims through a breathtaking panorama of natural
wonder, of woodland, pasture, and the historic Woodchester Mansion itself.
Reputedly haunted, the 19th century structure was abandoned before it was
ever completed, and its presence on the route gave a suitably Bunyanesque
touch to the occasion.
We all met new people on the trail, and to ensure that this happened, each
of us was given a form to fill in with questions such as “ Find someone who
can name three characters from “The Apprentice”. Towards the end of the 4
mile walk, some of us were flagging. This was an ideal opportunity for the
more able to wait and walk with the stragglers. Some sympathetic sixth
formers from Bristol who took pity on Mrs Eakin and waited for her, initiated a
discussion about a journey through purgatory and the ways that we can help
each other to reach heaven ! Although it was heaven to reach the minibus and school, at last, the walk was a very
spiritual experience and it was good to be part of the Diocesan year for Catholic Education in this way.

Conclusion

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On the 29th June Father Liam Slattery celebrated a very meaningful Mass to celebrate the patron’s feast of St
Peter. It was Father Liam’s first Mass for the school and he thought that the occasion was awesome. As always
the students behaved in an exemplary manner and the whole atmosphere was one of celebration of the talents
of our young people and staff. Father Liam made some very strong points in his sermon, particularly about St
Peter. He also emphasised that we all make mistakes in our lives but what is important is that we recognise our
mistakes, try to correct them but also recognise the strengths and talents we have. As always in a school of our
size it has been a year where we have had great successes and we have also had unhappiness and sadness in
a number of our families. It is the strength of our community in times of distress that pulls so many people
through. The strength of prayer in our community should never be underestimated. Many of us can vouch for
the importance of prayers when hard times hit us.
I had the privilege of presenting Professor Jonathan Waxman of Imperial College and the Hammersmith Hospital
with a cheque for £1,500 that we had raised for prostate cancer research. Professor Waxman sent us a lovely
letter and also continued to emphasise that for the next generation of males he hoped that this disease would not
be the terrible threat it poses for those older male members of our society at present. I think it very important
that we continue to emphasise to your sons and daughters how important it is that we support work which will
help them have far more healthy lives and that they themselves adopt lifestyles which will decrease the chances
of them suffering from diseases which will affect their quality of life as they get older.
I am fully aware that economic circumstances are making life particularly difficult for a number of our families this
year. It may not be possible for many families to take advantage of the summer holiday to get a break but
whether or not you are fortunate enough to be going away or having to remain at home this year I hope the time
you and your children are able to spend together will strengthen the bond between you and ensure that our
young people value and realise the enormous importance of family life.
Yours sincerely
Lawrence Montagu
Headteacher

Newsletter 17 May 2011

2011-05-17T15:27:00.004+01:00

Dear Parents

I am delighted to inform you that our application for Academy status is now with the Government. We are very hopeful that the status will be confirmed for July or August this year. I am taking the opportunity to speak to your sons and daughters who will be in the School next year and emphasise to them that us going Academy is about preserving what St Peter’s stands for and not introducing wholesale change. Protection, not revolution, is what our decision to go Academy is all about.

IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR YEAR 10 PARENTS

2011-05-17T15:27:00.003+01:00

My apologies to Year 10 parents, but due to unforeseen circumstances, Year 10 reports will be out a week later than initially calendared. They will now be out on Tuesday 17 May.

CONGRATULATIONS

2011-05-17T15:27:00.001+01:00

• To one of our young men, Jake Beltran, who has been selected to join the National
Youth Theatre summer school. There were over 5,000 young people who auditioned and Jake was one of the 500 selected. This is a truly incredible accolade and my congratulations go to Jake and to the staff who helped him reach such an outstanding level of performance.

• To our Year 7 and 8 soccer teams who won the County Cup Final. Also, to Year 11 who were runners up in their final, in a very closely fought game. This is a tremendous accolade to the boys and to Martin McDermott who has done so much to develop soccer in the school. Quite amazing how many people see St Peter’s as only a rugby school and yet the success we have across the board in sport and in other areas of school life is truly terrific.

• To our U18s tennis team – despite having two Year 7, one Year 8, a Year 10 and captained by a Year 12 student, this very young team has beaten Malvern School and Christ College, Brecon, in the National U18s competition. What a marvellous achievement and again congratulations to these very talented young men and to their coaches for the work they do with them.

• To our Year 8 boys who won the County Rugby League – Yes, I do mean rugby league competition. The hotbed of rugby league is considered to be the North of England but it is interesting to note it is also being played in Gloucestershire.

• To Chloe O’Donoghue who has been selected for the Southwest Hockey Squad. It is great to see that our young ladies are making progress on the national scene.

• To Nico Woodward in our sixth form. Nico has gone through all the matches and
appropriate trial games for Gloucestershire, the South-West of England and England and in fantastic style, he was pick to start for ENGLAND U/18’s Schools and Clubs against IRELAND last month in Ireland which they drew 23-23. Nico’s position is hooker and now his picture will go onto the wall of fame. He is the 22nd schoolboy INTERNATIONAL the school has produced in the last eleven years!

• Whilst under the heading of ‘Congratulations’ I could not possible let this part of the newsletter close without mentioning our terrific Lourdes Group. Once again this year they travelled 18 hours on a coach to Lourdes, to work with the Handicapped Children’s Pilgrimage Trust. Not only are they an incredible advert for the qualities of young people, but they are a tremendous witness to the principles and ethos of St Peter’s High School. My thanks to them and to the staff: Vin Kilty, Trish Tedstone, Father Kevin and Mick Gibbons, for giving their time to go with the students. I know they had tremendously long days, but the work they do has a lifelong influence on the young people who go with the Lourdes trip. It is also worth emphasising that whilst at Lourdes they prayed for St Peter’s and the staff and students of the school. I know Father Kevin has this as an intention in the Masses he celebrates whilst on pilgrimage.

BUILDING FUND

2011-05-17T15:26:00.003+01:00

The final building fund contribution for the year is now due. If parents would be kind enough to use the envelope provided for their contribution I will be most grateful. I remind you that if you are financially able, we ask you to consider donating £10 per student to a maximum of £20 per family. If, however, in this climate finances are difficult, any contribution will be gratefully received and, indeed, it will be fully understood if you are unable to contribute at all at this time. Those who support us by Standing Order or by Direct Debit simply mark the envelope accordingly and return it to your son or daughter’s form tutor. All envelopes, whether they contain money or not, should be returned by Tuesday 24 May and Year 11 by Friday 20 May.

Once again my thanks for your support in helping us maintain the quality of building and refurbishment in the School.

HOLIDAY

2011-05-17T15:26:00.001+01:00

The School will close for the half term holiday on Friday 27 May. We will re-open on Monday 6 June at 9.00am.

Prior to the half term Year 11 and 12 will be leaving on study leave and on Friday 27 May Year 13 will be leaving us for the last time. We wish all these students well for their exams and hope they are keeping to the revision schedules I outlined in the Easter Newsletter. It is vitally important they work the 4 hours a day minimum revision when they are off school on study leave. They will obviously be in the prayers and thoughts of the school. Our prayers are, quite simply, that the students receive just reward for the work they have done.

STAFF LEAVING US

2011-05-17T15:25:00.003+01:00

Miss Stefanja Szkrybieniec will be leaving us at the end of this half term. Stefanja has covered for the maternity leave of Mrs Garcia-Phelps who will be returning to us in June. I would like to take this opportunity of thanking Stefanja for the manner in which she has stepped in and made sure the students have not missed out whilst Mrs Garcia-Phelps has been on leave. I wish Stefanja well in her future and hope we will see her back at St Peter’s at some time in the not too distant future.

