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1issue 12Inside this issue
Eddies Editorial pg 2Aquinas Day pg 2Rome -Pompeii History Trip
pg 6Mumbai 2012 pg 12Fairtrade First pg 18Happy Birthday Sue pg
20We Woz Robbed pg 21Lord Sharkey Visit pg 22Oxbridge Bound pg
23The Tempest Production pg 24Work Experience Abroad pg 28After the
Quake pg 30Pathways pg 36Equality & Diversity Week pg 37 World
Book Day pg 38 Our Adopted Olympian pg 42FA Level 1 Coaching Award
pg 44Sport & Leisure Studies Visit adidas pg 45Netball
Champions!! pg 46Football News pg 48
Aquinas College e-journal April 2012
e-journal
Send your articles to: [email protected]
Please remember to send images, videos and text as separate
files.
Thank you
Rome - Pompeii History Trip pg 6
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2Aquinas Day
Eddies EditorialThank you for downloading the latest issue of
our e-journal.
It has been a really intense start to 2012! For the first time
in a long time we have celebrated St Thomas Aquinas feast day by
suspending the afternoon timetable and enjoying a range of
activities from inter tutor group challenge to an open mic session
to a visit by Fr Fabian Radcliffe OP, a Dominican priest.
The articles and photos that follow show some of the fantastic
diversity at life at Aquinas from trips to Rome and Pompeii,
Mumbai, work experience in a Polish school, the Tohoku earthquake
and tsunami one
year on. There are reports from Young Enterprise, Lord Sharkeys
visit to the politics students, Oxbridge successes and a fantastic
production of the Tempest by our BTEC Acting students and Sue
Snelsons 60th (surely some mistake!) and much, much more!
Im sure you will agree a bumper issue. Just a little, in fact,
of the rich and varied nature of college life which is captured in
these pages. Aquinas fair trade initiative, Equality and Diversity
week, World Book Day, the Romanian visit, the Italian exchange and
sport all follow. Charlotte Burgesss (our adopted Olympian) visit
is recorded along with Pathways Boccia Tournament.
Finally, thanks to Alans never ending quest for innovation and
improvement, we are trialling in this issue two video clips which
can be activated by clicking on the location. These can be found in
the Mumbai 2012 and Fairtrade First ... articles.
Please let us have your feedback, news, stories, photos and for
our next issue. These can be emailed to Alan at
[email protected]. And finally grateful thanks to Alan for his
expertise and Carol for her perseverance in eliciting
contributions, without whom none of this would have been possible
and this issue would not have materialised.
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3Aquinas Day
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6We came, we saw, we conquered...
Rome - Pompeii
A fter a slightly gruelling travel schedule on Monday the 27th
February, we arrived in our hotel in Rome tired but ready to seize
the (following) day.
Tuesday arrived, and after a hearty breakfast we managed to
navigate our way through Romes metro system at rush hour to the
Vatican
where the tour began. Students seemed impressed by the lavish
artwork and sculptures on display.
The rest of the day followed with a whistle stop tour of the
Colosseum and the Forum which was basked in the afternoon sun. The
second day was dedicated to travelling down to Naples and Sorrento
where we had some
free time to explore the shops and scenic coastal views, via a
short metro journey from our more than adequate hotel. After a
restful night we prepared ourselves for the following morning of
Pompeii and Vesuvius.
This was no mean feat as it was a full day of walking in an
ancient city with no shade and no place to hide from the
awe-inspiring ruins of this once great city that was covered with
volcanic ash after the eruption of Vesuvius in 79AD.
The tour of 3/5ths of this city covered all the sight-seeing
delights expected, including the Forum and Basilica (central
meeting area and political hub of the city), the market streets,
the baths and the brothel! After a short break we travelled by
coach to the neighbouring resident volcano, Vesuvius!
Here were travelled the 1,281 meters to the summit (mainly by
coach) where we saw a breathtaking view of the Bay of Naples on the
only crystal clear day of the trip.
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7The following day we went by hydrofoil from the port of
Sorrento to the Isle of Capri where we embarked on a fantastic
voyage round the island and travelled by row boat to the Blue
Grotto where we saw the spectacle of light refraction (glowing blue
water).
We then ventured onwards, past the expensive Armani shops to the
Gardens of Augustus for the truly wonderful panoramic vista that
was the Isle basked in the sunlight of the afternoon
Mediterranean.So... truly an adventure of planes, trains and
automobiles and a successful trip to boot!
Students have commented the following:
A memorable picturesque excursion
Lovely food
Wonderful attentive staff
Helpful tour guides
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9The Colosseum
The Roman Colosseum or Coliseum, originally known as the Flavian
Amphitheatre, was commissioned in AD 72 by Emperor Vespasian. It
was completed by his son, Titus, in 80, with later improvements by
Domitian.
