Cameron Crichton, 11 Godfrey It was with great sadness that we received the news that Cameron had died on Sunday, 18 January. He was a very special young man who showed great courage and great humour throughout his illness and his passing into the care of Our Lord was always going to be met with a combination of fond memories and great emotion. As parents and carers you would have been proud to see the response of our students. Their rst thoughts were for Cameron, for each other and for Emma and Bill, Cameron’s parents. On the Monda y morning they sat and exchanged memories of those things that made them cry alongside those things that made them laugh. They respected that each one would meet grief in a different way and they showed the greatest of respect for Cameron’s memory, reminded by the message he had left them to get on and be good – or if they could not be good, be sneaky! T o anyone looking in on the way that our students responded they would recognise the love of God in all that was said and done. They are a credit to their faith, they are a credit to each other, they are a credit to our school and they are a credit to Cameron. It is really amazing to think that this young boy had the maturity to let others walk with him t hrough his illness. In truth this is a great gift that will stay with those who knew him for years to come. His friends have learned a great deal from Cameron, not least the ability to persevere in the face of great difculty and to do so with great humour . Fr Kevin noted in his homily at the Mass with Year 11 on the Tuesday how striking it was that Cameron was able to take control of such a difcult situation and ensure that life was lived to the full. He did so with the help of loving parents, your children and our staff. Finally, I would like to thank all those people who have supported the school at this difcult time. T o the staff at Keech Hospice who have been a rock for students and staff alike, to the local cler gy , to our many friends and to Cameron’s parents who have been so generous in their support of the children they have come to know so well. May he rest in peace
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Welcome to our latest edition of Newman News! It is acelebration of all that is good about Newman and all that isgood about the students we are called to serve.
Mock exams
The Year 11 students can look back on their Mocks with the
usual mixture of good news and bad news. This year we gave
the students their results in exactly the same way as they will
receive them in the summer – the dreaded brown envelope!It was a useful reminder to many that there is more to come,
reassurance to others that they are on the right track and,
for one or two, it was either a terrible shock or a pleasant
surprise!
The reality is that the year group has done very well. They
performed better than last year’s Year 11 at the same stage
and, providing they put in a great deal of effort and revision,
they can be hopeful of fantastic outcomes next summer.
All students in Year 11 should take time to reect on the fact
that they must do all they can to get a C grade in English and
Maths. All sixth form schools and colleges are required toensure students follow Maths and/or English if students did
not achieve a C the rst time round. It is desperate to see
students each year missing the C grade threshold by just one
or two marks when we know they could do better with a
little more work, a few more revision sessions and a bit less
time on Facebook! If you are a parent / carer of a student in
Year 11 who is on that borderline, please do all you can to
encourage your child to take up the extra support on offer.
Many of the students will have further ‘walk-through’ exams
in Maths and English to help them ne tune their exam
skills, particularly the management of time, and to give them
Our Year 10 retreats this year were once again led by the
Northampton Youth Ministr y Ofce (NYMO).
“I have learned that a relationship involvestrust, loyalty and respect. I have also learnedthat different relationships involve variousopinions.”
“I learned what we as teenagers look for inour partners and how to deal with certainsituations. It has also changed the way Iview girls. Group activities were extremelyfun and entertaining but also a great way toget everyone’s ideas out.”
“I have learned that boys and girls havedifferent expectations especially as wegrow up. I learned a lot about the oppositesex and even about my own sex. The day
was very detailed and informative.”
“I have learned about the deeper meaningsof relationships. I have also learned how todeal with dilemmas in relationships.”“I have learned that a relationship involvestrust, loyalty and respect. I have also learnedthat different relationships involve variousopinions.”
“I enjoyed discovering other people’sopinions and finding out my own opinionson relationships.”
Year 10 Retreats
“I learned what we as teenagers look for inour partners and how to deal with certainsituations.”
“It has also changed the way I view girls.Group activities were extremely fun andentertaining but also a great way to get
everyone’s ideas out.”
“I have learned that boys and girls havedifferent expectations especially as wegrow up. I learned a lot about the oppositesex and even about my own sex. The daywas very detailed and informative.”
“I have learned about the deeper meaningsof relationships. I have also learned how to
deal with dilemmas in relationships.”