THANK YOU

2011-05-17T15:25:00.001+01:00

To those of you who took the time to write to The Licensing Committee reference the application of the garage up the road to St Peter’s seeking a sales licence for alcohol. I am pleased to inform you that this was not granted although, of course, the garage has a right to appeal. Your support, as always, is greatly appreciated as by working together we can best guarantee the safety and wellbeing of your children.

INVITATION

2011-05-17T15:24:00.002+01:00

On 24 May our superb BTEC Hospitality & Catering students will be doing their last function of the year. A number of you have been to their highly successful ‘Foods from Around the World’ evenings. Their last evening is going to be a Cocktail Evening and all profits will be donated to Prostate Cancer Research.

If you would like tickets please contact Mrs Kefford, who is i/c of BTEC, as I hope we will have a good number attending this function.

TESCO VOUCHERS

2011-05-17T15:24:00.001+01:00

The ICT and PE department are collecting Tesco school vouchers. There is a collection box in the school reception area. These vouchers help the school buy equipment which can be used throughout the school. The vouchers can also be handed into Mrs. George in IT3.

BARCELONA - TWO PLACES AVAILABLE!

2011-05-17T15:23:00.000+01:00

There are 2 places available on the Spanish trip in October, for any students currently in Y9 or above. Barcelona by air, £550 including meals on a half board basis, hotels, transfers and all entrance fees. See me if interested.
Mrs J Beamish

GCSE MATHS REVISION WORK

2011-05-17T15:22:00.003+01:00

Since February students have been given a past exam paper each week to complete. This has given students the opportunity to complete absolutely vital exam practice.

All students have been given a set of four past exam papers to complete during their study leave.

Solutions to these past papers can be accessed on the school website. These can be found in the Students Shared Area (click on Maths/Year 11 past paper solutions). Of course, any student is still most welcome to come into school to seek further help from any maths teacher.

Many extra past exam questions - and answers - can be found in the folder Pre-2007 exam papers.

Each sub-folder contains 6 papers plus the Exam Board’s solutions. These papers all contain excellent practice. The papers are numbered differently to current papers, so, as a guide:
Students entered for Foundation Level can try Papers 1 & 2 (easier) or 3 & 4 (harder).
Students entered for Higher Level can try Papers 3 & 4 (easier) or 5 & 6 (harder).

More revision material can be found on www.mymaths.co.uk particularly in the Booster
Packs.

Practice may or may not make perfect, but there is no doubt that it makes an enormous difference!

Good luck from the Maths Department to all students.

Conclusion

2011-05-17T15:22:00.001+01:00

Our exam students attended a very meaningful Mass last week when we prayed for their success in the forthcoming examinations. I would in turn ask you and your families to remember in your prayers a former student of St Peter’s. She is a young mum of two children – 4 and 6 years of age – and very, very sadly she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. It is obviously a desperate time for the whole family and the only support we can offer, but from my experience one of the most important, is in prayer.

I would like to take the opportunity of thanking you for the trouble you have gone to in kitting out your sons and daughters with our summer uniform. They look very smart and it is a credit to you and your children for the manner in which they change from winter to summer uniform.

Yours sincerely

Lawrence Montagu
Headteacher

Newsletter items for Tuesday 22 March 2011

2011-03-21T20:10:00.002Z

Dear Parents

Easter is approaching and Easter Sunday, this year, is the latest possible date for that celebration. For those of you who have children in exam years, it can therefore be extremely misleading. Quite often students commence their personal revision for their exams at the start of the Easter Holiday. I am sure it is quite a sobering thought for you that after the Easter Holiday there will only be three school weeks before the main AS and GCSE examinations commence. They are also broken weeks, because of Bank Holiday and the Royal Wedding. It is, therefore, absolutely essential that all students in the public exam years i.e. Years 11, 12 and 13, plan to commence their personal revision no later than 1st April.

All students will be given subject revision schedules and if advice is required on how to organise their revision, tutors, subject staff and senior staff are all available to be consulted. Departments are organising revision sessions at lunchtime or after school, with some subject areas planning to offer revision during the Easter Holiday. I cannot stress enough how lucky we are to have staff with such commitment to our young people. I hope the students, in turn, will accept all the help being offered by the staff, so that maximum potential is achieved in the examinations. Equally, I cannot overemphasise the importance of school attendance during the final run-in to examinations. We often hear ridiculous statements about finding it easier to revise at home. This totally ignores the expertise of the staff when it comes to dissecting and constructing answers to past questions.

My strong advice for revision is:

• Years 12 and 13 - 3 hours per night, 5 nights a week and 4 hours on either Saturday or Sunday at the weekend. During school holidays, 4 hours a day to commence no later than 10.00am and with a break of 10 – 15 minutes every hour to be finished around 3.00pm.

• Year 11 - 2_ hours per night, 5 nights a week and 3 hours on either Saturday or Sunday. During the holidays they should work the 4 hours a day as recommended for Years 12 and 13.

• During school time the above hours includes work set and going over the work of the day. Also, Years 12 and 13, with any free time during the day, should use it in the sixth form study area.

NB. If studying at home is an issue during the school week, our sixth form library and study area is available until 6.30pm every night and by giving names to Mr Barnard, these facilities are available for student use. Similarly, they are available from 7.30am each morning and this applies to Year 11 as well as sixth form. Prior to school, if Year 11 want to use the facilities, they would have to vacate the study area at 8.30am.

If the above schedule is adhered to, I am sure the vast majority of our students will achieve their potential. Equally, during the holiday period, if work is finished mid-afternoon the remainder of the day and evening is available for the essential social activities, hobbies and family time. A sensible lifestyle is also very important during this time when students will be not only anxious but also finding it extremely tiring to undertake the level of work indicated. No student should work any night later than 9.00pm so that they are guaranteed to get a good night’s rest and they will be refreshed and ready to maximise the benefits of work in school the following day.

I make no apologies for starting this newsletter with comments relevant to the top end of the school. I think it important that parents of students in the lower school understand what will be required from their sons and daughters when they get into exam years. Hence, our plea for students to revise the work of the day each night so that they develop good study habits. It is with this revision of work that you as parents can help by occasionally asking children to explain what they have done in certain subjects during the day and checking exercise books to ensure that homework is presented in such a way as to ensure that future revision is made easy for themselves.

PFA FUNCTION

2011-03-21T20:10:00.001Z

Those of you who attended the Christmas Ceilidh and the PFA Quiz Night will, I am sure, agree that the PFA committee work very hard to provide a good night’s entertainment for those parents who support their work and in turn the work of the school with our young people. On Saturday 2nd April, in the School Hall, the PFA is running its Easter Bingo. This is always a very popular event and provides good family entertainment at a very reasonable cost. You simply need to turn up between 7.00pm and 7.20pm for a 7.30pm start. There is no entry fee and you can buy a book or as many books of tickets as you can afford. The prizes will cash and Easter orientated e.g. Easter Eggs, bottles of wine, chocolates etc. I hope many of you will consider attending. To make it a success we really need the donation of prizes. Particularly, if you are not able to attend the function, we will be grateful for any prize donations you can offer. Simply send them in with your children to the main office on either the Thursday or Friday and we will be most grateful. I know things are financially difficult for many families but any help you can offer the PFA by donating prizes and/or attending the function will be greatly appreciated. I am sure you are all aware that all money raised goes to your son’s and daughter’s education.

Zimbe!

2011-03-21T20:09:00.002Z

Tuesday 5 April, 7.00pm
St Peter’s Church

Come, sing the songs of Africa! Zimbe! is a brilliant fusion of traditional African song and jazz, from the deeply moving to the funky and grooving.

This wonderful musical celebration will see the St Peter’s Choral Society joining with the Gloucestershire County Youth Choir and St Peter’s, St Mary’s and The Rosary Catholic Primary schools.