The Colosseum is located just east of the Roman Forum and was
built to a practical design, with its 80 arched entrances allowing
easy access to 55,000 spectators, who were seated according to
rank.
The Colosseum is huge, an ellipse 188m long and 156 wide.
Originally 240 masts were attached to stone corbels on the 4th
level.
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The city of Pompeii is a partially buried Roman town-city near
modern Naples in the Italian region of Campania, in the territory
of the comune of Pompeii. Along with Herculaneum, Pompeii was
partially destroyed and buried under 4 to 6m (13 to 20ft) of ash
and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, and it was
lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery in
1749.
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Pompeii
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Since then, its excavation has provided an extraordinarily
detailed insight into the life of a city during the Pax Romana.
Today, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the most popular
tourist attractions of Italy, with approximately 2,500,000 visitors
every year
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Mumbai 2012
Our trip to India in February was an incredible experience.
Despite nearly 24 hours of travelling and us all just wanting to
sleep for the rest of the day, we had just about managed to stay
awake for the coach journey from the airport.
It was immediately clear how much of a different world we had
entered, with huge crowds and the consistent sound of car horns
from the traffic that can only be described as absolute chaos!
That afternoon, we walked to Prem Dan Garden School in the
centre of Mumbai for
an introduction into how the charity was formed. It was a good
insight into just how much work they do, and what we would be
seeing over the next few days.
After what could be possibly be described as our best night
sleep ever, we spent our second day at Kharghar Boarding School,
for girls aged 6 - 19. We worked together
to write and decorate part of the song True colours, and create
our own musical instruments to play in a final performance of the
song at the end of the day.
Everyone got stuck in, and it was really enjoyable working with
students over 4000 miles away who we had never met before, as if
they were our own college friends. The final performance put a
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smile on everyones faces, as we were all singing and playing our
home-made instruments.
Before coming to India, we had all bought presents for them, and
at this point, we gave them out.
It clearly meant a lot to them, and they were all very excited
about unwrapping their gift. Beki Maguire went on the trip last
year, and the person who she gave a present to then had turned down
a present from someone else this year, as she wanted it to be from
Beki instead.
They were truly grateful, and it was clear that they would
treasure it and not forget who it was from.
Our trip to Reay Road school in the slums was certainly the most
shocking day of all. We knew we would encounter poverty on our
trip, but to witness it first hand
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was a real eye opener. It was incredible to see how some people
live in such poor conditions,
and despite the tightly crammed shacks, be so happy and
welcoming as if their lives couldnt be better.
Many people came out to welcome us to their neighbourhood, and
there was definitely a community feeling to it. It truly made me
realise how grateful we should be for what we have, and that we
really cant complain about anything, as many are much worse
off.
What surprised me the most was how suddenly it changed from rich
to poor. As we were driving in, we would be passing luxury
apartment blocks one minute, turn a corner, and then suddenly be
right in the middle of a slum. It was clear how valued a good
education is, and how much it can make a difference to peoples
lives.
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We spent a lot of our time at the Garden School carrying out
workshops and after school sports clubs with the children.
Our carefully made lesson plans were completely ignored, as the
children embraced our activities and got stuck straight into
everything.
Despite them barely speaking a word of English, it was very easy
to connect with them to make it an enjoyable experience for both us
and the children.
We had great fun going back to our younger years of making
puppets, paintings, playing games, and lots of face paint, with
such enthusiastic and excited kids.
We were covered in glue, paint and glitter, and spending time
with the children was definitely the most enjoyable part of the
trip. It was fantastic to see where the money goes, and how happy
it makes the children, and what such a difference it makes to their
lives. There were plenty of tears between us when we had to say
goodbye.
I can honestly say that my time in India was the best twelve
days of my life. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it, and
have
made some amazing new friends. I would like to thank everyone
involved for such a fantastic opportunity that I will certainly
remember for the rest of my life.
David Russell
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The Best of Mumbai City MumbaiPav.com - Please click to activate
the video. A dialogue box may appear. Select allow to play the
video.
Aquinas - Mumbai 2012 Aquinas College - Please click to activate
the video. A dialogue box may appear. Select allow to play the
video.
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Fairtrade First....Since hosting a Fairtrade Kenyan producer in
June 2011 as part of a schools conference, Aquinas has been keen to
develop on its work for Fairtrade, with the ultimate aim of
receiving Fairtrade College Status.
T here was no better time to launch our work than that of
Fairtrade Fortnight, which took place from 27th February to the 9th
March.
