ST JAMES’ CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
JULY NEWSLETTER 2023
MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER
I write my last Newsletter for the year, very much looking back on what has been a year packed full of opportunities and experiences for us all. Annual end-of-year events such as our Year 11 Prom and our Year 13 Art Exhibition feature in these pages and give a wonderful insight into what some of our pupils have been involved in.
For me, the pinnacle of our end-of-year events has been the long-awaited return of Sports Day. This event, bringing our entire key stage 3 community together, was such an uplifting experience and one, hopefully including Year 10 next year, that I am already looking forward to.
Do enjoy looking at everything that has taken place as we have ended this year.
I hope you all have a restful and enjoyable summer.
Mr Ellul
Headteacher
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
TO STAY UP TO DATE WITH ALL OUR NEWS, CLICK ON THE BUTTONS TO FOLLOW US ON . . .
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
UPCOMING EVENTS
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
Jack Petchey Awards Evening
Congratulations to all of our Jack Petchey Award Winners, who received awards at the Jack Petchey Awards Evening: Jeremiah Amuri-Sossongo, Shay Foody, Noah Zakarian, Yeisha Domingo, Elisabeth Ciortan, Rachel Horgan, Dawson Johnson, Kiisu Rojugbotan, Keliane Diasivi and Ezel Muntean.
The awards were presented to students by the Mayor of Barnet at the Arts Depot on the 4th of July.
The Jack Petchey Foundation was set up by Sir Jack Petchey to inspire and motivate young people across London and Essex to do their best and reach their full potential. These pupils have shown a great attitude toward learning and are resilient in all lessons. This is a real embodiment of our Veritas Values.
Congratulations again to all of our award winners - this is a fantastic achievement!
Aspire England Basketball Tournament
Congratulations to James in Year 10 who competed in the Aspire all-star tournament this month.
James had taken part in The Aspire Programme for talented 11-15-year-olds. Which involved being part of the camp activity within his region. Selected players would then move to four super region camps.
James played admirably and proudly became a successful Captain leading the team and winning the gold medals for the Under 15 years, for the Aspire England Basketball Tournament 2023.
Well done James!
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
Year 7 Inter-house Tournament
Last week we had our first inter-house football tournament with Year 7. It was an absolutely lovely tournament with lots of students coming out to spectate and show support to their classmates.
Thank you to our Year 12 Leadership team who organised the event, well done!
Sports/Art Awards Evening
At St James’, we have an immensely talented group of pupils who regularly excel in a range of extra-curricular activities, and who often represent our school to the highest possible standards.
This evening allowed us to recognise this and celebrate our pupil's achievements.
Thank you to Mr Dyer and Mrs Bunning who organised this event!
Photos are here
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
Our year 11 students enjoyed a well-deserved prom celebration, following their hard work, leading up to the public exams.
The students gathered together at the school to show off their outfits and photo opportunities, before heading off to Greenwich to board their cruise along the Thames.
Everyone returned to school at the end of the night elated and exhausted from the shared celebrations.
A massive thank you to Mr Knibb and Mrs Bunning for organising such a great night!
Photos are here
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
Our recent Art Exhibition took place in June, showcasing our current Year 13 Art cohort's amazing work!
They invited staff and pupils to showcase their artwork from the last two years. The variety and quality of the pieces on show was inspiring and we congratulate them on all their hard work.
The below video showcases some of our Art Ambassadors discussing their work that had been displayed at the exhibition.
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
After a 3 year hiatus, we are delighted to be able to hold our annual Sports Day. Years 7-9 pupils and staff gathered excitedly for Sports Day at Allianz Park. With perfect weather conditions, our students didn't disappoint putting in excellent performances in both the track and field events.
The day is a celebration of our school community with staff supporting events and our Sixth Form pupils coming along to help. We saw our pupils encouraging each other and showing their true sporting attributes, whether winning or losing.
With thanks to the staff at Alllianz Park for their help in organising the day, the PE staff for pulling together a full programme of events and all the staff who so willingly assisted throughout the day.
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
Our Annual Stem fair took place on the 14th of July. Our year 8 pupils were divided into groups where they were given questions to investigate. For example ' How can changing the concentration between vinegar and baking soda affect the efficiency of gas molecule growth?'
They then spent time putting together research, creating a hypothesis and method. They then conducted the experiment beforehand to see if there were any limitations.
During the fair, each group had their investigation displayed and were able to demonstrate/explain their findings to Year 7 pupils.
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
Barnet School Music Festival Trip
Four of our pupils (Joseph Ochere, Opemipo Philip, Joseph Elliot and Melvin Dos Santos) had been chosen to perform at the Barnet Schools Music Festival. This year's festivals enabled nearly 1,500 young people to perform live at the Artsdepot. Over seven nights they welcomed 48 primary schools and 6 secondary schools.
Below is a message from BEAT (the organisers of the festival) who commented on our pupil's performance:
'Your students' performance of the African Highlife Medley was incredibly accomplished. The four players showed musicianship beyond their years and gave a truly impressive and entertaining performance which I am sure will have inspired the primary children on stage. Please convey my thanks and congratulations to Hanna Williams and any other colleagues who prepared the students and took the time to manage the numerous practical considerations which go along with making a performance like this happen. It was a great pleasure for me to work with your colleagues and your delightful students. I do hope that they had a good experience at the festival, and I look forward to your involvement in future events with BEAT.'
