St Bedes Catholic College Long Cross, Lawrence Weston Bristol BS11 OSU Tel: (0117) 3772200 Fax: (0117)

3772201 E-mail: stbedes@bristol.gov.uk Visit our Website: www.stbedescatholiccollege.org

NEWSLETTER 132 25th November 2011

SHOEBOX APPEAL I would like to thank all of you who donated shoeboxes, money and presents to the Shoebox Appeal. We collected 88 shoeboxes in total which is an amazing number and will enable so many children this year to have something to open at Christmas. The number of items donated was incredible and I was touched by the time and though that was put into each box. Thank you once again for your generosity and hard work and to Maia Templeton and Katie Whitfield whose idea it was to participate in this appeal! Harriet Ellison in 7DSM told her sister, a Year 1 pupil at St Josephs in Portishead, about our work and as a result they sent off 29 shoe boxes.

YEAR 7 BURGER BOXES In Term 1, Year 7s were given a project to Tel: (0117) a3772200place inside a burger box. Fax: (0117) 3772201 make miniature We were allowed to use any materials that were available and we tried to make them 3D. Before we started, our Geography teachers showed us examples from previous years. One of which was a design of the Sydney opera house, another was Blackpool Pleasure Beach and another of Space. When we completed our boxes, each class voted on the top three and then those were judged by the teachers. The results were announced in Fridays assembly. Everyone had lots of fun designing and judging the boxes in our Geography classes. Written by Cesca OBrien, Year 7. Congratulations to Molly Thorne who came first with her model of the Great Wall of China. The runners up were William New who created Tokyo, Eva Clothier who created Giants Causeway and Hannah Shiga who created Japan.

PASTEUR HOUSE TRIP On Wednesday 23rd November, 11 Pasteur pupils visited the Avon Valley Riding Centre for the Disabled in Henbury. This project, which runs riding lessons for children and adults with all sorts of disabilities and special needs, was selected by the House Council as one of the Pasteur House charities for this year. The Pasteur Tutor Representatives from Years 8, 9 and 10, along with Mrs Greaves, the Head of Pasteur House, met with volunteers and instructors for the Centre, learning about how much work goes into making it such a special place for the children and adults that use its services. They were able to observe a riding lesson for disabled children, and it was great to see how much the riders enjoyed their lesson. The Tutor Representatives also got a tour of the Centre, which was much bigger than we expected, and even got to meet the horses and ponies used! Amy McGrath, in 10PSBA, described the trip as "inspirational". The Tutor Representatives will now share their experience with the rest of their tutor groups and present an E-mail: st_bedes_s@bristol-city.gov.uk assembly about the visit to the whole House later this term. Fundraising will start soon! CATHY MACPHAIL VISIT st On 21 November the award-winning author Cathy MacPhail visited St Bedes. She talked to some Year 7 pupils about her books and what inspires her to write. The pupils were very interested and enthusiastic. They asked thoughtful and imaginative questions. Cathy read some of her stories and had the pupils on the edge of their seats. Having read many of her books, we were able to understand her passion and love for writing. It was an honour to meet such a lovely and inspiring person and we hope she visits our school again soon.

Tel: (0117) 3772200 Fax: (0117) 3772201

ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE A number of our Year 9 pupils earned the opportunity to take their performances of some of Shakespeares key speeches to the BBCs Shakespeare Off By Heart workshop where they teamed up with experienced directors and actors. As Luned Stevens said It was great to be with likeminded enthusiasts. Jonathan Pearce said It was an exciting opportunity and Alex Goodwin said It was eye opening in ways you wouldnt expect.