The college now has a Fairtrade group, made up of a committed
team of students and staff who have come together to arrange many
events, such as the Traidcraft Stalls.
Aquinas will also be coordinating the Fairtrade Schools &
Colleges Network in Stockport, with the first meeting already
planned and in the diary!
If you would like to get involved in Fairtrade at the college,
please contact Jake Mairs.
Fairtrade Foundation - Please click the picture and activate the
video. A dialogue box may appear. Select allow to play the
video.
www.fairtrade.org.uk
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Simon Rawles
Oliva Kishero, coffee farmer, Gumutindo
Now women are getting jobs and getting more respect from men.
Women have seen me become a successful farmer and a voice in the
co-op and many women farmers are interested in joining our co-op.
They have seen foreigners come to my farm with their cameras and
they admire what I do. Now they also want to earn their own money,
to be independent and support their families financially. And now
some of the men are realising that it is better for their home if
they treat women more equally.
But Fairtrade came in to solve our problems. Now with the co-op
these problems are sorted out. Now we produce coffee knowing we
will get a fair price and a stable price, fixed for the season. We
can then work out what our income will be and plan for the coming
year, for school fees and all our necessities. I feel relaxed and
comfortable that I can budget for my familys needs.
Simon Rawles
www.fairtrade.org.uk
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Happy 60th Sue Snelson
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Tuesday 27th March saw a team from the Young Enterprise: SK
Enterprises go to the Company Programme Finals at Oldham Sixth Form
College, against teams from Oldham, Rochdale, Tameside and
Stockport, with local rivals Stockport Grammar and Bramhall High
School.
We woz robbed.
T he Competition has been running since September and SK
Enterprises has taken the challenge on to be a success in business
with products from Christmas Stockings for children to, Champagne
Flutes filled with sweets and finally a Band Night at Marple
Cricket Club.
At the final it was broken down into two parts. Firstly the
Trade Stand team, consisting of Charlotte Andrews, Robin Taylor,
Joshua Ost and Will Dearden, performed brilliantly in answering
judges questions about our products and our company.
Second were the speeches by the companies represented in which
SK Enterprises was represented by Managing Director: Harry
Greasley, Finance Director James Clayman and IT Director Scott
Thomas.
The speech went down well with audience members enjoying Harrys
very own comedy.
The team performed spectacularly across all areas from the
Company Report, to the Trade Stand to the Presentation, yet despite
receiving many words of praise about the products, the team
itself, the trade stand and the presentation, SK Enterprises
failed to win any awards.
This left the team downhearted and in the words of Vice
Principal Eddie Moore We woz robbed.
SK Enterprises would like to thank all who took part in the
event and Young Enterprise as a whole, with special thanks to Sue
Conroy our Link Teacher, Dale Arm-Riding our Link Advisor, Jake
Mairs and Eddie Moore.
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Lord Speakers Peers In Schools Outreach ProgrammeAquinas College
hosted a talk from a member of the House of Lords on (Friday
23/3/12) to encourage students to engage more with the political
and parliamentary process.
Lord Sharkey met with Politics and General Studies students for
an hour to talk about the work and role of the House of Lords. This
was followed by a question and answer session on various aspects of
the parliamentary process and life at Westminster generally.
Will Dawson (teacher of Politics at Aquinas) said, This was a
fantastic
opportunity for our students to interact with someone who knows
the parliamentary system inside out, as it can sometimes seem far
removed from their daily lives.
The visit was arranged through the Lord Speakers Peers in
Schools programme, which has been running across the UK since 2007
and has so far involved around 30,000 young
people. This continuing outreach programme sends members of the
House of Lords into schools and colleges across the country to give
talks in support of the citizenship curriculum.
For further information, see the Lord Speakers web page at:
www.parliament.uk/lordspeaker
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Oxbridge Bound
Six students from Aquinas are celebrating receiving offers from
the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Michael Clifford (Marple Hall) has received an offer to read
Natural Sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge; Grace Taylor (St
James) has received an offer to study Architecture at Magdalene
College, Cambridge, and Elizabeth Gould (St Bedes) has received an
offer to read English Literature at Murray Edwards College,
Cambridge.
Three students have received offers from Oxford University,
including Thomas Bates (Harrytown), who will study Law; Sophia
Christmann (Bramhall) who will read History, and Luke Matthews
(Cheadle Hulme High), who will study Classical Archaeology and
Ancient History.
Aquinas aims to increase the number of students to these
universities each year and undertakes a variety of initiatives to
help this occur.
