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Easter Newsletter 2019

Dear Parents/Carers,

It is unbelievable to think we are already two terms through this academic year.

Lent is coming to a close end and we are preparing for the celebration of Easter.

In school we have focussed on Lenten preparation and the celebration of the resurrection at Easter.

I would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family and happy

and holy Easter and as ever thank you for all your support of the school

With every good wish

Clare Cantle

Head Teacher

GLOBE THEATRE TRIP Key Stage Four students at All Saints School study Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet for their

English Literature GCSE. The play is set in Verona, Italy and it is about a long feud between the

Montague and Capulet families. This feud causes tragic results for the main characters in the

play, Romeo and Juliet who fall in love, marry and unfortunately take their lives. The play

contrasts hatred and revenge with love and a secret marriage, forcing the young star-crossed

lovers to grow up quickly and die tragically in despair.

Every year the Globe Theatre, and Deutsche Bank, support schools in England by providing

students with an opportunity to see a performance of one of Shakespeare’s plays. This year

our school was lucky enough to secure 750 tickets to see this year’s play! Recently, The English

Department took Year 9, 10 and 11 students to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, located in

Southwark, London, to watch Romeo and Juliet. The play was an amazing 90 minute

experience that enabled students to see Shakespeare’s work performed how Shakespeare intended: at the Globe.

Seeing Romeo and Juliet performed has supported students’ awareness and understanding of the play’s key themes,

characters and Shakespearean language. This experience has proved to be an exciting, enjoyable and useful cultural

experience for all students.

The production was amazing as it was lively and featured a diverse cast from different backgrounds. The modern approach

to one of Shakespeare’s classics made the play even more enjoyable as it was so interactive for the students. Our students

really enjoyed the trip and the buzz it has created will stay with them forever. One student even commented: “Seeing the

play performed was such a fantastic opportunity, it has really helped me to understand

how the characters were feeling during the important moments. It has even made it

easier for me to answer GCSE questions on Romeo and Juliet. Since watching the

production I feel able to talk about the context, as I am able to visualise what the actors

were doing at the time. I would highly encourage everyone to watch Romeo and Juliet

because watching and understanding the characters makes it 100% easier for you to

understand!”

Lord, the resurrection of Your Son has given us new life and renewed hope.

Help us to live as new people in pursuit of the Christian ideal.

Grant us wisdom to know what we must do, the will to want to do it,

the courage to undertake it, the perseverance to continue to do it,

and the strength to complete it

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Hairspray! Running from the 13th – 15th February 2019 - All Saints Catholic School were proud to present their second annual school musical: Hairspray –

this year playing to a sell-out house every single night of the performance! With over 160 students auditioning back in September, and 40+ members of staff giving up their time to support, this was always going to be an epic production. From the very beginning, the Director of Performing Arts, Mr.

Thorn, had a bold vision for the show, choosing to perform in traverse (audience on two sides). This unusual dynamic presented quite a challenge for the cast and crew, but all have enjoyed experimenting to achieve the

set of skills required to perform in this style. Although Hairspray has many catchy tunes and comedic scenes, the true

theme of the play, that of acceptance and racial integration, comes across clearly to the audience. The play has been seen by over 450 members of

the local community, including various Primary Schools and all have enjoyed the energy and professionalism the cast have brought to the

stage.

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Hairspray…in numbers! Just for fun - director Mr. Thorn reflects on some of the staggering statistics behind the annual All Saints Catholic School production... - 162 students auditioned last September - 104 hours in rehearsal - that’s almost 5 solid days! - 86 cast involved in the performance - 43 members of staff giving their time for the young people - Seen by 100’s of parents, staff, primary schools and community members - 86 pages: length of the Hairspray script - 8 Radio Mics and 3 Handheld Mics used in the performance - 37 lights used to light the production, with 4 replacement bulbs needed - 864 slices of pizza consumed by the ravenous cast and crew - 4 full performances, totalling 404 minutes on stage - 5 unbelievable Year 13 students juggling their A Levels and a demanding rehearsal schedule - 6304: the number of grey hairs Mr. Thorn has acquired during the performance

Congratulations to Year 12 students who graduated in their ‘Take the Lead’ project in conjunction with

The ASCS Performing Arts Department and the Old Vic Theatre. The students have had 4 intensive sessions

focused on communication, self-belief, resilience and presentation through Drama techniques but with

real world applications regardless of subject studied. The students gained a tremendous amount and

made many new friends, both within the school community and from other schools across London. See

you next year @oldvic

Take The Lead – The Old Vic Theatre @ ASCS

The Unreturning’ – Frantic Assembly

@ Theatre Royal Stratford East

For our first theatre visit, our BTEC Performing Arts students visited Stratford Theatre Royal East to see world class

theatre company Frantic Assembly in their new show ‘The Unreturning’. A brutal and visceral look at PTSD from 3

different eras of warfare told through physical theatre - simply awesome!