Tickets (£3.00, £1 concession) are available at reception – purchase soon to be sure of a memorable evening!

CONGRATULATIONS

2011-03-21T20:09:00.001Z

To our excellent Catering Department and Catering Manager, Mrs Maxi Markey. They have recently had confirmation that in a hygiene inspection they were awarded the top level of compliance. Then they assisted Mr Lester and Mr Crabb in gaining a Healthy Schools top award. The quality of the food that is put on in the school and the advice students are given on a healthy lifestyle is invaluable to their future health. It is very pleasing to know that the production of the food and indeed the menus, are considered to be of an excellent standard. My congratulations to all staff involved in this recognition coming to the school.

ACADEMY STATUS

2011-03-21T20:08:00.001Z

At their meeting last Wednesday 16th March, the Governors decided that we should progress our move towards Academy status for St Peter’s. I was most grateful to those parents who came to the Consultation Evening. As I said in my previous letter to you, we continue to work with the Catholic primary schools to ensure that regardless of the status of our schools, Catholic education in Gloucestershire will be protected and maintained at the highest possible level in the years ahead. From the Governors’ perspective the only reason we are looking at Academy status is to ensure this principle becomes a reality not only for the protection of the young people in our school at present, but also for your sons and daughters who may be joining us in the future or, indeed, for your grandchildren in the years ahead. There is a determination to do everything that is necessary to ensure that the quality of education we offer is not only maintained at its present outstanding level, but is developed and improved in areas where we think there is still room for us to move forward for the benefit of our young people. My contention is, if we get this right, you will see very little difference in what happens at St Peter’s on a day to day basis, but if we did not move along this route within twelve to eighteen months – yes, as soon as that – you would begin to see the difficulties we were experiencing in trying to maintain the curriculum we have and the staffing we enjoy. Thus, making it very difficult to offer our young people the opportunities they at present enjoy.

Those of you who could not attend the meeting or, indeed, those who would like more information, please go to the School Website where there is a ‘frequently asked questions’ section on academies. If there are questions you would like the answers to but you were not able to make the Consultation Meeting, simply email us with a question, or phone us with a question and we will do our best to answer it. Not just for you, but by placing it on the ‘frequently asked questions’ perhaps dealing with what other people are thinking of but have not been able for one reason or another to ask the question. I cannot stress strongly enough that this decision to progress is, I believe, the best way forward to preserve and protect the very reasons you wanted your sons and daughters to come to St Peter’s in the first place.

STAFFING

2011-03-21T20:07:00.002Z

• It is with the deepest of regret that I have to inform you that our Head of Religious Education, Mrs Nicola Bostock-Hayes, is leaving us at Easter. Those of you who have children who have been taught by Nicola will already appreciate that she is an outstanding classroom teacher in her own right. It is my opinion that she also has the potential to be an outstanding leader in our schools in the years ahead. For both these reasons I deeply regret that Nicola is leaving our school, but, for reasons which I understand she has decided to take up a post in London. She will be going to a new academy in London and we wish her every happiness and success both professionally and personally in the years ahead.

We will be replacing Nicola with two new teachers from April but we will not be replacing her as Head of Department. The RE Department will come under the overall jurisdiction of Director of Social Sciences, David Croft. The day to day running of the department will be under the direction of a member of the senior leadership team, Mrs Fiona Gittins. Those of you who have been parents of the school for any time will realise that both these staff are deeply committed to St Peter’s and exceptional leaders and teachers in their own right. Religious education in the school will, therefore, not in any way be diluted by us not having a discrete head of department and we would hope to re-establish the department with its own discrete head in the not too distant future.

• Many families in the school over the years have had cause to be grateful for the excellent work our teaching assistants undertake in supporting staff particularly with young people who may be experiencing one or two difficulties with school life. Many students on leaving St Peter’s express gratitude for the fact that the teaching assistants helped them to overcome their problems and enabled them to take their rightful place in society and, indeed, in higher education and the world of work. This Easter one of our long serving TAs, Margaret Holder, is retiring and leaving us. I would like to thank Margaret for all the work she has done for the students at St Peter’s over the years and wish her every health and happiness in the years ahead.

HOLIDAYS

2011-03-21T20:07:00.001Z

The school will close for the Easter Holiday at 3.40pm on Friday 8th April. We will re-open at 9.00am on Tuesday 26th April. We will then close on Thursday 28th April at 3.40pm and re-open on Tuesday 3rd May at 9.00am.

SUMMER UNIFORM

2011-03-21T20:06:00.001Z

I remind parents of students in the main school (years 7 to 11) that when we return after Easter we will be in summer uniform i.e. the St Peter’s green polo shirts. In the past the students have responded magnificently to our change of uniform whether it be after Easter or when we return to winter uniform in September. I trust we will have the same cooperation when this change is made.

I emphasise to parents that if any of you are having difficulties financially in acquiring the summer uniform please do not hesitate to contact me personally, Mr Coughlan or your appropriate head of year.

POLO SHIRTS

2011-03-21T20:05:00.002Z

Polo shirts for Years 7 to 11 can be worn instead of blazer, shirt and tie at the start of Term 5, commencing on Tuesday, 26th April.

Polo shirts can be obtained from:

Trutex (Gloucester) Ltd., £8.50
99 Northgate Street,
Gloucester

or

20 Merrywalks Shopping Centre £8.50
Stroud

and

The Famous of Cheltenham £10.95
208 High Street
Cheltenham

ATTENDANCE

2011-03-21T20:05:00.001Z

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.

EMAILS

2011-03-21T20:03:00.001Z

We are finding it more and more useful if we have an email address for the students’ families. This enables us to send work through to students/parents electronically, instead of posting it. It would, therefore, be very much appreciated if those families who have a home email address could forward their email address to enquiries@st-petershigh.gloucs.sch.uk.

BEST CHEF

2011-03-21T20:02:00.003Z

Natasha Nunes, 11 E after winning the best Chef at St Peters High school went on to represent the school at the Rotary Chef competition held at Whitecross School, Lydney on Thursday 17th Feb, 2011. A mix of students from as far as Monmouth competed to win the title of Best Rotary Chef of the county. Natasha produced a mouth-watering three course meal of crab, prawn, chilli and coriander tartlets, cottage pie with glazed vegetable and finished off with a carrot and walnut cake with a twist of orange and lime topping.

She was pipped to the post and was awarded the third position, but was an absolute star and represented St Peters High School outstandingly.

Once again, well done Natasha!
Miss Harris

Eco Club does GO4SET!!

2011-03-21T20:02:00.001Z

The Eco Club have begun work on their GO4SET projects. These are environmentally based science and engineering projects that will last for 10 weeks.
This work began on Thursday 3rd March at the Scheme Launch Meeting, which was held at Renishaw’s (a large engineering company) in Wotton-under-Edge. The group travelled down in the mini-bus and spent the afternoon and part of the evening at the company. They were split into two teams and worked together on two team tasks, both of which involving bridge making. They also learned how to manage a project and how to write a technical report. The groups were then paired up with their mentors (in our case, two engineers from ARC energy) to begin discussing ideas that will later form the basis of their projects.
The pupils were a credit to the school in their contributions and knowledge and they did very well in coping with a long day.

GLOUCESTER RAIL STATION ART PROJECT AND VISIT BY LOCAL ARTIST P. J. CROOK

2011-03-21T20:01:00.001Z

The Art Department was delighted to be asked by Richard Graham, Gloucester City's MP to be involved in an initiative to enhance the platforms of the city's railway station. Work began last term in designing murals inspired by Gloucester City's history with a focus on transport through the ages.