The support offered students includes: informative events that
for prospective students; attending Open Days and Regional
Conferences run by Oxford and Cambridge universities; offering
enrichment and extra-curricular opportunities and societies to
students (one such, called SUMMA involves academic debates, visits
and lectures by university academics). The college identifies
possible candidates in their lower sixth year and provides
detailed
applications advice and mock interviews to prospective
applicants run by subject-specialists. Recently the whole college
took part in a University Challenge competition to celebrate St
Thomas Aquinas Day.
Niall MacDonald, Oxbridge Applications Coordinator for the
college, stated that, though these successes are pleasing, his aim
is to get 50% of all Oxbridge applicants to be offered places at
the universities of Oxford and Cambridge over the next few years
(the current national average is 25%).
Sophie Christmann, Elizabeth Gould, Tom Bates, Luke Matthews,
Mike Clifford and Grace Taylor
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The Tempest by William Shakespeare Directed by Jason Hudson
The Tempest is believed to have been written in 1610-11, and
thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote
alone. It is set on an un-specified remote island, where Prospero,
the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to
her rightful place, using illusion and skilful manipulation.
T he magician Prospero, (played by Dean Smith) and the rightful
Duke of Milan, and his 15 year old daughter, Miranda, (Jane
Dixon-Rowland) have been stranded for twelve years on an island
after Prosperos jealous brother Antonio (Dominique Statham) helped
by Alonso (Georgia Hudson) , the
King of Naples - deposed him and set him adrift in a leaky
boat.Gonzalo, (Ellie Pettigrew) the Kings counsellor, had secretly
supplied their boat with plenty of food, water, clothes and the
most-prized books from Prosperos library. Possessing magic powers
due to his great learning, Prospero is reluctantly
served by three spirits called Ariel, (Georgina Ross, Natasha
Kapp and Jess Heaps. Prospero maintains Ariels loyalty by
repeatedly promising to release the airy spirit from servitude.
The appearance of the savage Caliban ( Josh Hooley) disrupts the
proceedings as he
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is adopted by the two drunken fools Trinculo (Emma Garner) and
Stephano (Haseeb Isdhfaq). Caliban worships the bottle they drink
from as they plot to kill Prospero.
The play opens on a storm at sea as Prospero, having divined
that his brother, Antonio, is on a ship passing close by the
island, has raised a tempest which causes the ship to run
aground.
Three plots then alternate through the play. In one, Caliban
falls in with Stephano and Trinculo, two drunkards, whom he
believes to have come from the moon. They attempt to raise a
rebellion against Prospero, which ultimately fails.
In another, Prospero works to establish a romantic relationship
between Ferdinand (Rick Battaglia) and Miranda; the two fall
immediately in love, but Prospero worries that too light winning
may make the prize light, and compels Ferdinand to become his
servant, pretending that he regards him as a spy.
In the third subplot, Antonio and Sebastian (Kate Arrigonie)
conspire to kill Alonso and Gonzalo so that Sebastian can become
King. They are thwarted by Ariel, at Prosperos command. Ariel
appears to the three men of sin (Alonso, Antonio and Sebastian) as
a harpy, reprimanding them for their betrayal of Prospero. Prospero
manipulates
the course of his enemies path through the island, drawing them
closer and closer to him.
In the final scene, all the main characters are brought together
before Prospero, who forgives Alonso. He also forgives Antonio and
Sebastian, but warns them against further betrayal.
Ariel is charged to prepare the proper sailing weather to guide
Alonso and his entourage (including Prospero and Miranda) back to
the Royal fleet and then to Naples, where Ferdinand and Miranda
will be married. After discharging this task, his Ariels will
finally be free.
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U6 BTEC acting students - our production idease have decided to
give the play a generic
Italian essence with the use Neapolitan folk music and as much
physicality as possible.
There is chorus of four who play a variety of characters using
physical theatre as a base to bring movement to the text. In the
play there is only one Ariel, but as we have a large cast, three
girls are playing the character together using their dance
background and interpreting this in their own style.
There is a sequence in the play that has to reflect a
celebration of the union between Ferdinand and Miranda and the
students have choreographed a Bollywood style dance to Middle
Eastern track by Ofra Haza. As the director working on a
Shakespeare text
with students, its important that the play is accessible.
The students have spent time in rehearsals working on their own
interpretation and, most importantly, their understanding of the
language. There also has to
be a visual spectacle with a play that deals with magic,
deception, plots to kill, spirits and sorcery.
We have, I believe, managed to work on all the essential
elements that make Shakespeare both rewarding and enjoyable to
a
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modern, young audience and at the same time given the student
actors an opportunity to present their work to a live audience and
develop their performance skills in a classical theatre piece.