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Chantel’s and Annabel’s Experience to The University of Cambridge:

Our trip to Cambridge was an amazing experience as it was a very educational and skilful trip. We learnt a lot of new

things and interacted with new students from different schools. We had our first tutorial with our PhD Tutor. Our tutor’s

name is Andrea White. We were studying Philosophy, Metaphysics and we also discussed together as to what makes us

‘people’. Our group talked about The Simple Psychological View and what makes us different (characteristics and

qualities). After our first tutorial, we made our way back to the Bateman Auditorium. Then we learnt about different

skills we can use in University. For example: we learnt a new way to set out our notes in class (Cornell Note Taking). This

was very impactful as most of us didn’t know it and started to enjoy using it. After this, we had lunch. The Dining Hall

had a Hogwarts Theme to it. Very ginormous and quite ancient. They served us our lunch and we ate it. It was a

fantastic time and we all got closer together as friends. After lunch, we went to go to our tour. Out tour guide’s name

was Izzy and we ambled around the University. Our guide led us to a Stephen Hawking’s memorial, which was engrafted

on the ground. Izzy then displayed to us Stephen Hawking’s study room; we were very impressed by this and the place.

We then moved on to another important person in history: Francis Crick. He was the one who was responsible for

discovering the double-helix structure found in the DNA. Subsequently, we trailed along a path, which led on to the

Graduation Hall. It was very flabbergasting as it was a majestic building. We also entered into the University’s largest

Library. It was very quiet as many students there were studying extremely hard! Furthermore, we walked back to the

Auditorium which was, unfortunately, the end of the tour. All the schools gathered back into the hall and we all had a

final talk before leaving shortly. Overall our trip to the University of Cambridge was a brilliant experience.

British Library Trip and Independent Research Project.

30 year 7 students went on a trip to the British Library to take part in the ‘Write here’ creative writing workshop. They

were given a tour of the building, explored the exhibition “Cats on the Page” and produced their own poems. Alongside

this, they also produced independent research projects on a topic of their choice and displayed impressive creativity

and effort. Winners of this competition were: Brandon Manuel, Beatrice Mutabazi and Marvie Xander Medina Reyes.

Our YR12 Politics students could not have picked a better time to study it at A Level according to Mr Pauro. So far they have considered the UK Parliament, the influence of the media, the party system and the key ideas of Socialism and liberalism with Conservatism to come.

In order to better understand their key thinkers, they recently made their own books on each one and are proudly showing them off here in these pictures.

YR13 are finishing their course with their exams in June. Right on time, they are studying the UK Government and how all the organs and democratic elements are supposed to work – with BREXIT in the news every day, they are not lacking for counter examples of how not to run a country to help their evaluation skills… Discuss!

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Minister of State visits All Saints

All Saints Catholic School was happy to welcome Nick Gibb MP Minister of State for Schools in late January. He toured the school grounds, met with pupils of all ages, chatted to the School Council, members of the Barking and Dagenham Youth Forum, English Ambassadors and Mr. Pauro’s Politics students. Mr. Gibb was impressed by our teacher training provision led by Ms. McGuinness and also noted the rich curriculum on offer at our school across the key stages. A memorable day indeed when pupils once again were the center of all things. Headteacher, Ms Cantle said: ‘It is testament to all the fantastic commitment of our staff, families and pupils that a Minister of State has been able to enjoy his visit, give thanks and recognise what good things are happening in this school at the heart of the Borough’.

Whilst our Year 11 and Year 13 are working hard to prepare for their exams the rest of the business studies department

have been making great progress.

Year 9

Year 9 students are focusing on the strategies used by businesses to spot business opportunities. They have analysed a

variety of market research methods and have recommended the actions that businesses should take, in order to launch

products or services that will be able to successfully compete within an existing market. In addition, Year 9 students

have analysed a variety of different business ownerships types and have justified reasons, why certain entrepreneurs

should set up, as a particular business type of ownership based on a variety of factors, such as; available finance; level

of expertise and level of risk entrepreneurs are willing to take.

Year 10

Year 10 Business students are focusing on macro-economics. Students are exploring the effects of changing interest

rates on consumer spending. They analysed the effect of economic activity and how it tends to rise and fall. Along with

the effects changing activity can have on small businesses. Students enjoyed being exposed to current affairs such as

the theory behind Brexit, this enhanced their understanding of social factors. Lastly Year 10 students researched

different currencies and discovered how a change in the value of the pound can effect international trade.

Year 12

Year 12 business students have started to explore the concept of leadership styles which are implemented in a range of organisational structures. By investigating autocratic and lassie-faire styles, amongst others, students have been able to gain an insight into the management of an organisation, contemplating the type of leader they would like to be in their future careers. Alongside this, students are now able to appreciate the role of a workforce in the daily running’s of a business and have been able to explore the idea of seeing these employees as either an asset or a cost, depending on the business’ objectives.

This term in Business

Year 10 - Work Experience

In February all year 10 students completed a two week period of work experience, which has helped us develop a greater knowledge and understanding of the working world. This experience helped us realise the expectations that employers are looking for and what we need to do to reach them. Feedback from students indicates that the majority found the experience a positive one and gained great benefits from it. Not to mention the excellent comments from employers who said we were great ambassadors for the school. A great thanks to Mrs Edwards for her fantastic organisation of the placements.

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Under 12s Girls borough 5 aside football tournament. We were unlucky to not reach the semi finals. One of the stand out performances was Ciel who scored a hatrick in one of the group games.