A group of Year 10 students have come up with some super ideas which are currently being refined and finalised ready to start the murals later this month. In planning their ideas the students looked at a number of artists for inspiration and were really inspired by the work of local artist P. J. Crook whose home and studio are in Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham. We were therefore very excited when P.J. accepted our invitation to visit the school and talk to the students about her work. It was fantastic for the students to meet her and talk to her about how she makes her living as an artist. She brought with her a number of original paintings so we were able to look closely at her use of colour and application of paint. P.J. then stayed to talk to the students about their work, giving excellent advice on strengthening their compositions and suggesting additional methods of research.

The murals need to be finished by July. Richard Graham has mentioned the possibility of a public unveiling of the murals and some treats for the students - a trip to London to visit a major gallery and a tour of the Houses of Parliament! And we very much hope that P. J. will return to see our work as murals get underway.

An exciting initiative and one that St Peter's artists are rising to the challenge of meeting.
Art Department

NEWS FROM THE LIBRARIES

2011-03-21T20:00:00.001Z

Following World Book Day and the huge celebration on BBC, St Peter’s will be holding a Book Fair in the Library so that students will be able to spend their free £1.00 tokens. Most children’s paperbacks cost £6.99 these days but there will be many less expensive titles – and those book tokens will make them £1.00 cheaper! Please make the most of this opportunity to find presents for all ages.

Alan Gibbons' visit was a great success - it was fantastic to have him back in the school. He spoke to some sixth-form in study period about the importance of libraries; did two talks with year 9; a lesson with yr 11 on guided writing and a workshop with selected year 9s. Lunch was great, provided by our own St Peter's pupils catering team.

YEAR 8 ALTON CASTLE RETREAT 2011

2011-03-21T19:58:00.001Z

On the 4th – 6th March, together with St. Bernadette’s of Bristol, we travelled to Alton Castle Catholic Youth Retreat Centre in Staffordshire. Mr McDonald led the retreat supported by Mrs Olewicz-Grubb and Mrs Eakin. Our group chose to get away from it all and find where God is in our lives. We have to say that it has to be one of the most fun, exciting, adventurous trips we’ve ever been on and we’ve got the muddy wellies to prove it! As part of the retreat we went mountain biking, trekking and survival! These activities consisted mainly of mud, losing shoes, falling over and not being able to get up in the morning.

When we arrived at the castle we were warmly greeted by the staff and later the fire alarm (for a drill of course). We settled in large dormitories with squeaky beds and floorboards…so there were no midnight walkabouts! The team at Alton there were the most magnificent, hilarious, heart-warming group of young people in the universe (except for our own teachers of course!) and they can cook one mean apple crumble!

So, where’s the retreat bit you’re wondering? Well, during each activity we had a break in the middle of it to reflect and meditate. We would make the time to listen to all the sounds around us whilst being told a story. By the end of it we all felt so calm and peaceful that we found it hard to stay awake! Even the ducks came over to be part of it. All the activities were great fun but never skin deep. They all had a deeper meaning to touch your heart and soul. We celebrated Mass on the Sunday to give thanks and we learnt some brilliant new songs…even Sing it in the Valleys...that great St. Peter’s anthem!

Finally, we would just like to thank Alton Castle very much for such a spiritual and heart-felt retreat. Also, we would like to thank Mr McDonald, Mrs Olewicz-Grubb and Mrs Eakin who shared the retreat with us. They were truly inspirational and it wouldn’t have been the same without them! Thank you very very much!

By Martha and Frankie Williams (Year 8)

Geography department on Twitter and Youtube

2011-03-21T19:56:00.000Z

Join the Geography department on
Twitter and Youtube

@SPHSGeog (Twitter) SPHSGeog (Youtube)

Anyone can join/follow

Will be particularly valuable for
GCSE & A-Level Geography students

See Mr Williams for more details

Conclusion

2011-03-21T19:55:00.000Z

As always during the Easter Holiday a group of sixth formers, together with Miss Tedstone, Mr Kilty and Father Kevin, will be going to Lourdes to work on the Handicapped Children’s Pilgrimage Trust’s pilgrimage. This is an incredible witness to the work of St Peter’s and each year I receive letters from the organisers saying how valuable the support of our staff and young people is to the success of the pilgrimage. I am so grateful to the staff and students for giving up their time and particularly to those students who return to face public examinations very soon afterwards. They obviously have the added pressure of making up their revision time in the other week of the holiday to the one they so freely donate to the young people they are helping. It is not just the week they work, they work throughout the year to raise funds for the pilgrimage and many years later many former students still remark on the experience they had when going to Lourdes.

Easter is the most important feast in the Christian year as it gives meaning to all our lives. Without Easter Sunday and the resurrection of Jesus, our lives would be but a small interlude and then oblivion. Easter Sunday gives us all hope that no matter how difficult or how easy life has been whilst on earth, there is a greater joy to experience for eternity if we wish to accept it. The whole purpose of our Ash Wednesday services, our reconciliation services which each year has enjoyed and our general theme throughout Lent, has been to put differences aside, to build bridges and to help create a more cohesive and respectful society in which we live and work. This stems from the way we treat each other in our homes and in our school. Although we will all slip occasionally, what is important is that we are not afraid to admit we have made a mistake, apologise and try to ensure we do not hurt others in the future. As I say to the young people, we cannot be everybody’s friend nor do we necessarily want everyone to be bosom buddies with us but what we can do is to ensure that we treat everyone with the dignity and respect which was not given to Jesus during his passion and crucifixion. The forgiveness he showed by rising and giving us hope on Easter Sunday is the formula not only for others to enjoy a happy and fulfilling life, but also for ourselves to get the most out of this magnificent gift of life God has given us.

I hope you and your family will take the opportunity to visit your own churches over the Easter weekend and celebrate in your own churches the fact that Easter has given us all hope that one day we can enjoy eternal happiness in God’s presence. I also hope and pray that the Easter Holiday will allow you to spend time as a family so that you can enjoy the unique opportunities a happy family life offers all of us.

Yours sincerely

Lawrence Montagu
Headteacher

February 2011 Newsletter

2011-02-02T19:09:00.001Z

Dear Parents
It was a pity we had to close the school for the last two days of the December term. Many of our buses could not run and conditions were atrocious. As always, we were governed first and foremost by the health and safety of our students and staff. I know that a number of young people were disappointed that they were not able to finish this term in the way we normally do as Christmas approaches. One or two of them said to me that they actually missed being in school for the last two days of term. However, we really did have no alternative, and I was delighted with the way our closure arrangements operated.

LEAGUE TABLES

2011-02-02T19:08:00.002Z

I am sure many of you saw the published league tables in the local press. I have no problem with league tables being published as long as they are a true reflection of what has taken place. Our A-level value added was absolutely superb last year and with a very large entry, i.e. one of the largest in the county, to have such value-added is immensely gratifying and a great tribute to the teaching expertise we have at St Peter’s. I have always been honest with you and I have said since August that our Year 11 performance last year was only satisfactory in terms of the 5 or more GCSEs, including English and Maths. I emphasise that many comprehensives would be delighted with the performance we achieved with last year’s Year 11. However, at St Peter’s we do not compare ourselves with other comprehensives we simply compare ourselves with what we want to achieve with our young people. Last year was satisfactory, whereas traditionally it has always been very good to outstanding. Hopefully, it will be the same this year. I must, however, comment on the ludicrous situation of the Baccalaureate.

This was introduced retrospectively. Our low score here reflects neither the students’ ability nor teaching expertise, but the breadth of exam courses available to our pupils.