The Northampton Youth Ministry Ofce (NYMO) oftensupport and lead our retreats. if you would like to know
more about their work in the community and diocese,
please click the NYMO logo above to go directly to their
On Friday 23rd January Newman Sixth Year 12 and 13students heard a testimony from Holocaust survivor, John
Dobai, as part of a visit organised by the Holocaust Educational
Trust (HET).
The session was to enable students to better understand the
nature of the Holocaust and to explore its lessons in more
depth. The visit is part of the Holocaust Educational Trust’s
extensive all year round Outreach Programme, which is
available to schools across the UK.
About John Dobai
John was born in 1934 in Budapest, Hungary. His parents,
concerned about what they had heard about the Nazis in
Germany, decided to convert to Roman Catholicism. In June
1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union and Hungar y soon
became involved. John’s father was called up to serve but
was sent home three weeks later as people of Jewish origin
were no longer allowed to be in the army. Six months after
returning home, he was called up for slave labour. In March
1944 Hungary was occupied by the Nazis and anti-Semitic
laws were immediately introduced. John was no longer
allowed to attend school.
Jews from across Hungary were being deported but
those in Budapest were protected from deportation by
the government. After a brief stay in the countryside,
John returned to Budapest to stay with his mother and in
September 1944 they were both taken to the train station to
be deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. His father had just been
released from slave labour and heard that a Swedish diplomat,
Raoul Wallenberg, was handing out visas and he managed to
get hold of three. Wallenberg had also bought a number of
houses in Budapest and declared them Swedish territory so
that they could be used as safe houses for Jews.
The Dobai family moved into one but in November 1944 theNazis decided that these were not, in fact, Swedish territory.
They began emptying the houses and shooting the Jews but
on 13th January 1945 the Russian army liberated John and
his family.
The family moved to England in 1948 and today John is married
with two daughters and three grandchildren. He continues to
talk in schools and universities about his experiences during
the Holocaust.
Sixth Form students are familiar with the history of the
holocaust with some students visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau to
enhance their learning. The testimony by a survivor adds a
human aspect to enhance the students’ understanding of the
event.
By Mr King
Head of Religious Education, Peter Fahy said:
“It is a privilege for us to welcome John Dobai to our
school and his testimony will remain a powerful reminder
of the horrors so many experienced. We are grateful to the
Holocaust Educational Trust for co-ordinating the visit and we
hope that by hearing John’s testimony, it will encourage our
students to learn from the lessons of the Holocaust and make
a positive difference in their own lives.”
Karen Pollock MBE, Chief Executive of the Holocaust
Educational Trust, added:
“At the Trust, we impart the history of the Holocaust to
young people, to ensure that we honour the memory of those whose lives were lost and take forward the lessons
taught by those who survived.”
“After a brief stay in the countryside,John returned to Budapest to stay withhis mother and in September 1944 theywere both taken to the train station to be
Last December ve brave souls took part in the school poetry
recitation competition in Cardinal Newman School. They all
did a fantastic job. Each contestant had to recite two poems
from memory in front of Mr. Ritchie, Mrs. Thorrington, Ms.
Dowdeswell and me, Mr. Garvey. Tough crowd.
I would like to say a special thanks to all the contestants: Tyrese
Lungay, Anastasia Christodoulou, Isabel Aruna, and Natasha
Morris. The outright winner of the school stage was Isabel
Aruna, who now goes on to compete in the Bedfordshire and
Hertfordshire nals in Bedford Library on Saturday, February7th.
Also thanks to Mrs. Thorrington and Ms. Dowdeswell for their
judging skills and to Mr. Ritchie for his support throughout the
competition. Best of luck to Isabel in Febraury!
By Mr Garvey
We are delighted to announce that Isabel Aruna in Year13came in 2nd at the Area Finals. Well done!
Would you like to share your professional journey from when you left CNS?
Pupils relate much more to presenters who once satin the same classrooms and have now gone on to usetheir education for inspiring and varied professions and
established careers.
If you would like to do a presentation to inspire pupilswe would love to hear from you. Please contact AdamKing, our Marketing and PR Ofcer:-
Barton Le ClayBedfordshireMK45 4Rhttp://www.prestigedesignww.co.uk/live/
01582 883222
Please can I ask that all parents help us maintain the quality of
uniform by noting the following points?