Basketball club has been going strong again this term with large numbers attending both before school and lunch time training, the basketball teams have still been working hard while sharing their knowledge with the younger students. The U14 boys team finished 2nd place in the Barking and Dagenham league. A great achievement in only our second year of entering. After many hours put in training there where some great team performances to earn themselves silver medals.

Well-done to 7 Patrick (2nd photo) who finished 1st place for the year 7’s, there was a great turn out (photo 4), well done to all involved.

Year 9 showed their basketball skills with Patrick finishing 2nd place and Helena finishing 1st.

Year 8’ also has a great turn out with Francis and Helena who finished in joint first place and a great night of basketball.

Inter form basketball

23 year 7 and 8 girls went to the Rugby Taster Day at Barking Rugby Club hosted by London School of Economics Women’s rugby team. The students got to participate in different stations such as tackling, kicking and touch rugby games. There was a question and answer session where students got to hear inspirational stories from the university students and got invited to attend a girls rugby session on Mondays at Barking Rugby Club.

The year 8 football team have had a successful term having successfully won the Barking and Dagenham Premier Football League whilst going a whole season unbeaten.

The Year 9s came 4th in the netball rally yesterday out of 9 schools. They got to the semi finals but then couldn’t quite get bronze medals. They played brilliantly but lost 5-4 to Dagenham park in the 3rd/4th playoff.

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Visit of UCL by A level student: Ellie Corney’s Opinion

Personally, I found the day extremely interesting and I learned a lot from spending the day at UCL amongst university students and joining their oral French lesson. As for the lesson, it was engaging and easy to follow despite me being only at A Level standard. I also found out the possibility of taking a joint degree in which I could study both French and another language and about the contextualised offer, which is very helpful.

Two groups of our Yr10 students went to a GCSE conference, French and Spanish, in February and March this term. The 2 conferences were aimed at high ability students and were packed with ideas and tips on how to reach a grade 7,8 or 9 in their language GCSE. The students were able to work on 4 different skills in various workshops and came back rea to work hard for their future exam.

GCSE CONFERENCES

Science Club has kept the ball rolling this term. Between making rockets from Alka-Seltzer

tablets and making parachutes to make sure eggs land safely, it’s been great fun. The

students have learned a lot about chemical reactions such as the reaction between

potassium iodide and hydrogen peroxide which is known as elephant toothpaste. They have

learned a great deal of physics as well, including the forces that a skydiver feels when

parachuting. We all look forward to next term.

During this spring term, A-level Chemistry students have been roller-coasting through their syllabus.

Year 12’s have been busy learning about the properties of group 2 and group 7 elements in great

depth to understand the properties they possess that determine their reactivity and the trends that

each group- display. They have been getting familiar with savvy terms such as electronegativity, oxidising and reducing

agents. They have investigated the reactivity of halogens and halides using silver nitrate, ammonia and sulfuric acid. They

have now began their journey into the complex world of organic chemistry!

Year 13’s are completing their final few topics of organic chemistry, they have been introduced to benzene - a complex

aromatic compound, mechanisms such as nucleophilic addition-elimination and substitution and acyl chlorides. Students

have been challenged through practical work by making the well-known medication ‘aspirin’ from salicylic acid! As their A-

level journey concludes, we are extremely proud of the hard work and dedication the students are displaying! Just the last

hurdle to go!

CTECH students have been busy revising for their upcoming assessments. They are becoming experts on safety in the lab

and conducting a range of experiments such as titration and microscopy. Having worked hard over the last few months,

they will be able to showcase their grasp of fundamental science units across Biology, Chemistry and Physics in their

summer exams. If that was not enough they have also begun their coursework modules and have submitted their first

drafts. Keep it going guys!

Computer Science & IT Department

The coding club for Y7 has been running from the beginning of the year. The

students have made amazing progress with programming in Scratch. It has

been fun, learning difficult programming concepts, using our creativity and

imagination and creating complex computer games.

This is an example of the ping pong game designed by our amazing

students.

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Ski Trip 2019 Prato Nevoso, Italy

As parents huddled in the school carpark, waiting to say goodbye, our students were raring

to go, some tears and emotions were apparent but soon enough tears had dried up as we

embarked on our first stop: Gatwick airport. We landed safely in Turin with the excitement and

questions building, `Can we ski today? ` Being the most popular. Instead, we spent Sunday evening with

students having their ski fittings, ensuring all were equipped and ready for the next day.

Sunday morning it had all began, for some their first time, for others, their fourth, fifth or even sixth

time but the joys and thrills were shared, all the same. The beginners group were quickly accustomed to

snow as they trudged up a slope to meet their instructor, whilst the other groups had their day filled

recapping on snow plough and parallel turns! The Sunday evening was a relaxed one as students became

used to their surroundings, roommates and digesting the lovely Italian food we had eaten.

Monday morning, students raring to go, teachers too (some were also beginners), which added to the fun

and laughter as they learned and fell together. The Monday evening was a treat for students: Night

tubing. Many were thrilled at the idea and some were nervous but that soon changed once they sat on the

rubber rings, which slid perfectly down the slopes at about 60mph! It was a great night under the blanket

of stars and the fresh air in the lungs of our active All Saints skiers! It was a huge success with the

students buzzing about how great the après ski was and much better than Boston!