We will be advising Year 9 on the nature of the Baccalaureate and you will shortly be receiving a letter from Mr Rush containing advice with regard to the future. The Baccalaureate will not be compulsory. We are also actively engaging the Secretary of State in discussion to overturn the nonsense that religious education cannot be included as a humanity. RE has always been in the state sector and, indeed, is part of the International GCSE Humanities Course, which the Government accepts. As a faith school we have to dedicate a proportion of our curriculum to religious education. Not allowing us to include it as a humanity actually disadvantages our school if you are using the English Baccalaureate in a league table setting. If you have any questions or worries about what was published in the league tables, do not hesitate to contact Mr Rush or me myself. We will endeavour to put your mind at rest. I simply want to assure you that St Peter’s High School will continue to perform at an incredibly high level, together with nine or ten other comprehensives in Gloucestershire. As they are in competition with the grammar schools, this puts these comprehensive schools amongst the very best in the country. We should be very proud to have schools of this calibre in Gloucestershire and delighted that St Peter’s is one such school.

BUILDING FUND

2011-02-02T19:08:00.001Z

Attached to this newsletter is the building fund envelope for this term. Once again, I remind you that this is a voluntary contribution, but essential if we are to keep the fabric of St Peter’s at a reasonable level. Just to give you some idea of the problems the Governors face in trying to maintain the standards of our school, there is a fund allocated to every school called Formula Capital. This is an amount each year which enables you to keep the site looking as good as possible. Last year St Peter’s received £180,000 and a significant amount of this went to improving our sixth form facility. This year, with the government cuts, we will receive only £33,000. This is a totally unacceptable level of cut, but that is the world we are living in! What makes it even more nonsensical is that brand new schools who opened in September will also receive a similar amount of money. How this can be just I simply cannot understand. It is therefore essential we endeavour to try and keep our building fund at a reasonable level. I am, however, very conscious that many of you are struggling financially and that some of you are very concerned about your future employment. I do not want you to feel pressured in any way. If you cannot contribute to the building fund we fully understand your circumstances and I would simply ask you to return the envelope so that there is no abuse to the system. Form tutors will expect all students to return an envelope whether they contain a donation or not.

If you contribute by Direct Debit or pay an annual amount simply mark that on the envelope. I remind you that the recommendation is, if you can afford it, to donate £10 per child up to a maximum of £20 per family. I repeat, this is only advice and any contribution will be gratefully received.

Can I ask for all envelopes to be returned no later than Friday 11 February?

HALF TERM

2011-02-02T19:07:00.002Z

The half term break will commence on Friday 18 February at 3.40pm. Students will be expected to return to school on Monday 28 February at 9.00am.

This half term should be the final holiday our Years 11, 12 and 13 enjoy before their examinations. Easter must be a time of serious revision, as must Whit. My comment to your sons and daughters is that this is the last holiday prior to the day after their last exam in the summer. If they adopt this view, take the advice and guidance that will be offered, including attendance at revision clinics, our young people have the capability this year to deliver for themselves an outstanding set of exam results. So the message is to enjoy the half term break with aview to coming back with a real desire to achieve. When they return most departments will be commencing the final run-in of revision. Can I also, at this juncture, emphasise that when it does come to the final revision run, the most vital aspect is attendance at lessons. Some people adopt the view that they can revise as well on their own. They cannot go over past questions, they cannot receive advice on how best to answer questions, nor can they test themselves on how their revision is going. Attendance at lessons and full attention to what is being offered is a prerequisite to success.

CONTACTING STUDENTS

2011-02-02T19:07:00.001Z

The school continues to advise that young people do not bring mobile phones to school. The reason, quite simply, is that when they go missing we do not have time available to locate them. It is much simpler if young people do not put their property at risk by leaving it at home. If you need to contact your son or daughter during the school day please do not ring them on their mobile phone if you have allowed them to bring it to school. This causes difficulties. If there is an urgent reason why you need to speak to your son or daughter simply contact the school and ask to speak to the Head of Year or the Form Tutor. Your son or daughter will then get back to you as soon as possible.

I cannot stress enough how difficult it is for us to ascertain which messages are bona fide and which are not, when they go directly to your children.

UNIFORM IN THE 11-16 SCHOOL

2011-02-02T19:06:00.001Z

We are keen to ensure that students look smart for their workplace and that is school. We are becoming increasingly concerned at the lack of uniformity among the student body, especially with regard to the wearing of outer garments. As outlined in the school procedures on uniform which is available on the website, the rule regarding coats is as follows:

• We wear suitable top coats; we do not wear fashion, leather or denim coats/jackets; we do not wear hoodies/tracksuit tops/sweatshirts as outer garments.

We would be grateful, as we always are, for parental support in ensuring that your child attends school wearing an appropriate coat, as well as appropriate uniform.

LOST PROPERTY

2011-02-02T19:05:00.002Z

I would like to draw parents’ attention to the ever increasing amount of lost property, much of which has gone unclaimed since the start of term and earlier.

The school policy is that any named property is returned, where possible, to its rightful owner. If it is not named, it is stored in an accessible place for a period of time. Due to the huge volume of unclaimed property, we are now obliged to dispose of it - through local charity organisations.

In future, we are proposing to implement a two week window, during which property can be claimed.

Parents, please help by ensuring that clothing and other items are named.
Pupils, please help by claiming un-named items promptly. Thank you.

BARCELONA

2011-02-02T19:05:00.001Z

Y9 visit to Barcelona - Oct half term - if you are interested and have not yet returned your reply slip, please see Mrs Beamish as soon as possible.

LIBRARY NEWS

2011-02-02T19:04:00.001Z

This term it is the turn of Year 9 to get an author visit. We are very lucky that Alan Gibbons is returning for the fourth year on Monday February 14. Those who have heard him on previous visits will tell you that his talks are like stand-up comedy. He is very popular.

Alan is an amazing writer who seems to be able to turn his hand to anything: gripping horror stories, fantasy, football and comedy as well as serious teenage issues. Key books he will be talking about are 'The Edge', 'Scared to Death', 'Caught in the Crossfire' and 'Shadow of the Minotaur', which students can be reading. He will talk to the whole year and some lucky students will have a writing workshop with him. At break and lunchtime there will be opportunities for his fans to talk to him and buy his books.

You may have heard his name recently as he has been spearheading a campaign to save libraries in Wirral and Gloucestershire (and now many other authorities). We feel strongly that libraries and reading are vital to the education of young people so he is something of a hero to the library staff too.

In the Sixth-form Library, students have a great opportunity to follow the TV Book Club that started on Sunday 16th January at 7:50pm on Channel 4. The books are: 'Room' by Emma Donoghue, 'The Long Song' by Andrea Levy, 'The News Where You Are' by Catherine O'Flynn, 'Even the Dogs' by Jon McGregor, 'Bleed for Me' by Michael Robotham, 'Spies of the Balkans' by Alan Furst, 'The Junior Officers' Reading Club: Killing Time and Fighting Wars' by Patrick Hennessey, 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' by Rebecca Skloot, 'Tiger Hills' by Sarita Mandanna and 'My Last Duchess' by Daisy Goodwin.

All of these books are available in the Sixth-form Library for one-week loan so get a copy quick and get reading!

ST PETER’S CHORAL SOCIETY

2011-02-02T19:03:00.000Z

St Peter's Choral Society will be performing Zimbe! by Alexander L'Estrange on Tuesday 5 April in St Peter's Church, Gloucester.

This is an uplifting celebration combining traditional African songs, infectious jazz accompaniments and vibrant percussion to take you on a whirlwind tour of life in an African village.

We would like to invite parents and friends of the school to join the school choir, some of our feeder primary schools and the County Junior Choir for this performance. If you are interested, please email me (cperfect@st-petershigh.gloucs.sch.uk) and I can send you further details and a rehearsal schedule.