E-mail: st_bedes_s@bristol-city.gov.uk

PLANNED INDUSTRIAL ACTION 30 NOVEMBER 2011 As you will be aware, teachers and other public service workers unions have voted for industrial action following national ballots. It is therefore likely that strike action will th take place on 30 November 2011, unless talks currently under way are successful in seeking a resolution to the dispute. In the event of the strike going ahead, all pupils in Years 11, 12 and 13 will be in college. Pupils in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 will be given guidance about work which they must carry out at home during this absence. The record will show that pupils will be working at home so that an enforced absence is not recorded against them. I know this is not good news for families and I regret the inconvenience it will cause you. If the planned talks with the unions are successful and the strike is called off, then we will be operating as normal on Wednesday. In that event, you will receive a text from us and a note will also be placed on the website. CHRISTMAS HAMPERS Tutor groups in years 10, 11, 12 and 13 will be collecting items of food to go into Christmas hampers that will then be taken to the Julian Trust Caring at Christmas project. The Julian Trust is a project run in St Paul's that offers food and accommodation to people who are on the streets. Our food contributions will go towards ensuring that those vulnerable people who are homeless at Christmas will at least not go hungry. A few tins or a bag of pasta can really make a difference when everyone contributes something. For a list of items that the centre have specifically asked for, please look at the poster which your tutor should have - remember no perishable items please! Further information about Julian Trust can be found on their website: http://www.juliantrust.org.uk/ Thank you in advance for your generosity. SPORT RESULTS Rugby Year 7 v RGS 10 - 25 Lost Year 11 v SMTR 27 - 7 Won Congratulations to years 8 and 11 who are through to the semi-finals and year 7 who are in the quarter final play offs. Netball Year 7 v RGS 12 - 10 Won Year 8 v RGS 2 - 22 Lost Year 9 v RGS 14 - 14 Draw Year 10 v RGS 7 - 28 Lost Year 11 v RGS 1 - 23 Lost Congratulations to the year 7 and 9 teams who are through to the semi-finals. VACANCIES There are currently two vacancies for Cleaners: One post is for 10 hours per week, 6.00am - 8.00am, 273 per month The second is for 16 hours per week, 3.15pm - 6.30pm Monday to Thursday and 3.15pm - 6.15pm Friday, 410.30 per month. Please contact Mrs Walker on 0117 377 2200 or email stbedes@stbcc.org for further details. Alternatively, the job description and application form are available from our website www.stbedescatholiccollege.org. The closing date nd for applications has been extended to 2 December 2011.

TH

ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF A CHEMISTRY UNDERGRADUATE rd On Wednesday 23 November 25 Chemistry students from year 10, 12 and 13 visited Bristol University for the annual Schools Chemistry Conference presented by leading academics from around the world. In the first lecture, Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys told us about how he had invented the Genetic Fingerprint; and how this technique turned the world of forensic science and detection upside down. He also outlined some frightening implications for the abuse of this technology; and staggering violations of European Human Rights law and individual privacy. The well-known Scientist and Author, Dr John Emsley then presented a lecture on the Molecules of Murder, in which he outlined how various poisons had been used over the ages, not always with the results intended. He described how one wouldbe assassin had built a funnel-shaped contraption to carry exhaust gases including highly poisonous carbon monoxide from his car to his wife as she lay in bed asleep; unfortunately for him his invention also amplified the noise of the cars engine, waking her immediately and needless to say she took issue with him. Perhaps the most sinister case that Dr Emsley discussed is the recent poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko with Polonium 210, this radioactive isotope left a clear trail of evidence across London that conclusively shows the murderer to be Andrei Lugovoy, a Russian politician, however the Russian government refuse to allow him to be tried. Several of Dr Emsleys books are available to borrow from the College library. After a brief break for doughnuts we returned to the lecture theatre for Tim Harrisons talk about perfume chemistry, which began with the words If you are sensitive to loud bangs, get a life. He then carried out an array of exciting demonstrations to illustrate how our sense of smell works. Both of these lectures were real eye-openers for our students, giving a taste of what it would be like to study a science subject at university and what a career in Chemistry might entail. Attending these or similar events will also impress Admissions Officers when applying to study related subjects at college or university and should provide some of our year 13 candidates with a talking point at admissions interviews.

LAST BRAINTEASER ANSWER Two wise you are, two wise you be, I see you are two wise for me BRAINTEASER A person can carry sufficient food and water to travel four days in the desert. The planned trip will last six days. Alone, no one can succeed. Question : How many people will it take to lead the first person to her destination and to allow the others to return to the starting point? WISE WORDS! Most of the things worth doing in the world were said to be impossible before they were done. Louis Brandeis (1856-1941) Jurist