Newsletter November 2005

This issue

Welcome to the November 2005 edition of Saint Paul's Academy's newsletter!

In this issue:

• Solid foundations
• New facilities
• School timetable
• Competitive sport
  
• Fundraising events
• Important dates
• Holiday dates
• Gaelic Football champions, champions, champions!!

Dear Parents and Guardians

“Welcome to the first Saint Paul's Academy Newsletter. This will keep you up- to-date with all the exciting things that are happening at our school.”

Patrick Winston, Principal

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What Year 7 have to say about our School

As Year 7 settle down and become established members of our community, they have lots to say about Saint Paul's Academy.

“It is like a blanket in the cold weather to keep me warm and cosy.”

Tobi Adepunji

“Even though I've only been in this school three weeks I've noticed that the teachers all make learning fun.”

Charlie Martin

“I like this school because I have fun in English, maths, science technology, music and even in the boring subjects!”

Oshioke Zibiri

“Saint Paul's wasn't the school I wanted to go to but its great because it teaches you to have pride in yourself and also to have manners.”

Devona Baillie

“Saint Paul's is a big old building with massive windows, medium sized classrooms and a nice basketball court. The new block is nice and clean and the students are kind and helpful.”

Kieran Dancy

“The dinners are warm, always look good and we have a choice of what we are going to eat. This school is a nice place to be.”

Flora Gwaneza

“Going to Saint Paul's has helped me be a lot more organised.”

Georgina Sanders

Solid foundations

We have come to the end of an extraordinary half term in the history of our school. On the 1st of September, Saint Paul's Catholic School became Saint Paul's Academy and this has brought about some fundamental change in the way we prepare young people to be the citizens of the future. This change would not have been possible if we were not building on very solid foundations and we were delighted that the final examination results for Saint Paul's School were its best ever with 62% of students getting five or more A* - C at GCSE and 97% of students achieving five or more A* - G grades. My thanks go to all those who helped to achieve such success; the teaching staff, the support staff, parents and guardians and of course to the students themselves.

Similarly, the Year 9 SATs results were very pleasing with our targets for level fives being exceeded in the three core subjects. Again, my thanks go to all those who contributed to such magnificent results; they do not happen without very hard work and co-operation between all those involved. It also has to be said that these results bode very well for the future and I am confident that the high standards we have set as Saint Paul's Catholic School can be maintained or even exceeded by Saint Paul's Academy.

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New facilities

As we move into the new academic year there are very obvious differences to our school; these include block C, as the temporary accommodation is known and the new restaurant area. The increased space is having a great impact on teaching and learning and we are delighted with the number of students who are opting to eat breakfast and lunch. This number far exceeds our expectations and shows a basic shift in the eating habits of our students and staff, all of whom are benefiting from this vastly improved facility.

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School timetable

Less obvious at first but equally important is the change in the school day. The four, ninety minute lessons, with fifteen minutes for breakfast in period one and half an hour for lunch in period three, have made our school a much calmer place where learning is seen as the priority. The fact that mealtimes are staggered also helps to ensure that the emphasis is on learning as it means the playgrounds are not overcrowded at specific times and empty at others. Students are also now taking advantage of the fact that they have access to ICT facilities before and after school and many are aiming to complete most of their homework on the school campus.

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Competitive sport

Extra curricular activities are also well underway now; the football season has started and the first rounds of the Kent Cup are being played by our boys' and girls' teams. The National Tournament has also started and our Year 9 boys' team is already through to the second round. As the football season starts, so the Gaelic football season ends and again all our teams did remarkably well with the Under14 team completing a unique treble! Fixtures in boys' and girls' football, as well as in netball will continue after half term.

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Fundraising events

Our fundraising activities have also started. On Friday 14th October, we worked with the Irish charity GOAL and held a jersey day when students and staff alike were invited to wear a sports top or any other jersey to show their commitment to people less fortunate than themselves and, in particular, those who have been victims of natural disasters such as those in Niger. Students have also been raising money for Vision Aid Overseas a charity which is dedicated to those in the developing world who have problems with their eyesight. However, our main focus on charity will, as always, be during Advent and this year we have decided to support two very different charities.

A student in our school has brought to our attention the plight of cystic fibrosis sufferers so we want to support research into this disease. We have also decided to support Sister Ann O'Connor in her work in schools in Kenya as we did last year; her visit to us last summer gave us a very clear picture of the huge impact the efforts of our students had on her community and we are anxious to help again this year. I know that, as always, we can rely on the generosity of parents and guardians and the enthusiasm and commitment of our students during this very important time.

Although it is only the beginning of November now, it will be Christmas before we know it and I would like to take this opportunity to invite all members of our school community to our Carol Service which will take place on Monday, 19th December at Saint Michael's Church. In the meantime, my thanks go to all staff, students, parents and guardians for all their continued hard work and support.

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Important dates

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Holiday dates

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Gaelic Football

We have come to the end of a most successful Gaelic Football season and it is pleasing to reflect on a number of significant highlights:

• A successful tour to Ireland with victories in Armagh, Cavan, Fermanagh and Roscommon
• At U12 level: Runners Up in the Club Championship
• At U14 level: Winners of the  Treble: Club Championship, League and Schools' Championship
• At U 16 level: Runners Up in both the Schools' Championship and the Club Championship
• Four students represented London in the Feile Peile na nOg competition

In recent weeks the focus has been on our U16 and U14 teams. The U16 team had an outstanding victory against Round Towers in the semi-final of the championship but in the final a very strong Saint Kiernan's team defeated them.

Our U14 team has now completed a unique treble as highlighted above. This team benefited immensely from the 7 day tour to Ireland at the end of May and they were undoubtedly the best school team in London. Their performance in the schools' final was testimony to the way that they have improved their basic skills in this sport. Last week they played in the League Final and their second half performance was awesome; trailing by 2 points at half time they recovered to win by 20 points!

Finally, I must extend my thanks to colleagues and parents who have been involved in the continuing development of Gaelic Football at Saint Paul's. I would like to thank our coaching staff; Mr Akif, Mr Innocent, Ms Branagan and Mr McCann for their invaluable work for both midweek and Saturday fixtures. We are also very grateful for the unstinting support of Tom Denning, Anne McLoone and their colleagues at Dulwich Harps for the opportunities that they have provided for the students at our school. 

The complete set of results to date is:

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Tour to Ireland

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Schools' Championship: U14

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Schools' Championship: U16

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