Immalee Wild, teacher of English, discusses the range of initiatives to support every student’s reading at St Katherine’s. 

Over the last few years reading has gone from strength to strength at St Katherine’s, with our recent Ofsted reporting that “The school promotes reading well. One pupil summed up the views of many, saying: ‘I used to hate reading, but I really enjoy it now.’” But why is reading one of our whole school priorities? Because the research* shows that students who read do better in every subject across the curriculum. We are proud of our reading culture, and we know the impact it has on securing excellent outcomes for young people, evidenced by increasing success in our English Literature GCSE results. However, there are still improvements to be made.

The school day starts with Drop Everything and Read, demonstrating to students the importance reading plays in their education, and giving everyone a chance to focus their minds ready for the rest of the day. In addition, all students are expected to read for at least twenty minutes a day at home.

This high expectation is supported and facilitated by fortnightly library lessons in years 7 - 9, where English teachers and our incredible librarian monitor and support each individual student’s reading. Our intelligent use of data allows us to focus our attention precisely where it is most needed, ensuring that every student is challenged and supported. We invest in our library, and are fortunate to have an incredibly passionate and determined librarian in Lucy Wyld, who continually reads young adult fiction, and uses her considerable expertise to guide young people to successfully find the right book for them, day after day, week after week. To support the younger students, our trained sixth form reading mentors are in many library lessons, listening to students reading, encouraging and supporting.

All students in years 7-9 take responsibility to log their own reading, either digitally or on paper. This enables teachers to gain insight into their reading, praise excellent effort and support as needed where students struggle with reading. We have developed a strong set of strategies to meet the needs of learners who think differently and even those most reluctant readers. We are always keen to share tips and help parents support their children. Our Reading Log house competition is keenly fought, and is an added incentive to help students prioritise their reading.

In addition, all students in years 7 and 8 take part in the Accelerated Reader scheme, which provides a reading range for students, which, along with our detailed knowledge of individual students' interests, enables us to find books that are sufficiently challenging for each student. When students finish each book, they take a short, online, multiple choice quiz to check their understanding. For every quiz pass, students earn praise points, and contribute towards the AR House competition. Pankhurst were delighted to win this last year and this year’s winners are keenly anticipated. The Accelerated Reader scheme also tots up how many words students have read, and we look forward to celebrating with students when they become word ‘millionaires’. We are delighted to already have two millionaires in year 8 this year.

Moving into year 9 and beyond, we challenge students to read ambitious texts from our ‘Bucket List’. We want all students to develop the knowledge and understanding that wider reading brings, and the confidence to approach GCSEs, further studies, and to take their place in the world as informed citizens. Again, this is supported by a house competition, which students enter by writing a short review on the Bucket List Google classroom.

And of course, we have plenty of fun events! Our year kicks off with the deliciously rewarding Roald Dahl quiz for year 7s, followed shortly by our exciting BookBuzz event at which every single year 7 student gets to choose their own brand new book - and then they get given the book to keep! We also have really really exciting author visits, regular library themed events, and of course, celebrate World Book Day.

To keep parents regularly informed about all of these initiatives Lucy Wyld and I have teamed up to offer a series of vlogs: watch out for these on the weekly parent comms newsletter. We are also planning interactive parent workshops on reading shortly.

Finally, we love to hear from parents. If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please don’t hesitate to contact me on wildi@skdrive.org our or librarian Lucy Wyld wyldl@skdrive.org

*Research evidence reading for pleasure

We have had a great number of students complete their Duke of Edinburgh Awards this year. It takes a great deal of hard work and resilience to finish the award. They should all be congratulated on their commitments to self-improvement.

Bronze

Riccardo Benoni, Zachary Brennan, Naomi Burr, Charlie Dexter, Kione Dracott, Zachary Furniss, Oliver Hecker, Daniel Hewett, Millie Horn, Oliver Jackson, Mae Kingston, Theeban Mahesan, Lyla Moore, Poppy Warner, Costantinos Antonio, Luana Benjamin, Sonny Toto, Elodie Whalley, Alice Clarke, Oscar Caton, Victor Achim, Oscar Pearson, Evie Roberts, Ben Toyne, Eva Hayes, Oliver Hostler, Charlie Lane, Morgan Temple, Anna Petrie, Christopher Rogers, Olivia Stanley and Hector Mackenzie-Andrieux.