SPORTS NEWS

2011-02-02T19:02:00.003Z

The 1st XV Rugby squad have made tremendous progress since starting in September. We were not expecting a long Daily Mail Cup run this season, but here we are at the end of January having won a very difficult 7th round game away at Bishops Wordsworth School Salisbury (who have been unbeaten) by 17 points to 11. That now puts us into the last 8 in England, with a home draw for the quarter final on February 9th (Wednesday) against either Old Swinford Hospital School Stourbridge or Warwick School (who have yet to play because of frozen pitches).

This really is a terrific achievement, and as I have written before, there are very few comprehensives in the country that can enjoy national standing at two main sports as we do at rugby union and tennis. It is a tremendous accolade to our students and to the commitment of our coaching staff in these sports. On top of this we also have a high and developing standard in county hockey and our football team, particularly year 8, have gone a long way in the national schools football competition.

Whilst writing about sport we need to congratulate one of the youngest members of our school, Charlie Chapman, who over the Christmas holiday won a very prestigious national tennis tournament at Bristol. Well done to Charlie and I am very much looking forward to seeing our U12 team in the national schools competition this year.

Christmas Card Recycling.

2011-02-02T19:02:00.001Z

The Eco Club have been collecting Christmas Cards for recycling over the past month. They have sorted them into two groups. Firstly, they have separated the ones which they can make into Christmas gift tags. These will be sold to raise money to buy bird food next winter. The ones that are not suitable for this purpose have been boxed up and sent to the Cobalt Appeal, who are very grateful for the five boxes which they have received. Thank you to all those who have brought in their cards and we will be running the collection again next year.

Conclusion

2011-02-02T19:01:00.001Z

Easter is very late this year and, as a consequence, Ash Wednesday is not until the 9th March. This will, however, give us the opportunity to offer all our young people the choice of receiving ashes. There will be no compulsion, but our Ashes service will be emphasising the importance of Lent to all of us in considering where our lives are going. Yes, we will be encouraging your sons and daughters to give up their packet of crisps a week and donate the money to our CAFOD charity. This is traditional in Lent, but we will also be looking at much more fundamental issues. Lent is somewhat of a sombre time and, particularly with young people, it can be depressing if one harps on about how life is short and how little time we have on earth, regardless of how long that time is. This is not what we will be doing. What we will be doing is suggesting that in this precious life we have, when it is over it is not the two or three houses we have, the two cars we own or the three or four holidays a year we enjoy, that we will be remembered for. We will, however, be remembered for what we did for others and how much we contributed to the quality of life of other people. That is not to say we must not enjoy life ourselves, but we must also be aware of our responsibilities as part of a community and part of a family. Bringing peace and happiness to others, as well as to ourselves, is a Lenten intention that many of us could benefit from. We won’t always succeed, but what is important is we try and if we do fail we pick ourselves up and try again. This is the message we will be giving your sons and daughters, and we hope you can join us in persuading them that this is the recipe for a successful and fulfilling life, even more than all the material goods many of us enjoy.

On a personal note, many thanks for all the prayers, good wishes and cards I have received. Both myself and my family are so grateful for the support of the St Peter’s community through what has been a difficult 2010. I hope to be back at school in the not too distant future and I hope then I will be able to have an uninterrupted run of working with your sons and daughters. I trust you have also noted that the school has not suffered at all from my absence. Philip Rush, the senior team and, indeed, all the staff, have done an absolutely magnificent job in ensuring that my absence has not been missed and that it has not, in any way, affected your sons and daughters education.

Yours sincerely

Lawrence Montagu
Headteacher

December 14th Newsletter

2010-12-11T18:51:00.001Z

Dear Parents

Since our last newsletter the Government has published its White Paper on the future of education. There is much in this and at present not a great deal of concrete information, but there are aspects which we applaud and St Peter’s is already well equipped to deliver.

• The English Baccalaureate is a new qualification for GCSE pupils which is going to be available. We will look forward to offering this to students who are able to achieve it and want to take the opportunity of gaining this new qualification. Our curriculum is such that it seems we will not need to make major changes to offer this new possibility and we will be talking in more detail to year 9 parents when things are clearer.

• It is suggested that new GCSE league tables will be compiled showing the ‘percentage of year 11 students achieving 5 or more A* to C passes to include English, maths and science’. The Government is stating it should be a minimum of 35%; last year at St Peter’s 60% of year 11 achieved this. A marvellous reflection of good comprehensive education.

• The Government has confirmed its commitment to Academies and we are still progressing our information gathering exercise on this issue. We are fully aware that there is a number of secondary schools in the county who will be progressing to academy status over the next 12 months. We, however, will not move until we are assured that the underlying ethos of St Peter’s can be fully protected. We are working with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton and our national Catholic Education Service to get agreement from the Government on this essential question related to the religious nature of our school. We are also talking with our Stroud and Gloucester Catholic primary schools as we do not want to be in a position where our primary schools are left with little support because of the dire financial situation of the Local Authority.

• The Government is moving teacher training at every level to be more school-based, by building on the training school designation which St Peter’s enjoys. It intends to set up centres of excellence in teaching and learning based in specific schools. St Peter’s is ideally placed to be one of these centres of excellence as our training school team is noted as being outstanding within Gloucestershire and beyond. We do of course at present assist many schools in their development.

HELP AVAILABLE

2010-12-11T18:49:00.000Z

I cannot stress enough to parents how important it is in these difficult financial times that they maximise the potential for support that might be available for their sons or daughters to attend St Peter’s. You are all aware of the decision of the Local Authority concerning school transport from September 2012, but I want to stress that not only with transport but for other reasons related to the future funding of the school, claiming your entitlement will not only be beneficial to you but will assist us in providing the best possible education for your son or daughter.

• If you might be entitled to free school meals support and are not at present claiming, please contact the Education Department at Shire Hall, Gloucester, for information as to how you can be assessed.

• NB. If, at present, you are receiving a certain level of family tax benefit you may be entitled to free school transport beyond the present regulations. If you are in receipt of such benefit and live between 2 and 15 miles from the school, contact Mrs Ryder, our bus coordinator, on 01452 509208 and ask her for details as to how you can apply and also ascertain whether you qualify. I emphasise that this is a change from the normal limits which is between 3 and 10 miles from the school. The new agreement measures actual distance to school; in the past the key measure was distance to Gloucester cross. My apologies, as I have not highlighted to parents in the past this vital piece of information.

CONGRATULATIONS

2010-12-11T18:46:00.004Z

• To Ben Rolfe (Year 10) who is a keen sailor racing in both Topper and Laser 4.7 dinghies. During the past 12 months Ben has been competing against over 200 other juniors at national events across the country as well as taking part in a week long National Championship event at Phwelli, Wales. As a result of his efforts he has been selected along with 24 other sailors to join the Topper National Development Squad. The pinnacle of his year will be to take part in the World Championships next summer in Ireland.

• To all our students, parents, friends and staff who contributed to such an excellent Children In Need day. We raised £3,000 and I am particularly indebted to the sixth form who led the activities by dressing up in the most bizarre costumes. How our number in the sixth form was not considerably reduced by hypothermia amazed me!! It did, however, once again show St Peter’s at its very best in coming together to support those who are less fortunate.

• To the brilliant cast of Bugsy Malone. I am sure those of you who saw the performance will agree that it was simply outstanding. It reflected maximum effort on the part of the students and also the incredible expertise we have in our school in the persons of Helen Haywood our Director of Performing Arts and Catherine Perfect our Director of Music. Together with their excellent departments they really do inspire our young people to achieve levels of excellence which would be the envy of any school in the country. In thanking all concerned I would also like to place on record my thanks to the many support and teaching staff who worked so hard behind the scenes to make sure our young people have the opportunity to exhibit their talents and abilities.