Tuesday, and again, we ski but this time an air of confidence fell onto all groups as they pushed

themselves further in perfecting their techniques and helping their peers too which really built a

conscious team effort and consideration for others. The beginners were now `skiers`, instructors were

working hard in motivating and teaching all students the right way for them and before the end of the

pm ski, students were instructing and advising their teachers in how to turn better: `Miss, try putting

your weight on the left when turning right` or `Lift your ski up a little and feel the turn, ` This was

fantastic to hear and it worked too! After a busy and tiring ski, students dressed up for the ultimate quiz

night hosted by, the one and only: Mr Keating. With 4 rounds of questions from sports to general

knowledge and the special teacher round, brains were working overtime to figure out questions like,

`What is the total age of all the teachers?` Now, I'm sure they didn't mean to cause offence when some

had answered: `1000`, but the answer for that one was much much lower!

It wouldn`t have been an Italian experience without pasta and pizza, and we were served pasta twice a

day- fitting in with the traditional expectation and cuisine-perhaps our students felt like a tonne of pasta

had entered their bodies by the end of the experience but we still ate as much as we could- skiing really

builds an appetite. But, without adieu, our pizza night away from our usual restaurant was a magnificent

experience: the clay oven filled with flames, which took 90 seconds to cook the pizza and less than 90

seconds for our pupils to eat it! The slightly charred corners of the pizza, was a great way to end a

midweek with so much skiing and excitement bubbling amongst the students. The Italian dessert

experience also allowed our students to appreciate the finer things in life- tiramisu, cake, lemon ice-

cream…

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The skiing only gets better, each session , each hour, our students felt more and more confident and

even the higher sets were challenged daily by instructors and ventured onto other lands to discover:

Snow parks, longer slopes and other places within the region but you could only get there with skis!

All groups had the sheer pleasure of being pushed to their limits by their amazing instructors- they

were very impressed by the end of the week, especially with the beginner sets! Remarkably the

improvement for our set 4 students who had only experienced a week previously on the slopes was

enormous. With all the group skiing black runs, something which they all thought would have been

impossible after their previous year in France. Also the beginners set 5 all accomplishing red runs

and the instructor contemplating to take them on a black!!!!! Unheard of with any beginners group

ever.

As Friday approached, students became quickly aware that the ski days were coming to an end. Not

only had new friendships been created, old ones confirmed and new skills and talents discovered, All

Saints students had a clear shared experience: we can all ski, we can all try and we can all help each

other conquer any fears. Friday was an ultimate day of reliving memories, discussing the `fall of the

day`, `star of the week`, `skier of the day` and other great titles which Mrs Manning announced after

each meal daily. The atmosphere was electric as students were led into our very own All Saints

Disco… This was the last experience for our loyal year 13s, a chance to shake a leg and celebrate our

Italian Ski Trip. It was a great night filled with cheesy music, `cutting shapes` dancing and great

smiles all around-even some of the shyer younger years decided to dance.

The ski trip was more than just skiing in a beautiful resort surrounded by snow topped mountains and

hosted with a beautiful starry sky at night but, this trip helped form friendships, memories, trials

which beginners had to endure to ensure their successful end and for all involved a learning curve in

how to show: consideration, understanding and assistance to those who need it most- away from

families, new surroundings and food to adapt to what was a remarkable achievement from younger

years to older years.

Flying to Italy and staying in a door step skiing hotel made the trip special. With many students

having their best ski trip experience ever. The students were true ambassadors for our school and

were a pleasure to take aboard and spend Feb half term with. A truly memorable trip.

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Year 8 Challenge Social Injustice Through Speeches! This term Year 8 have taken a stand on social injustices through speech writing. This week Year 8 have performed their speeches in front of their class for the: We Are Year 8-Voice of the Voiceless show.

There have been a variety of topics students have explored like: global warming, racism, crime, bullying, war, homelessness and more have been discussed through careful crafting of persuasive speeches. Not only have the class spent weeks preparing for this moment, they have also been researching, writing and practising vital speaking and listening skills too. Speeches are used in daily politics, work places and on the world`s most influential platforms and Year 8 have made it their business to be a part of the real life experience of persuasive language used for effect. Well done Year 8 and thank you for getting up even when you felt nervous, you all did really well and have made a difference in your classroom community! “If you want to see change, then be change.” – Taken from Lucien Manga`s speech entitled `Enablism` “Homelessness is invisibility- let`s start seeing each other.”- Taken from Joel Quaicoe`s speech on homelessness. Ms Incedal

Year 7 Show Racism the red card competition

The year 7s were invited to partake in the national, local and

school competitions for Show Racism the red card. Miss Terry

was inundated with entries from the year 7s which were all

thought-provoking, creative and powerful. Amazingly, 11

entries won free tickets to the ‘Daggers against racism’

football match on 6th April and one entry has been sent off to

the national competition, with us awaiting to hear the

results! We also held a school competition with the prizes as follows: 3rd place Vinna Ihechi

Achi and Adejumoke Adekunle, 2nd place Chelsea Erameh and 1st place to Ciel Ysabella De

Guzman (picture below). Well done to all who entered!!!