This production is part of the U6 students practical assessment
and carried two grades for each student. There will be one mark for
use of physicality and another for how they approach the text in a
classical theatre performance.
They have been working hard since November in class rehearsing
and the final 3 performances will be the culmination of this
process and go towards their final grades on the Acting BTEC
course.
Jason Hudson
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Have you ever considered doing part of your work experience
abroad? Doing this can be an experience of a life time as well as
being very different to what you would do here in UK.
Work Experience Abroad
I decided to take a week of my half term holidays to do part of
my work experience in Poland. I went to a small primary school of
about 280 students but it was quite different to the ones back in
the UK.
The children do not have to wear a uniform for school, have a 10
minute break in between each lesson, and have a really early start
of 8am in the morning.
In Poland some children will begin their education at the age of
6; however it is compulsory from the age of 7. Children attend
primary schools in Poland for 6 years the same as here. In Poland
children leave their primary
education at the age of 13, and from year 4 they have to
progress from year to year. If they dont get high enough grades
which means they wont progress to the next year and that child will
have to repeat the year all over again.
Pupils from year 1 until year 3 have to study Polish Language,
Mathematics, Science, Arts (like Art and Drama), Religious Studies
or Ethics as well as English Language.
The Monday morning wasnt a pleasant day at all, it was -17C and
the last thing I wanted to do was work when I could be staying in
bed.
Walking down to the school wasnt that bad as there was not that
much snow, however later in the week there was about 14 inches of
snow.
The first lesson was about to begin at 8am, which was like 7am
for me because of the time difference.
I was supposed to be working with children aged 6 to 11 years of
age despite this I had to teach a class of 30 boys at the age of
13.
I was given 10 minutes notice as one of the teachers was absent,
that meant a full day of teaching English to all different
children. I did that for 3 days, and I learned
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how challenging teaching really is. Without regard this has made
me appreciate how hard our teachers have to work each day; whether
preparing a lesson or trying to explain something to students.
I also have learned that when a child learns something new it is
very rewarding for the teacher.Undertaking work experience abroad
has given me a lifetime experience.
If you thinking of doing work experience abroad all I can say is
DO IT, you will not regret it. As well as doing your work you will
meet some interesting people and explore other cultures.
Magdalena Kosztowna
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After the Quake311 has become one of unforgettable dates for
us.
T he Tohoku earthquake and tsunami occurred on 11th March 2011.
It is hard to believe, however, it has already one year since
then.
We no longer receive any news and updates on the current
situation as well as the nuclear power station issues in the
west.
However, for those Tohoku earthquake and tsunami victims nothing
has changed much. It will take a long time to fully recover from
such a devastating event to a normal lifestyle for them.
In April 2011 an Aquinas AS Japanese class organised a Japan
Appeal day. The event was very successful. They raised 1,142.74
pounds which was donated to the British Red Cross.
You can still see the reminder of this event in the atrium where
cranes are hanging. In June, GCSE and AS Japanese classes together
with Duncan Whalen wrote a letter to Tsunami victim students
through the Japan Society in London.
In September, I received a letter from the Head Teacher of
Yamada Junior High School, Miyagi, who had received our letters. I
asked my A2 students to translate the letter in English (you can
read this letter later).
In October, the A2 students designed an Aquinas College leaflet
in Japanese , and we sent them to Yamada Junior High School so the
students could read about us.
In November, I received an email reply from Yamada Junior High
School. They were happy to receive our leaflet, but the email made
me sad (you can read this reply later).
In December, all of Japanese classes (A2, AS, GCSE, Beginners
and Culture) made a Christmas poster for Yamada School students
Deaths: 15841Injured: 6011Missing: 3493
Data from:National Police Agency
December 2011
to wish them happiness and good health.
I would like to continue supporting Yamada Junior High School,
and would be very grateful to receive any ideas on ways in which we
could achieve this.
I would like to thank all of those who participated in and
donated on the Japan Appeal Day.
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Takeshi Sasaki (Headmaster)Yamada Town Junior High School
26th August 2011
Ms Emi Tamai - Aquinas College
We would like to express our gratitude to you for your support
in Japans recovery and reconstruction. Thank you very much for
sending your letters to the pupils after the T hoku earthquake. At
the students entrance there is a notice board where we have
displayed the messages.
From looking on Google Earth, Aquinas College appears to be in a
very nice, green area near Manchester. We were very surprised and
touched to receive letters from somewhere so far away and to know
that there are people praying for Yamada Town during this difficult
time.