Silver

George Burley, Joe Crawford, George Garland, Hope Roberts, Scarlett Newby, Toby Evans, Leo Oakman, Noah Pearson, Tom Stancliffe, Archie Woolnough, Jack Vine and Matthew Wilberforce.

Participants from St Katherine's School dedicated 1079 hours to volunteering between for the year 2021/22, with a social value of £4984. That puts St Katherine's among the top schools in the Bristol and South West area for their volunteering and social value. 

Congratulations to those who have completed their physical sections for DofE. Participants help keep themselves active and fit by completing a wide range of activities. From karate to rugby, to climbing and mountain biking, St Katherine's students have been improving their favourite sports or trying new activities. 

This is just a small sample of what their assessors had to say:

Poppy Warner - Rugby: "Overall, it has been brilliant to see Poppy develop her kicking. I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing where these skills take Poppy in the future”. “Poppy has proven that her resilience is a real strength of hers and something that continues to develop.” “Poppy is a pleasure to coach, always hunger to learn”

Charlie Dexter - Mountain Biking: "I am impressed with Charlies dedication and hard work, it's great to see how his cycling has improved and his confidence has grown over the past 6 months. He's shown me he has a real passion for cycling."

Mr Hodgson, Outdoor Education Lead

Dan Parslow (LSA)

"I am a former student of St Katherine’s and I have recently returned to work as an LSA for the school. I really enjoyed my time in the school as a student. I built great relationships with teachers which allowed me to thrive in my studies. The school has a great sense of community which is one of the main reasons why I decided to work here. I usually support students in classrooms, working to allow all students equal access to a rich curriculum. I also work 1:1 with some students to build rapport and social skills. I am training to deliver Lego Therapy to small groups to encourage turn taking, teamwork and social interaction. 

I really enjoy sport and have an aspiration to become a PE teacher at some point in the future. I believe the experience I gain in my current role in the SEND team as an LSA will be extremely valuable when doing my teacher training!"

Charlotte Cook (SpLD Teacher)

"I am the Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) teacher at St Katherine’s School. I began my teaching career in September 1999 and taught for 14 years in a secondary school in Bristol. I believe wholeheartedly in inclusive practice and providing children and young people with the tools to be the best that they can be. In 2013 I changed pathways and for several years I have assessed students with learning difficulties/disabilities to ensure that they receive the support that they are entitled to in public examinations (access arrangements) – a role that has taken me into colleges, schools and several prisons within the South West of England. In 2021 I qualified as an accredited specialist dyslexia teacher, and about to complete further advanced training to enable me to carry out full diagnostic assessments. Teaching a child or young adult to read and write, in my opinion, is the most rewarding and fulfilling job in the world - I love it!

St Katherine’s school is a very special place and I feel incredibly lucky to work alongside the most compassionate and dedicated staff team." 

Leigh Fenton (Counsellor)

"I’m Leigh, the Counsellor at St Katherine’s. I run our whole-school wellbeing service which includes providing students with self-care techniques and support, our peer listening service (a wonderful group of sixth formers trained in listening skills), wellbeing groups for students with common emotional themes such as anxiety/low mood and 1:1 counselling. I’ve worked here for almost 13 years (yikes!) and I am passionate about supporting young people so that they feel heard, validated and empowered to take care of themselves and their futures. It is a genuine privilege to have worked with so many incredible young people over the years who have inspired and motivated me to no end and I am so proud to work in a school that takes mental health and safeguarding as seriously as we do."

Gaby Wallis (SEMH Lead LSA)

"My name is Miss Wallis and I am a Lead LSA. I have a psychology degree, a masters in clinical psychology and previously in a role that involved assessing the mental health of young people; supporting the wellbeing of young people has always been a passion of mine.