Year 7 Books of Experience

Year 7 have been working hard to create Books of Experience for their first year at All Saints using them to help them to

reflect on their learning and strive to improve. Students are working weekly to set themselves targets, complete

challenges and track their reading. There are some outstanding examples of improving vocabulary, completing

challenges and reflective learning from 7 Helena.

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Science Week was from 8th-17th March 2019. Pupils in Year 7-10 had great fun trying out some different activities

Pupils simulated the action of a washing machine on a piece of fleecy clothing in the lab They then examined the number of

microfibres under a microscope. They were

astounded by what they saw!

Here are some pupils in 7A with

their poster presentations on

Microfibres and how they harm

the environment.

Other activities in Year 8, 9

and 10 were flame tests,

creating DNA models using

sweets to represent the

molecules, how sundials

work and testing the

strength of eggshells

Year 9 students were taken to visit Newbury Park Reformed Synagogue where they met survivors of the Holocaust, including Rabbi Harry. They heard the survivors stories of what they experienced and how they survived the traumatic events. It was an insightful afternoon and students got a lot from the event. Rabbi Harry is an extraordinary person whose story was thought provoking and all students listened

throughout captivated by what he was telling them. He has a fantastic personality and inspired the students to go away and really think about how they could help in society to promote tolerance to prevent events such as the Holocaust happening again. He was knighted by the queen and he has spent many years educating the young by telling them his story and this is remarkable. He is truly an inspiration to all and students loved their visit and took a lot from it.

Rabbi Harry Jacob

Sociology Year 13 Yoga

On Friday lesson in Sociology we was learning about New Age Movements, we discovered that yoga is considered to be religious. During this Yoga activity, we were asked to focus on our breathing and our mind as to gain deeper understanding in New Age beliefs and self-spirituality. From attempting simple stances to more advanced positions, I was able to learn my flexible capabilities and develop it. Overall, I enjoyed this task and thought that it was something that allowed us as a class to relieve any potential stress or anxiety. By Oreoluwa Joshnson 13H

Year 11 PROJECT ZERO Update

50 select year 11 students are now close to entering the final stages of PROJECT ZERO. PROJECT ZERO is a targeted intervention strategy to support students in the build up to their final exams. The students who enrolled on to the programme are students who we identified at the end of the Autumn term as having not yet reached their academic potential based on nationally recognised statistics. This does not necessarily mean that these students were not performing well, some were achieving some excellent results but they are likely not be meeting the standards expected of them based on their attainment at the end of Key Stage 2. The aim of the project is to ensure every student is able to reach their full potential.

The intervention that the students have been involved in includes mentoring sessions with an allocated senior staff mentor who they will regularly meet to discuss progress against their academic targets, access to Thinking Thursday intervention sessions, Targeted after school intervention, guidance with revision techniques and revision timetable planning and also sessions on coping with exam stress.

The vast majority of students enrolled on to PROJECT ZERO have made excellent progress towards their targets so far and they are working very hard in the final run up to the exams. Well done all of you! IMPORTANT DATE: Parent meeting 3 to take place WB 22nd April – Focus ‘Review of March Mock Exam results’.

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Sixth Form update This term has been a successful and busy term for the 6th form.

Students have attended numerous activities such as the UCAS

careers fair; celebrated International Women’s Day, where we had

an array of presenters including the Mayor of Dagenham Sanchia

Alasia and Esther Agbolade, President of the Oxford Students African Caribbean Society.

Year 12 students completed an exciting programme held by the Old Vic theatre. The “Take

the Lead” programme involved 50 students over a series of weeks conducting activities

designed to boost their communication, creativity, team-work and leadership skills. Thanks for Mr Thorn for facilitating.

A few of our students were also involved in the school play, “Hairspray”, which played to full-houses. Quite a few of our

students have also participated in The Brokerage funded programmes such as Working in the City as well as seeking

apprenticeship opportunities. Our team of external careers advisers also conducted “Employability Skills” workshop for

the students seeking apprenticeship to give them all the skills and platform to make their

applications. Numerous trips have taken place to raise aspirations for the students such as to and

NCOP have continued to mentor the students weekly to raise aspiration. The Year 12 students have

continued the “More than Mentors” programme, where they mentor students in Year 7 to be

better able to adapt to life at All Saints.

In getting ready for the exam season, the Year 13 students have completed a second mock

examination series. They will also be attending Easter revision from subjects offering lessons. A

timetable has been issued separately. Saturday School has continued to thrive with a good turnout from Year 13

students regularly. Giving the student the maximum opportunity to succeed has been a key part of our thrust; we thank

the staff who have offered to supervise the students on Saturdays.

Finally, we are pleased by the level of interest in our 6th form from the students currently in Year 11. We had more than

600 applications of both internal and external students! This is pleasing and reflects well on the strength of the sixth

form for the future. Mr S. Ngwenya

International Women’s Day

The Second All Saints International Women’s Day conference was held on 8th March attended by the boys in girls in Yr11-Yr13. The theme for this year was #BalanceforBetter. The students were given the opportunity to partake in numerous activities as well as hear from the following speakers: Mayor of Dagenham Sanchia Alasia Esther Agbolade, President of the Oxford Students African Caribbean Society. The ladies were motivated and behaved amazingly and are looking forward to next year.