• To those of you who have already contributed presents for our Giving Tree. I am most grateful to those who have already sent in gifts. To those who have not, an opportunity will be available until Monday 20 December. These presents, as always, will be such essentials as: toiletries, hats, scarves, gloves and sweets. I remind you the gifts will be divided between GEAR and the Women’s Refuge. I am most grateful to Governor, Margaret Barnsley and Jan Gregory from our Student Support Services for organising the Giving Tree and giving us the opportunity to show support to those in need this Christmas.

As I put this newsletter together I am thinking, in advance, of the staff and students who will be providing the Carols By Candlelight this evening at the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Stroud. Once again they have rehearsed immensely hard under the direction of Catherine Perfect to put on a meaningful celebration. If you have not yet obtained tickets simply turn up at the door for 7.00pm start and I assure you it will be an excellent start to Christmas celebrations.

HOLIDAY

2010-12-11T18:45:00.001Z

The school will close for the Christmas Holiday at 2.00pm on Tuesday 21 December. Buses will all be away from the school no later than 2.15pm. As always, if for any reason you wish your child to remain at school until 3.30pm, please let your son or daughter’s form tutor know and we will make arrangements for him or her to remain in a safe environment.

It is a lovely long holiday for the students this year and so many of them richly deserve it as they are working very hard. The school will re-open for them at 9.00am on Monday 10 January. Once again I ask that you ensure your sons and daughters are in school on time each day for a 9.00am start.

Those students in the sixth form who are taking module exams in January must ensure that they undertake a sensible revision schedule over the Christmas holiday. My advice is that they begin revision after Boxing Day and with a break for New Year’s Day, endeavour to do some solid revision each day prior to school commencing.

NB. The period between 4.00pm Thursday 23 December and 9.00am Tuesday 4 January is the only time in the year when the school is completely closed and so there will be no access for parents. In the direst of emergencies and you need to make contact, your local Roman Catholic parish priest will be able to contact a member of the school leadership team, but I stress this should only be in the utmost emergency.

SNOW CLOSURES AND EXAMS – IMPORTANT KEY POINTS FOR STUDENTS WHO ARE TAKING EXAMS

2010-12-11T18:44:00.001Z

• If the school is closed because of snow we will still open for students taking exams.
• Our Site Manager, Roger Smith, lives on site so will ensure that the exam rooms are open and he will work to ensure that access routes to the rooms are cleared and gritted.
• The buses may not be running so students will have to make their own arrangements for getting to and from school.
• You may wish to consider staying with friends or family who live closer to school on the night before exams if necessary.
• No one should take any unnecessary risks getting to school, and must take extra care when on the school site.
• The Exam Boards do allow Exams to be begun after the scheduled start time, so even if you are delayed in getting in to school you will still be able to take your exam providing you arrive within a reasonable time after the scheduled start time.

BEHAVIOUR

2010-12-11T18:42:00.003Z

I am so grateful to the vast majority of parents who support us with our behaviour policies. I also stress that if, at any time, you have a concern, particularly if it is related by your child, please contact us immediately so that we can discuss it on an adult level before the problem becomes worse or, indeed, discover whether there is a problem at all. Where we have most difficulty is in a very small number of cases where parents believe 100% what is reported to them without having listened to the evidence we have accumulated. This does neither the student nor family any favours as if a student believes they simply have to complain to a parent to gain their support it will only be a matter of time before the discipline of the parent is also undermined.

Quite simply, our whole discipline is geared to every student being able to be happy, successful and safe. It is also geared to allowing staff to teach to the excellent level we have in St Peter’s with no student preventing this happening. Abuse, either to students or staff will not be tolerated and I hope, and indeed I know, that this is exactly what so many of you want from our school. I must also emphasise (and it saddens me to have to state it, but after one or two incidents recently it needs reaffirming) that I will treat every student in a fair way regardless of gender, race or relationships they may have with members of the school staff or governors. No youngster is above the discipline of the school. Our discipline follows our Mission statement in treating all people with dignity and respect. As St Paul says, pupils who misbehave are not our enemies but ‘brothers and sisters in need of correction’.

Cross Country

2010-12-11T18:42:00.001Z

The Gloucester Schools Secondary Cross Country Championships took place at Plock Court on Tuesday 19th November 2010. Several St Peter’s girls and boys achieved a top 16 place and are going to represent Gloucester District on the 4th December at Pittville Park. Well done St Peter’s!

I have listed them below:
• Year 7 Girls Shya Pinnock 2nd, Lucy Morris 7th, Jessica Rolfe 9th, Alex Harvey 10th, Emily Hendzel 15th
• Year 7 Boys Jack Freeman 10th, Cameron Kerr 11th, Jamie Kirk 12th
• Year 8/9 Girls Emily Wyatt 3rd, Cerys Poole 7th, Katie Elkova 12th
• Year 8/9 Boys Pat Stuckey 11th, Finian James 16th
• Year 10/11 Girls Nadia Zimbalati 6th
• Year 10/11 Boys John Hunter 14th, Tom Lennox 15th

Rugby

2010-12-11T18:41:00.001Z

Congratulations to Nico Woodward who has been picked as first choice in his position as hooker for the South-West U/18 Rugby team - ready for the England Regional Trials which take place over Christmas and into the New Year!

Also, congratulations to the 1st XV Rugby team who are making great progress in the Daily Mail Cup. We play our old rivals from Bristol, Colstons School in the next round, at home for a place in the last 16! Good luck Boys!

Football

2010-12-11T18:37:00.001Z

Congratulations to our year 8 boys’ football team who have progressed beyond the county stages of the national schools competition. They are excellent soccer players.

Swimming

2010-12-11T18:34:00.002Z

On Wednesday 10th November, our sixth form swimmers competed in the Secondary Schools Relay Championships held at Millfield School. Competing for the girls team were Aimee Carter and Francyne Hardy (year 12) and Emma Beamish and Soukaina Grina (year 13), and for the boys Dan Broady, Liam Lodge, Ben Nunn and Tom Howells (year 12). The teams were entered into both a medley relay and a freestyle relay. The medley is viewed as the trickier of the two as it requires swimmers to take on all the four strokes. However, if you have swimmers with strengths in each stroke (most importantly, the breaststroke) you’ll blast it, and we were pretty sure we had this advantage. PE teacher Mrs Porter, who had arranged for our school to take part in the gala, took the teams down in a minibus and offered great support and encouragement throughout the day as we were surprised that the standard was set very high for this event.

As we entered the building, it became evident that many of the swimmers taking part belonged to clubs or schools which have their own pool and are often competing in national events. We had been comforting ourselves with the thought of schools not having many elite swimmers to enter the competition, as the likes of Sir Thomas Rich’s found themselves. The warm up commenced at 12.30pm in which swimmers were given 10 minutes swim time – a stressful 10 minutes which brought to the teams’ attention that these schools were not here to play - and 5 minutes diving time.

After the warm up the team got prepared, changing into their sharkskins, to undertake their first event - the medley relay. With a little while to wait until the girls’ race, up first in event 5, heat 2, we watched the younger age groups thrashing out faster times than we were expecting from our own category, and guessed it must be the private schools and most probably Millfield. Although a little nervous from the results previously seen, the girls headed down eagerly for their event and were determined to achieve great results. With the help of a few energy drinks, pep talks and stretches before hand, the girls achieved 2nd place in their heat, behind Millfield School B, and 7th place overall. Francyne started the race on the backstroke, followed by Aimee on breaststroke, Soukaina on butterfly and Emma on the anchor leg with front crawl achieving a time of 2.19.78.

Soon after it was time for the boys’ medley in event 6, heat 3 with a little more pressure as their heat included some of the top schools. With all the confidence you’d expect from a team of year 12 boys who are regularly training, they headed down for their race and glided into 4th place. With Ben first up on the backstroke, Dan taking over on breaststroke, followed by Tom on butterfly and finally Liam on front crawl, they achieved a time of 1.56.20.

