St Bernard's Newsletter

Dear families,

Welcome to our latest edition of the St Bernard’s newsletter. This Advent has provided us with much needed time for reflection and readiness as we wait in anticipation for all that it means when we individually encounter the Christ Child in our hearts at Christmas. Our participation in prayer, confession, Advent services and Carol concert have been times when we have been able to demonstrate our commitment to our preparations. This half term has once again been packed full with the hard work and dedication to our educational endeavour - ensuring that at St Bernard’s, we continue to provide as many opportunities as possible for our students to shine.

This newsletter is another testimony to this endeavour. I invite you to read through and see a glimpse of what happens in the life of our school. We continue to be proud of our staff and students and all that they achieve. We are truly blessed! We finish the term on Wednesday 20 December at 12.30 and return on Monday 8 January 2024. I therefore take this opportunity to wish you and all you love a happy, joyful and holy Christmas with all of God’s blessings for the New Year. We look forward to seeing the students on Monday 8 January by 8.45am.

Warmest regards

Mrs Moise-Dixon

Headteacher

A wonderful Christmas carol service unfolded at our school filled with joy, warmth, and a delightful turnout! Thank you to everyone who joined us for this memorable evening of festive cheer.

We attended the Church in Need Red Wednesday on the 23rd of November. This event was to raise the awareness of all schools in England & Wales about the condition of the persecuted Christians.

From this session, we learned about the importance of helping those who are persecuted because of their faith. One of the cases we saw opened our eyes to see how persecution affects the wider Christian community, hence why we decided as a school to take more steps to support those in need of our help. On the same day, we raised money for the Church in Need through donations, and we tried to raise awareness by wearing a red item.

We think the "Church in Need" video was a good educational platform to spread the message across the UK, so by the end of this year they can reach their goal of raising £100,000.

Our Youth Chaplaincy Team, have started to think of fun ideas on how we can contribute towards this charity in the next few weeks, leading to the end of 2023. But if we run out of time, we have decided to raise funds for two months in 2024, so we can continue to keep this Charity at the top of our minds.

In summary, we believe that supporting the Church in Need allows us to fulfil our Christian duty of stewardship.

Contributed by: Ava Dobie, Divine Erhunmwunsee, and Ifunanya Okoli

Volunteering at SVP was a great experience, and I am honestly considering volunteering again. It fills me with so much joy knowing that my contributions behind the scenes, such as dating and counting cans and preparing meals in the kitchen, will go towards those who need that extra bit of help. I do encourage others to donate cans and clothes to SVP so these resources can be used again.

Cassandra Blair

Our student, Emma Mansfield. clinches the National School Champion title in her UK age group. A standing ovation for her remarkable dedication, countless hours of training, and exceptional commitment.

These are the girls who were given the Headteacher’s award for the autumn term. Congratulations to all of them!

• Year 7- 7F: Josephine Bonham-Leonard
• Year 8 - 8F: Samantha Pojadas
• Year 9 - 9C: Jessica Anajekwu
• Year 10- 10M: Evangeline Stimpson-Cook
• Year 11- 11A: Divine Erhunmwunsee

At St. Bernard's, developing a love of reading is recognised as an important part of building well-rounded and successful students. As part of our programme of events this academic year, we have established a literacy calendar that promotes key national and international events. This includes World Book Day but also lesser-known events such as 'International Book Giving Day'.

Helping to bring these events to life is our Reading Scholars Group comprised of Year 7 students.

The Reading Scholars' ethos is to promote reading at all opportunities. Reading Scholars have already introduced 'Non-Fiction November' to the school, and they have presented in assemblies the book they chose: 'The Reason I Jump' by Naoki Higashida. This has helped build their confidence in speaking aloud to groups. This event has also helped to raise the profile of this interesting book, written by an autistic teenager in Japan using a unique communication method. Our next event is 'International Book Giving Day' - we are planning a school-wide event entitled 'Make a Date with a Book'.

We have also created two unique Reading Zones in the school where quiet reading is encouraged: we have comfy chairs and plenty of interesting books. It can be a great space for those who want to escape with a book during break or lunch.

We are continuing to run Lexia sessions to support the reading capabilities of our students. This is a programme that students will access at school and at home to boost vocabulary, grammar and comprehension skills.

Finally, we have a second group of Reading Leaders completing their training with Coram Beanstalk. A selection of Year 10 readers had applied to become "Reading Leaders" and are now certified as coaches, supporting the reading of Year 8 students. They will be commencing their first sessions in the new year. Our original group of Reading Leaders in Year 9 have nearly completed their 10-week coaching sessions with Year 7 students, and we are looking forward to seeing the impact of these support sessions.

Disciplinary literacy continues to be a focus across the school - our strategy is to ensure we have students who can 'think like an expert', 'read like an expert', and 'write like an expert'. Students will be encouraged to build their skills in each subject and gain accuracy, fluency and precision in their communication.

Every year during the Christmas period, St Bernard’s students collect toys for children and grant support to mothers who are not fortunate enough to treat their children during the Christmas season, including some mothers who are residents in the shelters, which are also assisted through these donations.