Media Students go to BFI

Year 13 Media studies students were given the opportunity to go to 2 full day

conferences at the BFI focused on their Media Studies final exam. There were

given the opportunity to hear directly from examiners, be involved in question

and answers sessions and interact with people from the industry.

Yr13’sVisit to CU

Year 13 students went to

CU London for a University

induction day. 80 students

were given the chance to

experience the following

schedule:

Sessions Content

Activity 1

Introduction to HE

(30')

- Qualification levels and pathways

- Different higher education pathways

- CUC ‘life-shaped’ learning

- Higher and Degree Apprenticeships

Campus Tour (15') - What a London University campus looks

Activity 2

UCAS Application (15')

& Personal Statement

(30')

- Who UCAS are

- The timescale for applying to university

- Various aspect of admission system used by university

- Personal statements in the UCAS process

- What are personal statements?

- What are admissions tutors looking for?

- Areas to cover in a personal statement

- Hints and tips for a good personal statement

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Geography Trip to Iceland 2019

Although the trip to Iceland was primarily focused on Geography it allowed the students to study a

range of humanities issues and topics throughout the entire trip. The students adored seeing their subject come to life

and really benefitted from seeing things like volcanoes in real life as opposed to trying to visualise it from a textbook in the

classroom. It really showed the benefit of ‘out of classroom’ experiences.

Day One – Focus of the day – Reykjavik and surrounding areas.

The exploration started as soon as we landed in Iceland. We went straight from the airport to

Reykjavik and along the way our incredibly knowledgeable guide told us facts about locations we

were passing. One of the first topics he spoke about was energy in Iceland and how this links to

the industry in Iceland. The students were aware of geothermal energy and were happy to find

out more and to see examples of it in action. We stopped off at a sculpture called The Sun

Voyager.

Here we were treated to a mini history lesson on the Viking history of Iceland. We were also told

a little bit about the DNA of the people of Iceland in which they initially thought they were

Norwegian however recent research shows that the female DNA in Iceland is made up of 65%

Irish DNA and we found out that the Vikings took many Irish women as slaves which would explain the genetic make-up.

We learnt a little about religion in Iceland and visited an impressive cathedral and we got another history lesson based on

Leif Erikson who was the first European to set foot on continental North America.

In the evening we walked down to the harbour and we visited a very significant landmark which is the Peace house. This

was used during the Cold war by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. We explained to the students the significance of

this house.

Day two – Focus of the day - Golden Circle Tour.

We were up early and ready to explore again. Excitement was incredibly

high for this day as many students were trying to imagine standing in

between two tectonic plates and also getting into a swimsuit in freezing

temperatures to have a dip in the secret lagoon which is heated naturally.

These are the type of once in a lifetime opportunities a trip to Iceland

provides.

Our first stop was Thingvellir National park, here the students were able to

walk from the continent of Asia to North America (Geologically speaking!) and they were also able

to walk along the rift valley. It was here that the first Icelandic

We then moved on to Geysir where lots of students got fantastic pictures and videos of the

geyser erupting. After this we moved on to Gulfoss waterfall. This is where the student’s

geographical knowledge shone. We tested the students on different features of the waterfall

and they were able to show us and explain the processes that were happening. It was of course

beneficial for all year groups but especially for Year 11 who will be doing this topic in their GCSE

exams.

On the way back from Gulfoss we got the pleasure of visiting an Icelandic farmer and were introduced to some beautiful

Icelandic horses.

Day three – Focus of the day - South coast Tour.

We visited a spectacular ash beach which the students were in awe of. The coastal landforms were spectacular and again

the students had a moment where everything they have been learning about in the coasts topic came to life. We focused

on volcanoes for the majority of the day; namely Katla and Eyjafjallajokull (the volcano which caused widespread disruption

in Europe in 2010). We visited a glacier called Solheimajokull and this really stood out as one of the most exciting moments

of the trip. We watched people climb the glacier and discussed the possible impacts if the volcano Katla was to erupt as it is

underneath the glacier. Many of the students expressed their desire to return to Iceland to climb the glacier themselves.

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Day four – Focus for the day - Reykjanes peninsula.

We visited a hot spring on the peninsula and we listened to the guide telling us a story about the

ghost that is supposed to haunt this hot spring whose name is Gunnuhver. The students loved

listening to the folklore and at the end of the trip were talking about

Iceland’s rich history. The possibly not so nice part of this was the smell

from the hot springs which is hydrogen sulphur which smells very

similar to rotten egg. We then moved on to a mini crater in which the

students got to stand in it, a lot of students could not believe that they

were standing in the crater of a volcano. The last stop was to a lava cave which was very

interesting as it was almost shaped like a lava balloon which you could walk inside.

Overall the trip was a huge success. It not only provided the kids with knowledge of their subjects but was also a

fantastic life experience and one which they are incredibly grateful to have had. We are very proud of our students and

it was a joy to share this experience with them!