30% of our pupils homes have been partly, or completely
destroyed or washed away and 60% of the pupils parents have either
passed away or lost their jobs. That is the current situation in
our school. Despite many of the students being directly affected by
the disaster, we dont want our students to feel that they are
victims, but instead, to carry on their student lives as usual in
order to create a positive atmosphere. This has been our hope for
some time now, and it does finally feel as if things are getting
back to normal. In response to your kindness, all the staff got
together and we are going to do our best to spread the message of
hope and reconstruction across the school.
Furthermore, we have told the students that if they want to
write a letter back, then they can, but because their English isnt
very good and many of them are shy, I think it would be
difficult.
I hope this short letter has expressed my appreciation and
gratitude sufficiently.
Yours sincerely,Takeshi Sasaki
These are two letter
s received from
Yamada Junior High Sc
hool.....
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15/11/2011Ms Emi Tamai, Aquinas College
Thank you very much for sending the leaflets. I am the deputy
head of Yamada Primary School, Iguchi Wataru, and I am in charge of
all external communication. Having received another of your
letters, from now on we shall be sending our replies via email.
If you take a look at the rest of the world, it would seem that
everyone thinks that the T hoku disaster is over. Over here
however, we havent noticed a single improvement since the
earthquake struck. 109 of our students are currently living in
temporary housing and this winter is expected to be bitter. We are
worried about their futures as their homes are not suitable places
for learning. Since living in the temporary housing, many of our
students have been absent from school for long periods of time,
their nerves have been on edge and they have become stressed when
in school. It turns out that some students even have PTSD
(post-traumatic stress disorder). Because of this, more and more
students are having difficulty sleeping at night. The number of
students has decreased from last years 538 to the current 483 and
it is feared that next March even more students will change
schools.
In response to the current situation, as previously explained in
one our letters, we are spreading a message of hope and
reconstruction to the students and we are encouraging them to work
towards their dreams, but it is very difficult for us to ask you to
provide us with specific help as each student has different issues
and circumstances. Were just really hoping for the safety and peace
of mind of the students and teachers. With the support and
encouragement from the entire country and the rest of the world,
well persevere.
Regards,Iguchi Wataru
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Italian Exchange
And almost (but not quite!) to top off a fantastic year of
international jinks we need to tell you about another great Italian
Exchange. Following hot on the heels of the Romanian students in
February and the Italian students at the beginning of March, Nina
Peplow, myself and 12 wonderful students travelled to Valdobbiadene
near Venice to sample some true Italian hospitality.
As always, a fabulous time was had by all. A great opportunity
for our language students to polish up their act in time for exams
next month and for those new to Italian to take their first
faltering but enthusiastic steps in a new language.
Rest assured everyone, Italy is still just as beautiful, the
weather is better than here and the food... oh, the food!
Next year, come along - we know where to get the best ice cream
in the whole wide world.
Jaki Singleton
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On Wednesday 8th February 2012, the Stockport Area Boccia
Tournament took place. Twenty four teams from schools and colleges
in Stockport and Trafford competed in the one day competition.
T he Pathways department of Aquinas College entered two teams of
six. Team A won all of their games in the first round but were
knocked out of the competition in the quarter finals.
Team B played consistently well, beating Werneth High School
(last years winners) in the semi final 6:0. The final was very
exciting.
Bridge College had a strong team and our students were feeling
nervous.
The first game went to Bridge College, with them scoring 1
point.
Game two was evenly matched until Nic Msindai played a ball
which pushed the oppositions ball off the court, resulting in
Aquinas scoring 2 points.
In the final game, Ruth Ward played her second ball so close to
the pin that it could not be beaten.
The final score was 4:1 to Aquinas!
Team B (from left to right) Laura Worthington; Ruth Ward; Nic
Msindai; Nico Jackson; Ryan Cailey; Alistair Barnes
Team A (from left to right) Cynthia Tang; Ella Rowe; James
Young; Sarah Jemison; Alicia Rogers
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Every year, the Aquinas community comes together to celebrate
equality and diversity issues through a themed week.
Equality & Diversity Week
T he purpose of the week is to raise awareness and highlight a
range of equality and diversity issues to all members of the
college community, both on a local and national level.
Aquinas College strives for every week to be an equality and
diversity week, recognising the needs and wants of individuals and
doing what we can to make them achievable.
This year, the emphasis has been placed on the assembly and
tutorial programme, coordinating stimulating and engaging sessions
that students and staff will be able to learn key messages from,
whilst also making an everlasting impression.