Well done Boys!
Year 10 - Frith Manor School Trip
Our GCSE music students had the chance to be taken to Frith Manor Primary School, to perform for their pupils.
This was an exciting opportunity to showcase the talents of our GCSE Music pupils to the wider community and to inspire our young musicians with performance experience.
Year 10 - Jewish Museum Trip
As part of the Year 10 GCSE RE course, our Year 10 pupils must extend their knowledge of Jewish beliefs and practices. Therefore Mr Szymiczek had organised a trip for Year 10 to visit the recently renovated Jewish Synagogue in Finchley.
Pupils had the opportunity to ask questions and take part in activities led by Rabbi Miriam. This was a fantastic insight into the life of Jews in Britain today and it benefited their understanding of Judaism.
Year 12 - Enrichment Trip
Our Year 12 pupils had the opportunity to take part in an enrichment day at the Stubbers Outdoor Adventure Centre in Upminster.
This enrichment day required pupils to participate in a range of activities such as kayaking, bell boat, high ropes, raft building, crate stack and vertical obstacle course. The purpose of the day encouraged our Sixth Formers to work together through team-building exercises.
Year 8 - PGL Residential Trip
A group of our Year 8 pupils had the chance to experience a Multi Activity Break with PGL to Little Canada in the Isle of Wight. This was a fantastic opportunity for pupils to participate in team-building activities as well as develop new skills.
The trip gave positive experiences for our pupils as each day brought new adventures and new challenges to our pupils. Whether that was finding the courage to jump backwards off an abseil tower or building a raft to race across the lake, there was a huge range of exciting adventure activities to help our pupils build confidence and learn new skills.
Year 8 - Rewards Trip
Ezel (8T) recently won the Jack Petchey Award for her excellent progress this year. She chose to use her prize money to celebrate with her form. As a result, students had a brilliant time at bowling and McDonalds.
“I am extremely proud of Ezel’s achievement this year and for the way that 8T conducted themselves during the trip. Even members of the public stopped to compliment the students on their impeccable behaviour.” Miss Medina (8T form tutor)
Year 8 - Careers Workshop
As part of the school’s careers education programme, Mr Emlsey organised a one-day workshop at Essex University, Colchester Campus for our Year 8 pupils.
They started off with a tour of the university, which was followed by a workshop where they had to create presentations to show to a representative from Dell. This gave our pupils the opportunity to gain an insight into higher education, University life and the world of work.
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
Mr Emsley - PE Teacher
Mr Emsley, one of our PE teachers, is a qualified Tennis Umpire and over the next two weeks will be umpiring at Wimbledon.
"I have been umpiring for 14 years and first started shortly after finishing university. I played a lot of tennis when I was younger, so I developed a genuine passion for the sport and enjoy being able to umpire at the highest level. What I love about Wimbledon is the atmosphere and the buzz from the fans that come to see the world's best players perform. It has always been my goal to be able to umpire at Wimbledon because it’s the most prestigious event of the year. I have been fortunate to umpire some of the top 10 players in the world such as Marin Cilic, Denis Shapovalov and Gregor Dimitrov." ~ Mr Emsley
Mrs Lamptey - Canteen Manager
Beatrice is our wonderful Canteen Manager who ensures that our students are fed tasty nutritious meals at school.
Thank you to all of our amazing canteen staff that make amazing dishes for us to eat.
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
As the school year draws to a close, it is time to reflect on the year we have had in the Library at St James’. It has been an incredible year, we had Book fairs, reading lessons, Book Dragon sessions hosted Career Fairs, Year 5 taster days, and a colleague who has published a book.
The Library is a ‘safe space’ where pupils who need a bit of respite can come and relax during breaks and lunch times. A little group has emerged of friends that support each other, it is so heartwarming to see pupils of different ages and cultures getting together to share stories and give each other confidence boosts, and more importantly, a friend when you need one.
I have always advised that books and reading can help build a person’s confidence, vocabulary, academic results and their social skills. I have witnessed pupils recommending books to their peers, almost becoming a sales person...selling the latest trainer to a confused shopper. We have a beautiful space in the centre of our LRC which has comfy chairs that is used for reading, debating and or just chatting.
Recently we were honoured to get a visit from Wesley Girl’s High School in Ghana, our visitors enjoyed meeting our pupils, viewing our book collection and meeting with Mrs Harmer as she gave them a rundown of her book.
Ms Mahomed - Librarian
Book Recommendations
Do you want to find out more about your favourite footballer?
Our library has some new books about football superstars, their stories, facts and their stats.
Find out something new about some of your favourite footballers!
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
'I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE AND HAVE IT TO THE FULL' JOHN 10:10
Contact Us
Email: admin@st-james.barnet.sch.uk
Website: www.st-james.barnet.sch.uk
Location: Great Strand, Colindale NW9 5PE
Phone: 020 8358 2800