All Saints Geography Department

Maths beyond the classroom! - Year 10 trip

Queen Mary University provided the opportunity for 20 year 10 girls to experience what Mathematics provides after GCSE. To inspire more girls, the University introduced the girls to successful women in Mathematics who shared their journey with the subject and explained the numerous degrees that are on offer in this field. The girls were challenged with some problem-solving tasks, showing some real life application of Mathematics. Dr Hunt delivered a lecture on her work with major stadiums and events, including the

O2 and the new Tottenham Stadium, showing how she uses Mathematics to calculate different numerical information they require i.e. solving the problem of flow of fans into the stadium! Lastly, the year 10 students were lucky enough to receive a presentation on Ada Lovelace, a historical woman who had a profound impact on how we calculate today, although sadly she was not recognized for her work until after her death. Overall, the girls said they had an excellent day and some have now said they are

STEM: The Health Professions Careers Morning

The Health Professions Careers Morning took place at Castle green, where 20 year 8 pupils were chosen to attend this event. During the careers morning there were a variety of speakers for medicine, nursing, paramedic, health commissioning, social work and many more.

The students were able to participate by circulating to each individual speaker. They were able to ask a range of questions and understand what different aspects were involved in relation to their field of work.

This gave pupils a more realistic aspect to the world of work. Pupils were also more aware

and able to think about the different aspects and routes to employment

and inspire them to pursue careers in STEM.

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Year 7

Geography Design Challenge

The year 7s were set a task by the Geography Department in which they had to create a 3D structure which

represented an aspect of Geography that they were interested in.

The winners were chosen in 4 categories: Environmental, Tectonics, Weather, Maps.

The quality of structures, the creativity shown and the hard-work put in to these projects was nothing less than

outstanding with many members of staff commenting that some of these creations could be used as a teaching

resources in class which they will be used for.

We are so proud of all of the students who entered and choosing winners was incredibly difficult.

Here are the winners…

Category 1: The Environment

1st Place was a brother/sister duo – Ciel and Pierre De Guzman (7H and 7F) with an outstanding display of the damage

being done to our oceans with plastic waste.

Runner up was Yinka Olafusi (7M) with a very creative depiction of how acid rain is created and the impact it has on our environment

Category 2: Tectonics

1st Place was Afreen Biju (7F) with a display in which we could see the after effects of an

earthquake in a city.

Runners up were Emme Ostapec and Maria Comia (7B) who did a fantastic volcano including

eruption. Have a look on our school Facebook page to see some of the eruptions.

Category 3: Weather Hazards

1st Place was Janelle Borja (7A) who created a spectacular model of a Tornado. This one has to be seen in real life to

be truly appreciated. The level of thought and detail gone into this project is out of this world. Well Done!

Joint Runners up were Max Ayroso (7H) and Angelu

Atienza (7T) and Anne Patron (7P) who both completed

fantastic projects with a tornado and volcano from Max.

The girls depicted a scene from Typhoon Maria.

Category 4: Maps

1st Place Lukas Taujanskas (7H) who

created a globe which opened up to reveal

the layers of the Earth. This resources will

benefit so many students when we study

tectonics.

Runner up Callum Creighton (7H) who

created a relief map of Ireland showing all

of the significant mountains on the Island.

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March has very exciting! 11 pupils from year 7-9 have taken part in a workshop with the National gallery! They have worked with an Artist learning about a variety of painting and then working up in one of the studios experimenting with materials. The photos attached show in the painting workshop! All the pupils were really enjoyed it and were really engaged! Looking forwards to them presenting work in their own exhibition in May!

Very impressed with year 8 pupils! This term the class has worked exceptionally! Creating and design exciting optical illusions!

Year 9 GCSE art students are

participating in a project called

‘Rivers of the World’ which focuses

on the environmental and cultural

influences rivers have on

communities all of the world. In art

students have begun making two

large Papier Mache sculptures

around this theme of sustainability.

Together, students have begun

crafting and sculpting to visually

depict the devastation plastic waste

has on our world and how this can

be changed.

All things practical in Technology

Year 11 pupils have finally finished their GCSE practical’s and the end is in sight, They have really pushed themselves and excelled in many areas, Pupils had a design focus on Designing to help a developing country and we have had a wide range of outcomes from collection boxes to survival boxes

Year 12 pupils have been design sustainable housing to help developing countries, The outcomes achieved are amazing, See the attached images, Next step the A level coursework

Year 7-8 have completed their 2nd rotation and have produced some amazing block bots and sweet machines not to mention the 3D poster.

Overall it has been a busy term in technology and pupils have really pushed themselves and excelled themselves

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World Book Day 2019

Share a Story!

World Book Day took place on Thursday 7th March and All Saints School

celebrated the theme of “share a story” in style! Staff and students dressed up

in an array of costumes ranging from the magical characters from a range of

well-known stories such as Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Seven

Dwarves, An Inspector Calls, as well as various villains and characters. Prizes

were awarded for the best dressed staff member and student!