This was designed by a team from the Student Council, led by
Jake Mairs as the student representative for equality and
diversity. Topics in which have been covered this year
From left to right: Kunal Ramchurn, Scott Thomas, Natalia
Dawson(front), Magdalena Kosztowna, Katriona Anderson Budenberg,
Faeza Choudry (front), Joshua Mason, Sue Conroy (E&D
Coordinator), Jake Mairs (E&D student rep)
have been: homophobic bullying, learning disabilities, religious
tolerance, and equal opportunities in the workplace.
We are particularly grateful to the learning support charity,
MacIntyre, who provided materials and visited the college to speak
to a group of students regarding their work.
If you have any questions regarding equality and diversity,
please do not hesitate to make contact with Sue Conroy or Jake
Mairs.
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The Learning Centre celebrated World Book Day on 1st March, a
yearly event which promotes authors, books, illustrators and
reading!
World Book Day
Our brand new set of Quick Reads were very popular and we even
caught some of the teaching staff reading them..
The photos are also on show in a colourful display on the first
floor of the Learning Centre and the Quick Reads are now available
for loan.
Thanks to Stephen Wilson for the photography.
Thanks,Lorna
Learning Centre
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From left to right: Jamie Shawcross, Anna Herety, James Blake,
Sam Edwards
As part of the Stockport Sports Trust initiative, we have been
incredibly fortunate to have been assigned our very own Olympic
athlete - archer Charlotte Burgess.
Our Adopted Olympian
C harlotte visited Aquinas recently to talk to PE and Sport
students about her preparation for the London Olympics and to
reflect on her experiences in Beijing.
She brought in her bow which was a far cry from the wooden robin
hood style bow and arrows we are accustomed to seeing on TV. The
carbon fibre state of the art equipment sure was impressive, as was
the way Aquinas student John Devenny was able to hold it up!
Charlotte spoke of how she missed out on a bronze medal in
Beijing by just one point and
how she and her team mates dealt with the devastating lows that
followed. Sport and PE students asked questions about areas they
study such as training regimes and anxiety management and Charlotte
was keen to give examples from her experiences to answer these. Her
modesty was humbling and it was obvious how her mellow and calm
matter-of-fact approach to life enables her to hold steady under
what must be immense pressure. Following her talk, Charlotte was
happy to pose for Photos with Aquinas Sport students followed by an
interview with
our very own James Thorburn who did such a good job, he may want
to consider a change of career direction! During the interview
Charlotte told us Gold is the only medal she wants and that whilst
she is looking forward to competing in a home nation Olympics, she
reminds herself its just another archery competition. She sure was
one cool customer, in the nicest sense of the word! Her message to
the students at Aquinas in all their endeavours was to go for it,
to never give in, as in her words itll always come good in the end.
Remind you of anyone?
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As part of the enrichment activities a group of 20 students
successfully completed the FA Level 1 Coaching Certificate.
The qualification also involves completing an Emergency Aid
qualification and Child Protection Certificate.
The course covers the following topic areas;
Safely organise and supervise football activities including mini
soccer, small sided and conventional games Promote and establish
positive working relationships and high standards between players,
coaches, parents and officials Understand different aspects of
coaching children Identify and adapt football activities and
seminars for a variety of different age groups Identify personal
development opportunities in football including sports therapy,
administration and officiating
FA Level 1 Coaching Award
T he course was delivered internally and also in partnership
with Cheshire FA and is an excellent qualification for the students
to gain, and looks fantastic on a personal statement whether
applying for University, an apprenticeship or job.
Congratulations to everyone who successfully completed the
course; Dominic Simpson, Anna Herety, Andy McHale, Joe Wrigley,
Chloe Fuller, Jordan Tarmey, Katie Lobu, Dylan Doyle, Bethany
Wells, Kyle Cunningham, David Sergent, Tom Donaghy, Josh Dias,
Conor OHanlon, Jay Green, Liam Aylwin, Mike Pentland, Josh Turner,
Dale Felstead, Matthew Warburton.
The students were a credit to the college and the standard of
coaching was fantastic, they all found the course extremely
rewarding and it will definitely benefit them in the future.
Students Comments:
Josh Dias - The FA level 1 course was fun and enjoyable to
complete. With lessons once a week for a term including a day for
practical exercises I would definitely recommend this for someone
and it will definitely be useful in my future.
Joe Wrigley - The FA level 1 course had a lot of hands on
experience throughout and there was lots of practical examples
throughout the duration of the course.
Bethany Wells - The FA level 1 course was a new challenge that
came with many new experiences. In found it useful as I am looking
to go to university to do sport in the future and it was good
starting point to help my coaching career.
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A class of Sport and Leisure students visited the adidas
headquarters in Hazel Grove last month.