Aside from supporting in lessons, I work with students on a 1:1 basis as their key worker - this involves supporting children inside and outside of lessons to ensure they are happy and thriving in school. I also conduct interventions focusing on emotion regulation and am a member of the wellbeing triage team. 

Being a warm, inclusive and community-driven school, I am proud to work within the SEN department of St Katherines!"

Meg Hudson (LSA)

"I am Miss Hudson, an LSA in the Engage department. I deliver Dance for Enrichment, I am part of the Wellbeing triage team, I work with students on a 1:1 basis and I will be delivering Lego therapy sessions too under the guidance of the North Somerset Autism Advisory Teacher, Kate Campbell. Pupils can find me in Engage at breaks and lunches where I am known to play a game of Uno or two!

St Katherine's School is diverse and inclusive which is something that I value. We held our first Pride parade last academic year for LGBTQ which the students loved!

Next year I plan to train to become a Performing Arts teacher - super exciting!" 

Melissa Oram (Literacy Intervention Mentor and Dyslexia Champion)

"My name is Miss Oram and I am the school's Literacy Intervention Mentor and 'Dyslexia Champion'. I have a History degree and a Master's and I have been working at St. Katherine's since November 2020. I work in the SEN department, running 1:1 and small group interventions and supporting in English lessons, as well as being a Key Worker. I also screen students for dyslexia and help to support their learning through dyslexia-friendly strategies. Finally, I work closely with students who have English as an Additional Language (EAL), helping to build their English skills and confidence in speaking, listening, reading and writing.

Christina Martin (Assistant SENDCO)

"I was a relatively late convert to the education profession. Following my degree in Law, I worked for many years in the legal sector before deciding to move into education. I started out as a teaching assistant and absolutely love working with students. 

As the Assistant SENDCO at St Katherine's, I enjoy helping students to reach their potential and achieve their goals. I assist the SENDCO in the day-to-day running of the Inclusion department and believe in giving students the best possible chances in life. One of my areas of expertise is exams and making sure students have the right access arrangements in place to enable them to succeed.

Outside of school, I love spending time with friends and come from a very big family. I'm very active and enjoy a variety of sports, including tennis and running. I've even tried more adventurous activities like skydiving and flying a plane in my younger days."

Elspeth Pontin (Play Therapist)

"I’m Elspeth, the freelance Play and Creative Therapist at St Katherine’s school. I’m also a Health Psychologist and about to graduate as a Doctor of Counselling Psychology.

I have been working with young people in this capacity now for 13 years and have been at the school for 7. I love being part of the warm and welcoming SEND team at St Katherine’s school."

Flora Slater (SENDCO)

"My teaching career started at St Katherine’s 24 years ago where I completed my first few years of teaching English and Drama. Since then I’ve worked in all kinds of settings and provisions; mainstream, specialist, virtual and independent. Returning to St Katherine’s 20 years later was like coming home and has given me a unique perspective about what makes this place special. 

I believe the partnerships between teachers, parents and the pupils are pivotal for my role as SENDCO and these working relationships are at the heart of everything I am endeavouring to do here. I believe all children have the right to an excellent education that’s suitable for their needs and I am determined to help make this happen with the support of the incredible SEND team, the teachers’ tenacity and the specialists I work with at St Katherine’s.

In my other life, I am a mother of three girls and a champion of their extra curricular lives - swimming, dancing and I spend weekends standing on the rugby pitch sidelines - whilst helping them to imagine and build their dreams. When I need a moment to breathe, I do just that. I practise yoga and meditation to help find space within the daily challenges and opportunities that present themselves at our wonderful, exciting and dynamic place to learn; a city school in a beautiful, rural setting."

A term of settling in and setting expectations over in the Sixth Form block, and it’s been such a pleasure to see Year 13 and Year 12 getting to know each other over the last seven weeks. There may have been a slight tug-of-war over the prime seats in the Common Room, but we think Year 13 have been a pretty welcoming lot, and Year 12 have shown a real determination to start Sixth Form life on the front foot. 