Safe Steps Woman’s Shelter allows these families to feel the Christmas cheer and bring smiles to the children who are not able to experience this celebration to the fullest. This organisation creates a much better and safer future free from any abuse and violence which might occur and help individuals to rebuild their life after experiencing various of abuse.

Donating to this charity gives us the opportunity to bring joy to many of these people’s lives who are residents in the shelter. This charity is organised to allow all families regardless of their situations to not feel abandoned by the community, but hopefully have people who can do their best for the children’s smiles to remain and to gather support for all mothers who are gathered there. To help, each form group will be required to fill a box with toys which are wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper and then decorate the boxes, this will fill the children with immense joy to experience this and not feel forgotten.

Written by: Mika Oraczko

The Year 11 Leadership Conference took place on the 20th of October, just before we break up for half-term! The first one took place around ten years ago, and although there has not been one

since the pandemic, it has been brought back thanks to the Leadership Team here at St Bernard's! It provides the students of Year 11 to develop their leadership skills by planning and arranging

a full day of workshops and events.

Students and teachers alike have been putting a lot of work into planning this day, including getting the day’s schedule in order, ordering food, securing speakers, planning workshops, and planning the fundraising events that help to cover all the costs for the day, which so many students, parents, and teachers have contributed to, either by donating money or by helping to plan these fundraisers!

The theme for this year’s Leadership Conference was "Empowerment", and it was sponsored by Aspirations, a local Southend charity with a very empowering mission; it aims to support young people to achieve their dreams, and we have also received donations from a local Soroptimist group, and one of the Soroptimists’ main focuses is female empowerment!

Now, you might still be wondering, ‘What was the purpose of this event? How did it benefit us?’ well, I asked the head of Year 11, Ms Alexander, about this, and here is what she had to say:

"The Year 11 Leadership Conference provides the opportunity for enthusiastic Year 11 students to develop their leadership skills by planning and arranging a full day event to inspire our Year 11 students as they work towards their GCSE exams and begin to think of their next steps beyond KS4. During the pandemic, there were many school events that could not go ahead, and when I became Head of Year 11 with the 2022- 2023 cohort, I was excited to try and revive the event. Mrs Moise-Dixon was extremely supportive and keen for the annual event to be reinstated. "

"I was thrilled to be able to take the challenge on again with the 2023- 2024 Year 11 cohort, and there are a large group of students in the Year group that have worked tirelessly to ensure

the day goes ahead without a hitch. It is wonderful to see ex- students return and share their journeys of success, as well as see our current students take initiative and share their own skills

through their student led workshops, but mostly it is fantastic to see the Year group come together and enjoy a moment of reflection and inspiration together in a year that demands so much from them."

We hope that the Year 11 Leadership Conference was a successful and fulfilling day that all the Year 11 students enjoyed attending.

Written by Emily Lynch

Hi, and welcome to our first column in the school newsletter. The purpose of this column is to give you more information about your governing body; be that to let you know about a particular issue we are addressing, or merely to let you know who we are. Ultimately, we wish to be more engaged with you as parents, as ultimately you have an insight into how your daughter (or son in the sixth form) is progressing at the school.

In this first edition, I write to introduce myself. I am the current Chair of Governors, and have been so since September 2022. I have however been a governor at the school since January 2019. Unlike a good number of our governors, I did not attend the school as part of my secondary education, nor did my family. However, I work in the local area with several ex-students. The reputation of the school is important, and has always been known to me, and it is a pleasure to be a part of the school's history.

Lorraine Lancaster (Chair)

St. Bernard’s Chamber Choir have made a phenomenal start to the year with their spectacular choral performances. The group of 20 girls, comprising of students in Years 9 - 13 are passionate about singing and have shown great commitment and dedication to rehearsals and vocal coaching.

In November, they were invited to perform at a School Choir Competition organised by Assisi Catholic Trust, and during the interlude, they sang a moving, harmonious rendition of ‘Run’ arranged by Jeremy Birchall.

Recently, they competed at the Southend Music Festival Competition and entered the Youth Choir Category with ‘Run’ and Kirk Franklin’s contemporary, gospel version of ‘Silent Night’. Their sterling vocal performance made them the overall winners in the category, earning them the gold medal and the Choral Classes Trophy.

The Music Department would like to say a special thank you to Mrs. Halliday for all the hard work and dedication she has put into training and coaching the Chamber Choir.

St Bernard's partnered with Connor Ballard PhD student from UCL, as part of the Orbyts project to look at the possibility of life on Mars and how scientists could identify the biosignatures of life. The St Bernard's team have won the Thales Alenia Space MARSballoon VIP award for scientific curiosity and innovative ideas and are receiving letters from UK Space Agency astronaut Meganne Christian. In addition to this, the students have been credited in Connor Ballard's journal article and the St Bernard's team are credited in an article on the Natural History Museum website. You can check the article by clicking on the below link.