Coats for the colder weather should be just that – a proper coat not
a hoody, cardigan sweat top, denim jacket etc and baseball caps have
never been a par t of our uniform. Any student bringing these items
into school knows that they can expect to have them conscated.
Coats should also be plain black or navy.
Trainers should only be worn during sporting activities. They shouldnot be worn on the journey to or from school or in the school
building. I have asked staff to see that pupils in trainers change
into their shoes but if individuals persist in breaking the rule about
trainers, they can expect to have them conscated. I will ring the
parents of pupils who only have trainers with them and ask if they
can go home and change. Sore feet, swollen ankles and blisters are
not acceptable reasons for not wearing proper shoes!
Shoes should also be black and a SENSIBLE design. High heels, boots
and imsy ballerina pump styles are not practical and do a lot of
damage to growing feet.
Please ensure that your son / daughter’s SCHOOL BAG is large
enough to actually carry a book? This may seem obvious but there
has been an increase in students carrying fashionable items that
are really of no use to them when it comes to having the correct
equipment for lessons and carrying homework home.
Finally, can I ask that parents follow the ofcial school dress code and
disregard information from their son or daughter about variations on
the style of school trousers or skir ts that are acceptable? This is not
true and only results in students being sent home to change or buy
the correct uniform before returning. Skinny black trousers and very
short, tight skirts are not acceptable.
SECOND HAND UNIFORMThe Friends of Newman have a supply of clean second handuniform in good condition and sell it to parents at very reasonableprices at Parent Consultation Days and Open Evenings. In thesedifcult times of nancial constraint we all appreciate a bargain
and this is a very good way of keeping growing children dressed inproper uniform. If any parents have any uniform that their childrenhave grown out of that is in good condition please send it toschool to Mrs Aizlewood at the main school reception.
MOBILE PHONESThe message that mobile phones are not allowed in school is given
out to students and parents very regularly. It is a frequent addition
to Newman News, we have issued separate letters and all parentsreceived a Home-School Agreement to sign which explains that
mobile phones must not be brought into school.
Our reasons for this rule are simple:-
Phones are not necessary. In emergencies students can use the
phones in Senior Leadership Team Ofces or Head of Year phones.
Parents who need to get in touch with their children can pass on
urgent messages via the school ofce.
Phones are frequently stolen – staff are not able to put in hours of
detective work to discover who has stolen a mobile phone.
Phones do not protect students from harm. The police have advised
us that students using mobile phones are far more likely to be
attacked than students without them.
Phones disrupt lessons. No matter how many times parents might
tell their children to leave the phone turned off in their bags, they
never do!
This rule is not new. Mobile phones have never been allowed in
school and if staff see them they will conscate them. This involves
locking them away in the school ofce until the next half term or
end of term holiday.
They will only be returned if a parent collects the phone at the end
of the term/half term in ofce hours.
We realise this inconveniences students and also parents but this is a
very impor tant rule as mobile phones are so disruptive to school life.
Please make sure that your child does not ignore this rule as we
cannot make any exceptions no matter what the circumstances. It
would not be fair and totally undermines the discipline policy. I am
afraid that recently staff have been bombarded with phone calls –
sometimes abusive, where parents have tried to get an exemption
from this school policy for their child and demanded that their child’s
phone is returned before the holiday period.
Therefore the Chair of Governors, Mrs Moloney, and I have repeated
the rule about mobile phones in this copy of Newman News in the
hope that everyone will follow the policy without expecting special
treatment. I am afraid that while we are always happy to talk to
parents about their children, staff will no longer meet with parents
or discuss the conscation of mobile phones with parents over the
phone. There can be no exibility on this issue and it is unfair to take
up a teacher’s time in this way.
Many thanks to all the families who have supported us on this issue
and on all other issues of school discipline.
UPDATING CONTACT DETAILSAny parent who has not made his/her mobile phone number known
to the school or whose number has changed recently should contact
the school through the child’s tutor to make the necessary changes
as soon as possible.
Thank you for your co-operation with our policies. A full copy ofour policies can be found on our website.
SCHOOL POLICY UPDATES
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