Outside the classroom, things have been as action-packed as ever. Firstly, it was such a joy to appoint our Year 12 deputy heads. From an exceptional field of applicants, Yaser Issa and Danielle Cameron were appointed and have already begun to make their influence felt across the school. They join our Year 13 Deputies Daisy Money and Evie Harris, alongside Head Students Hetty Cleaver and Jessica Stanley, on our student leadership team (pictured). 

Our Enterprise Team have been working tirelessly to raise funds for a range of charitable causes. Sixth Formers led superbly on yet another hugely successful Macmillan Coffee Morning, as well as encouraging students across the school to reflect on wellbeing and mental health on Hello Yellow day by raising funds and spreading messages of affirmation. 

Once again, the Sixth Form Common Room has hosted a wide range of external speakers, exposing our students to powerful stories and information about potential future pathways. From an inspiring visit from digital artist and activist Parys Gardner, to speakers from the University of Bristol, the British Film Institute and ASK Apprenticeships, and an alumni visit from Willliam Want to share observations and experiences from his first year at Cambridge, we continue to strive to keep students informed, engaged and aspirational. 

Special thanks this term goes out to Danielle and Tacie for their superb assembly launching Black History Month, and a huge well done to our UCAS early applicants for their dedication in the early weeks of the term to completing their statements and forms, before sending them off last week with a whole day to spare! Fingers crossed for you. 

Enjoy a calm Autumnal break, and we’ll see you in Term 2. 

Save The Date

On November 16th, parents and carers of Year 11 students are invited to attend our Sixth Form Open Evening from 6pm-7.30pm. We will be offering insights into a range of subjects, hearing many of our students share their experiences, and offering a small taste of sixth form life. Please register on Eventbrite

Mr Davies, Head of Sixth Form

The House Championship has got off to a blistering start this year with a flurry of competitions designed to welcome our new Year 7 students, promote our school values and give everyone their moment to shine.

Given the success of Stephenson House in the 2021-22 academic year, the other Houses are determined to make sure that they give it their all and have set about making sure that they give their best in the competitions that have started the House Championship this year. 

We celebrated European Day of Languages in September with a range of competitions that highlighted the importance of learning another language. The tutor time quiz tested students knowledge of other languages and was won by Stephenson with Pankhurst in second place. Fun Fix Friday hosted a flags quiz in the canteen at lunchtime and teams of students showed off their knowledge with Turing placing first and Pankhurst in second place. The highlight of the week however was the European Day of Languages Bake off competition where staff and students were able to share their talents and we were astounded with the creativity and skill of our most accomplished bakers. Pankhurst won this competition and Miss Robinson was the staff star baker. The delicious treats contributed to the Macmillan coffee morning and helped us raise a staggering amount of money for this important cause. The start of term had gone extremely well for Pankhurst House and Mr Murdoch delighted in taking the early lead in the House Championship.

Reading and literacy are the cornerstone of our curriculum and play a large part in our House Championship and this term there have been three competitions that promote reading and a love of books. Roald Dahl day was marked with a tutor time quiz and Yousafzai House came out on top with Turing in second place. Students in Years 7-9 compete each term in a reading log competition and Turing House have won this contest in term 1 with Stephenson in second place. The accelerated reader competition was won by Pankhurst House and shows their determination to be competitive this year.   

The most popular competition of the term so far has been the Fun Fix Friday Keepy Uppy competition where Stephenson dominated and a huge number of students cheered everyone on to have a go for their house. It was fantastic to see such a show of support for everyone that took part. 

The ethos competition this term is punctuality and students are reminded of the importance of showing respect, resilience and responsibility by making sure they are in their lessons and at school on time. The Heads of House have been focussed on making sure their students understand the importance of this and Yousafzai House students were the most punctual and therefore were awarded 200 points with Stephenson in second place.

Therefore at the end of term 1 it is Yousafzai House that leads the House Championship at the end of term 1.

There are more competitions to come that can affect the standings before the students return to school and provide an opportunity to have their moment in the spotlight. We look forward to seeing how they do! 