There was another long wait before the next and final event so the teams took the time to reload and hydrate in preparation to give it everything in the freestyle. Event 11 finally approached for the girls competing in heat 3 which included local schools Sir Thomas Rich’s and Balcarras. The girls, feeling more at ease and confident for this event, prepared as before and once again achieved an easy 2nd place within the heat and 7th place overall with the time of 2.04.67.

The boys closely followed in event 12, heat 1 and with as much confidence as in their medley event and great determination, they took 1st place within their heat and 6th place overall. They achieved a time of 1.45.14, a great 9.11 seconds faster than the rest of their heat. With the competition as tight as it was, the teams achieved great results. Everyone was certainly ready for bed by the end of the day, but not before a good calorie loaded meal.
Emma Beamish (Year 13)

Y9 PARIS VISIT

2010-12-11T18:33:00.002Z

93 Year 9 students accompanied by 11 members of staff spent 5 days in Paris over the half term. Despite the recent press reports of heightened terrorist activity, combined with strikes, demonstrations, riots and a severe fuel shortage, the visit went remarkably well! The students visited the top sights, including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Stade de France, a cruise on the River Seine, and no visit to Paris would be complete without going to Disneyland Paris - this year we had the option of visiting Disney Studios too, much to the delight of all the students. They were proud ambassadors for St Peter's, and got praised for their manners by both the hotel staff and the bus drivers, so parents should be very proud! All in all, a very successful trip, which will hopefully take place again in the future.
Mrs Beamish, Mr Freeman

Don’t forget to Wear Your Wellies for Wildlife on Tuesday 21st December!!!!

2010-12-11T18:33:00.001Z

Pay 50p to wear your wellies to school on Tuesday 21st December and help support the Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and their wildlife projects in the county.

ATTENDANCE

2010-12-11T18:32:00.001Z

NEWS FROM OUR CAREERS DEPT

2010-12-11T18:29:00.002Z

Congratulations Year 11
The culmination of months of planning, letter writing and telephone calls came to fruition when year 11 headed off to a wide variety of work placements across Gloucestershire and beyond. They went to primary schools, veterinary practices, solicitor’s offices, print companies, museums, building companies….the list is endless and the generosity, patience and kindness of the host employers was enormous.

As in previous years, Year 11 were a credit to St Peter’s.

Employers said:

Helpful and friendly
Quick to learn
Showed enthusiasm and a real interest
A pleasure to have working with us

Going on work experience is quite daunting and we don’t underestimate the challenge which almost every member of year11 overcame to have a successful week.

Well done year 11.

For the parents of year 10. We are just about to launch work experience 2011 and a booklet with details and notes should be coming home via your son/daughter in w/c 29/11/10.

Year 9 Bloodhound Design Engineering Challenge

2010-12-11T18:28:00.001Z

No not the dog! Bloodhound SSC is a land rocket powered by a Eurojet EJ200 jet engine and hybrid rocket engine which is designed to reach speeds of over 1000mph and which is under construction to challenge the current land speed record (763mph).

On 10th November, 15 year 9 students participated alongside several other local schools in an EDT First Edition Event, held at Cheltenham Ladies College. Students were split into mixed teams with other schools and their challenge was to design their own version of the Bloodhound (powered by a pneumatic high pressure cylinder) and to demonstrate the design by firing it on the test track. Suddenly their understanding of force, friction, aerodynamics and finding solutions to real problems (how do we keep the car from taking off?) had a very practical application.

We are pleased that every team produced a functional design but some were definitely faster than others and three of our students contributed to the winning team.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY EVENING COURSE

2010-12-11T18:27:00.001Z

Thursday 16th December
5.00pm to 7.00pm in IT1
The IT Department is holding the above evening course for those of you who would like to gain a little more experience in using computers. This is a basic computer course + introduction to the internet and emails.

Extended School GCSE Art & Design Short Course (Photography)

2010-12-11T18:24:00.003Z

Visit The London Road Photography
On October 14th, GCSE Art
& Design Short Course (Photography) students, visited The London Road Photography Studios in Gloucester. Photographer Tammy Kwan, showed the students a variety of different studio lights and then demonstrated how to use them. They then had the opportunity to experience taking photographs with broad, short, butterfly and Rembrandt lighting techniques.

Their homework task following this visit was to take photographs using any artificial light source that was available to them. Inventive results were produced – including the use of torches and even car headlights!

Teaching Assistant Taster Course

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An insight into the role of the Teaching Assistant
in a Secondary School classroom

Monday 6th December 2010
Adfecto Conference Room, Ullenwood Court, Cheltenham
10.00 - 2.00 (buffet lunch at 12.30)

This workshop is designed for those interested in finding out more about the role of
Teaching Assistants in Gloucestershire Secondary Schools.

Tutors: Higher Level Teaching Assistants (HLTAs) from Dene Magna School, Mitcheldean

The course will explore:

• Introduction to the role of the Teaching Assistant

• Working in the Classroom

• Providing support for the Student

• Providing support for the Teacher

• Providing support for the Curriculum

• Providing support for the School

• Special Educational Needs

‘Learning Support Provision does not exist in isolation or run alongside mainstream provision – it is integral to the work of the School’

There is no charge for this event for those interested in working as Teaching Assistants in Gloucestershire Secondary Schools

Places are strictly limited and attendance is by prior booking only

SCHOOL MUSICAL PRODUCTION BUGSY MALONE

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We would like to acknowledge the fantastic commitment shown by the cast, crew and band of Bugsy Malone. 5 performances, including 3 to primary schools last week! A BIG thank you to all staff, parents and students who supported us. It was a joy to be a part of!

Thanks
Helen Haywood & Catherine Perfect

HPV VACCINATIONS

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The second of these vaccinations for Year 8 girls will take place immediately upon return to school on Monday, 10th January.

Conclusion

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As is customary, all students have had the opportunity to attend reconciliation services. The theme of these services has been related to what is the true meaning of Christmas. It is often forgotten that amongst the glitz and the glamour the feast that we celebrate marks the entrance of Jesus into the world in a cold, smelly stable, with only hay for warmth. I am only too well aware that this Christmas and the forthcoming New Year will be a period of great concern for many of our families. There is a real fear about the future financial stability in terms of jobs, mortgages and, indeed, of the services we need from our Government in terms of health and education. It will, therefore, not be possible for many families to have the level of material goods they have enjoyed in previous years. In our Christmas services and assemblies we will be making the point very strongly that Christmas is not about materialism as material goods come and go very quickly. It is about ensuring that our young people understand that Jesus was born for all mankind and to promote a Christian way of life which will benefit mankind.

The Christmas message of peace and goodwill to all mankind might be considered redundant in our day and age when we look at the horrors caused by the conflict in Afghanistan, terrorism and, indeed, those few members of society who endeavour to take advantage of the most disadvantaged. However, in relation to our world community, evil people are still a very small number and if we all try to live to the Christian message of treating all people with the respect we wish to be treated with, then we really can influence our world for the better. My hope, therefore, for my family and yours, is that over the Christmas period we will have the opportunity to build bridges with our relationships that have been broken and that together with our young people, we will endeavour to offer support, friendliness and the true Christmas spirit to those members of our community who may be suffering in any way whatsoever.

I hope that you and your families will celebrate Christmas by attending your own churches and that the time you have together with your own family will, therefore, enhance your family life. I also hope and pray that 2011 brings you peace, health and happiness.

Yours sincerely

Lawrence Montagu
Headteacher

Mini-Newsletter for Tuesday 23 November 2010.

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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

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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

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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

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• 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

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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:

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

2010-11-28T19:00:00.001Z

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

2010-11-28T18:59:00.000Z

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.