Sport and Leisure Students Visit adidas
T he visit was part of the Olympic Legacy and to help the
students with their coursework. The visit helped the students in a
number of different ways including:
Sport - Analysing the sports industry, employment opportunities
within this industry, examined different sport components and the
interrelationships of these components.
Leisure - Marketing, finance, products, promotion, branding,
advertisingThe visit entailed:
Meeting the adidas team at their offices and looked around the
different departments
Find out about adidas history and links to the Olympic and
Paralympics games
See London 2012 clothing before its sent to the shops
The visit was extremely beneficial and helped the students with
their coursework enormously.
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Megan Francis-Hill, Maria Breen, Kate Meagh, Abbie Revill,
Rebecca Pearson, Claire Armstrong, Rosie Ratcliff, Olivia Boland
and Nicole Dalton.
ednesday 29th February saw the netball team
leave college and head to the Amechi Centre for the NW
tournament.
It was a very relaxed day and when the draw was announced we
breathed a sigh of relief no Cardinal Newman. Once on court the
girls nerves disappeared and they played to their strengths.
3 group matches saw 3 successes and we awaited the results of
the other group to see who we played in the semis -
Blackpool 6th Form College. This team was an unknown quantity to
us but fortunately we had inside information on the college and
knew if we played our game wed be fine.
100% effort from our girls saw a nail biting goal for goal
encounter a turnover from the girls and we never looked back. The
final whistle came and we were in the Final!!!!! How did that
happen we all asked ourselves?
With the other semi completed we now knew our opponents
Cardinal Newman. A few moans and groans from us all. Just go on
court, play your game and enjoy yourselves! and thats what they did
we were 5 nil up and nearing half time!
The second half under way and the tables turned, but the girls
stuck to their game and when the final whistle came no one knew who
had won, it was that tight. 11-10 to Aquinas College!!!!
We were now on our way to Bath for the BCS National
Championships!!
Megan Francis-Hill, Maria Breen, Kate Meagh, Abbie Revill,
Claire Armstrong, Rosie Ratcliff, Olivia Boland, Katy Swann, Clare
White and Nicole Dalton.
British Colleges North West Netball Champions!!
F riday saw the netball squad meet up at 9.30am to set off to
Bath for the Championship weekend. After checks that no one had
forgotten trainers or dresses we were off.
It was a long drive and when we finally arrived at our
accommodation Novotel in Bristol we were all very
impressed. We quickly unpacked then headed up to Bath University
for registration, dinner and the Opening Ceremony.
All neatly dressed in our NW hoodies we sat and waited, and
waited and waited for the ceremony to start. Eventually proceedings
began and after a long evening we returned to
BCS National Championships - Friday 30th March Sunday 1st
April
our hotel for an early night as we had a 7.00am early start,
with 6 matches on Saturday and a further 2 on Sunday.
Saturday saw us having to play 6 x 30 minute matches, with
little recovery time. The girls were absolutely shattered at the
end of the day results being 2 wins and 4 losses. The girls
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played amazingly throughout all the games and performed
brilliantly against Academy teams.
The bus was very quiet that night going back to the hotel, but
after a hot shower they came down to dinner refreshed if not very
stiff!! Not wanting to drive back to Bath for dinner we found a
small Italian restaurant close to the hotel where pizza, pasta and
chips were the order of the day!
As we had 2 more games to play on the Sunday the girls didnt
need any telling after dinner that an early night was in order.
What we didnt realise, until the next day, was that this early to
bed was them plotting how to catch us out with April Fool the next
day!
Sunday lie in til 8.00am saw some very sore and tired girls
walking in to breakfast. But in true Aquinas spirit once on the
court they came alive and won their first match.
The adrenalin certainly kicked in and how they got through their
final match Ill never know, but that they did and gave their
opponents a fright for a short time. As the final whistle blew all
the girls breathed a huge sigh of relief; they
had finished and just wanted to get on the bus and head home. 3
wins and 5 losses saw us finish in a very creditable 6th
position.
We arrived safely at college at 5.30pm. I have to say that the
girls were amazing throughout the whole weekend and even though
absolutely exhausted they never gave up.
At both the regional championships and the national
championships the girls were brilliant ambassadors for the
college and should be extremely proud of what they have
accomplished during both tournaments. They have made me very proud
this season and their accomplishments are very special to me,
reminding me once again why we do things like this for our
students.
Thank you girls! Pat Greening
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T he top four teams from the South and North leagues qualify for
a quarter final knockout with the chance to be crowned North West
Champions.
A special mention must be made to the second team who qualified
as league winners. Well done to everyone who has represented the
college so far this year & good luck in the knockout
stages.
Congratulations to the Football Teams
Both the football 1st XI and 2nd XI have qualified for the
knockout stages.
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