The students really enjoyed the fun filled day which began with readings of extracts from students’

favourite stories by the English Ambassadors in the school foyer and a World Book Day Quiz and a

Design a Book Mark Competition for all students! In all lessons staff read a broad range of literature

with the students

Throughout the day we had competitions including Decorate the Door and Guess Who? The corridors buzzed with

excitement as the students competed to identify the characters staff were dressed as and the books displayed on their

doors. The students really enjoyed all of the activities that staff put on for them. Prizes were awarded for the students

who correctly identified the most!

At break and lunch time the English Department and English Ambassadors took to the stage in the main foyer of the

school to entertain the students by performing extracts from An Inspector Calls, Twenty Thousand

Leagues Under the Sea and many more! The students were very engaged in the performances and

supportively cheered on their teachers and fellow students.

Furthermore, a group of Year 9 Drama students demonstrated

their acting skills through impromptu performances across the

school. The feedback from these performances was fantastic and

these students really are brilliant ambassadors for All Saints.

The day was an amazing success and we can’t wait to celebrate

again next year!

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Religious Education Department

‘Ad maiorem Dei gloriam’ – Working for the Greater Glory of God

Over in the RE department, our year 11’s have been working exceptionally hard to get the best

grades possible! So many of our students achieved way above their target grades in the mock

exams. Their hard work and the effort put in by their teachers to support them has been

tremendous! Great to see students like Jennifer Ukachukwu, Olaloade Lawal, Etinosa Imade, Kai McGlinchey and

Adetoun Adebayo perform exceptionally well and to make things even more interesting they have been playing ‘The

Chase’ with RE GCSE questions!

In year 10, Victoria Talabi, Victor Sotire, Ferdianand Okoh and Timmi Akinsehinwa

have been great RE students! Ferdi is still the stand out chaser and his subject

knowledge is second to none! Their knowledge of Judaism, the feasts the rituals

and the Shabbat has been brilliant.

‘Sanctity, for the vast majority of people, implies sanctifying their work, sanctifying

themselves in it, and sanctifying others through it.’ Saint Josemaria Escriva

In year 12, our General RE programme has benefitted

from visits from various organisations! This half term

we were fortunate enough to have a visit from former

British Welterweight Champion, Ashley Treasure

Theophane! Mr. Theophane spoke to our students

about his humble beginnings, the hard work and the

dedication required to be successful. A really uplifting message for our year 12’s preparing

to leave school and go out into the wider world. As well as this, he was kind enough to stay and meet with

our year 7 and 9’s to share his positive message about focus, hard work and determination. A massive thank you to Ms.

Hughes and Mr. Pauro for organising this great opportunity for our students!

Humble Service in the Society of Saint Joseph

Last year we launched the Society of Saint Joseph! This group of

students who are called to pray for and to humbly serve our school.

We have had fantastic students join together to pray the rosary at

break times, attend Mass on Friday mornings and humbly serve our

school by showing respect understanding affection and humour.

We now look to next year and the next group of students who will

proudly don the red tie and uphold the humble spirituality of Saint

Joseph. Applications are open for our year 7’s and all who wish to

put their names forward. While the day to day of school life ticks

on, it is great to know that a group of students is constantly praying for our community!

‘God does not look on our greatness, but the greatness of our humility.’ St John of the Cross

Work that’s out of this World

Our work of the week display continues to show off the very best in RE talent. Many students contribute

to this but some of the best work has been from our year 7’s who have focussed on the ‘I am’ sayings of

Jesus.

Our year 8 students have been completing their Hinduism Project! Among the great work completed by them has been their presentations on the stories within this great eastern religion. One group produced a fantastic retelling of the Ramayana and students have been comparing Hindu creation stories with those of other faiths

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In preparation for the season of Lent, All Saints School observed and participated in the significance of Reconciliation.

This sacrament is a unique and important gift in our Catholic faith. Our Society of St Joseph Chaplains had beautifully led devotion to the Stations of the Cross in the Chapel every Wednesday during Lent, in which all staff and students were welcome to reflect with prayer and meditation. Year 7 and 8 after school Art Club designed and

produced a beautiful Stations of the Cross display by the Chapel. Many of our students at All Saints celebrated a very special milestone in their Christian lives by receiving the gift of Confirmation, administered by Bishop Alan Williams across parishes within the diocese. School Chaplain and lead Confirmation Catechist Ms Duval and her Confirmands at St Peters Church, Dagenham celebrated the Sacrament recently.

The Lenten Period and the Source and Summit

Above all, students have been learning about living out the virtues this Lenten period. The

importance of the Stations of the Cross and the importance of leading a moral life. Our year 9’s have

been learning about the importance of Eucharistic reverence, and the great act of love that Christ

worked in His final moments on this Earth.

The Son of God became a Son of Man, so that sons of men could become sons of God!

As our students leave for the Easter break, we wish them all great joy at the resurrection of our Lord

and a, Happy and Holy Easter.

Yours in Christ,

Mr. Gabrasadig and the RE Department

Lord, the resurrection of Your Son

has given us new life and renewed hope.

Help us to live as new people

And our hearts be fixed where true joys are to be found.

Grant us wisdom to know what we must do, the courage to commit to it, the perseverance to

continue to do it, and the strength to complete it.

Through faith in Christ our risen King, we praise your wonderful name!

Amen