This October, the Saint Bernard’s debate team took part in our first ever competition: the School’s Mace, the UK’s longest running debate competition for secondary schools. We’re excited to be representing our school in this regard, not only in competition, but through the debate club we run every week. I’d like to talk briefly about my talented team, and the club as a whole.

Who are the St Bernard’s Debate Team?

The team consists of Annetta Shibu, Neha Kooran, Niniola Olabode,

Tshireletso Kgoathe, Renate Walulya, Mika Oraczko, Dom Yetts, and myself- Sylvan Restarick. I am incredibly happy to lead such an enthusiastic and proactive team, and we’re proud to represent our school in the field of debate.

What motivates the team?

We are driven by passionate opinions, and the opportunity to explore new

points of view. We’re always looking for new perspectives, because that’s what drives debate forward.

How do you practise for a debate?

We practise by holding mock debates in the debate club, so we can get different perspectives from across the school. We all have our own individual preparation methods, but coming together as a team is essential for constructing a good argument.

How do you decide the focus of each debate?

We ask ourselves what young people are interested in talking about. Paying close attention to social media, the news, and the conversations around us. It’s so important to keep things current and relevant, because young people do care about the world around them.

Why are debate skills important?

Debate skills extend far beyond arguing. In a structured environment, students of all ages can learn to formulate, express, and respond to opinions in a respectful and articulate manner.

"I like debate club because it has interesting topics and improves my confidence."

Reanne Walulya, 7F

"The environment is very respectful, calm, and collected."

Assumpta Ononogbo, 8R

"I think it helps us develop in subjects such as English, and also helps us with our writing because it develops communication skills. We learn about a lot of different topics."

Athena Aquino, 9C

A few weeks ago, Mr Beezy, an international motivational speaker, came to our school to talk to our students about being successful, and living our dreams. His theme for the speech was ‘hunting’.

The thing which he told us to hunt was success. The motto that he used was “no grind no glory”. He also mentioned that the ‘grind isn’t glamourous.’ This means that when you’re reaching to achieve your goal, it will be tough. It proves to yourself that you’re getting closer to success.

Mr Beezy had a positive vibe which allowed us to connect with him on a therapeutic level. He shared a few words of inspiration such as 'no grind, no glory.' This connects to our everyday day struggles as we cannot get anywhere without putting in the effort. Another one of his quotes inspired me to live in the present as I can't change the past. But I can shape my future with the support of God.

He also influenced me to dream big and to not limit myself based on my 'strengths'. He also taught us that the path of temptation is bigger than the path of success.

Written by: Oluwasindara Akeusola

My experience with Mr Beezy was inspiring. He told us to always focus on our futures and put our education first. His workshop really stuck with me and gave me the motivation to start focusing on my studies. Since I am in Year 9, I have to start thinking about my future, so this workshop was really helpful. Thank you to Mr Beezy for taking the time to come and speak to us, and thank you to the school for organising the workshop.

Written by: Chinecherem Okoli

The cultural committee is St Bernard’s organisation which will be promoting, planning and organising cultural events/ activities within our community. Our group consists of 16 members, and Miss Donnell is our head member.

The aim of this committee is to highlight the diversity within St Bernard's and encourage cultural understanding through our preparations for the upcoming cultural events, such as the hair board, cultural fashion show, cultural week, etc...

Our first assignment in the cultural committee was to reinforce the hair rules within our school. Hair is very important to all cultures and should be celebrated by everyone, as it is a key part of our identity.

This is why we thought it was crucial for everyone’s opinion to be heard within the school community, and so to succeed in this, a few team members created a survey for the students to fill out. 230 people responded to the survey informing us that there should be hair rules in the planner, posters around form rooms and that the board should be in more locations.

The team has shared the results of a survey with the school, and they are working on clarifying rules and making the hair board more accessible. We have created a poster displaying prohibited colours and are proud of the progress made so far.

We hope to continue making progress in the coming months, as we are currently responding to the survey results and making the rules more accessible.

The St Bernard's PTFA recently held their AGM and we were delighted to be supported by parents, staff, governors, and friends from St Thomas More School. The new committee has been elected and the committee roles are:

Chairperson - Angela Farmer

Secretary - Philomena Johnson

Treasurer - Kat Lilley

Uniform - Lily La Fevre

Fundraising - Jody Gordon

We are also supported by several other parents as part of the extended committee. We look forward to working with all the families and staff throughout the coming year as we support the school. Please continue to support the PTFA when you can; We would be grateful for donations of good condition uniforms as we continue to hold pre-loved uniform sales.

The PTFA can be contacted via email at stbernardsptfa@gmail.com or via our Facebook page

5th of January: Retreat day for all staff

8th of January: Beginning of the new term

8th-19th of January: Mock exams for Years 11 & 13

25th of January: Year 9 options evening

16th February: Deadline for Sixth Form applications

St Bernard Pray for Us

Amen

Email: office@stbernards.southend.sch.uk
Website: stbernardswestcliff.org.uk
Location: Milton Road, Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, SS0 7JS UK
Phone: 01702 343583