Mrs Crocker, Assistant Headteacher

As Head of Pankhurst House it has been a real pleasure to welcome our new year 7 students to St Katherine's School. They have settled in really well and can be proud of their achievements. They have an excellent behaviour record and have made a full effort to contribute to the life of the House, which is the reason they have been awarded tutor group of the term. Their tutor Miss Robinson and I are really proud of them setting the standard for the rest of the House to follow. Well done! 

We are also proud of the following students who were the top ten praise earners for Pankhurst House this term: Seb Hutchins-Davies - 183, Shay Melias - 178, Jessica Britton - 170, Harrison Povey - 166, Alice White - 161, Conner Chick - 160, Bella Paddock - 159, Nico George - 158, Agate Domingas - 158, Zack Khodja-Smith - 156. An excellent effort from all of them to set a really high bar for others to try and match. 

We had some success in some of the House competitions, most notably the Accelerated Reader competition and the Bake Off competition in which we finished first. I’m looking forward to the results of the Pumpkin Carving competition and the Cross Country in which we have some strong competitors. 

We were disappointed to finish fourth in the Ethos Competition which was based around punctuality to lessons. We all know that punctuality is a basic matter of manners and a quality highly valued by employers. I was pleased that 75% of the House had no lates at all but disappointed to ultimately lose a very close competition in the very last week after being placed second up until then. We have learned that this competition is very much a team effort where everyone has to pull together. Thankfully we will have another opportunity to win this Ethos competition in term 4. I don’t doubt that we can improve and am looking forward to doing so.

Mr Murdoch, Head of Pankhurst House

Following on from the huge success of last academic year was always going to be difficult and Mr Thomas spoke to students at the start of term about the challenge of maintaining excellence and how the House Championship this year would be a greater test than winning both the House Championship and the House Cup last year. In assembly last week Mr Thomas talked about the power of we and the importance of everyone working together to achieve the same goals. Members of Stephenson House always reflect on their RED values of respect, equality and determination and Mr Thomas called upon all students to pull in the same direction.

The Term 1 ethos competition was Stephenson House’s first opportunity to prove their ability to do this and there has been a strong focus on respect and arriving on time to school each day and being punctual to lessons. It was encouraging therefore that they were able to pull together and finish second and earn 150 points. This means that Stephenson House were able to finish Term 1 in second place which stands them in good stead for the year ahead. 

I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the students in Stephenson House that act as role models for others and say well done and thank you to this term’s Stephenson Stars:

• 7S1: Emmie Bobby, Ryan Sleigh, James Buschenfeld, Maddison Lovett, Ollie Macfarlane and Evie Turner
• 7S2: Henry Ramell-Daly, Seb Giza, Omar Culusow, Elodie Trim, Eddie Handcock and Eve Ward
• 8S: Imeiro Smith, Leah Matthews, Bence Sandor and Isobel Marlow
• 9S1: Zachary Garbutt, Felix Huertas, Ari Westerberg, Jake Morey Hennion, Lichia Williams and Henry Clark
• 9S2: Alex Bhambri-Lyte, Jack Taylor, Evelyn Staley, Sam Andrews, Izzi Healy-Hart and Ava Hocking
• 10S: Daniel Grace, Yannis Lam, Louie Elliott, Reece Lowry and Ruby Chamberlain
• 11S1: Charlie Topp, Jake Iles, Milly Marlow, Coby Barbosa-Goa, Victoria Karczewska and Zach Page
• 11S2: Ruby Fowler, Maddie Price, Mattijs Korswagen, Cruz Mead and Dexter Peate

Therefore in Mr Thomas’s absence I will congratulate Stephenson House for their start to the year and wish them well for all that is to come. Finally, I would encourage everyone to listen to the BBC Podcast about Paul Stephenson that was released for Black History Month. Paul Stephenson’s life and achievements should be an inspiration to us all and if the students of Stephenson House can draw on how Paul Stephenson inspires us to stand up, speak out and be the best version of ourselves, Stephenson House will be unstoppable.

Mrs Crocker on behalf of Mr Thomas, Head of Stephenson House 

The starting whistle for the school year sounded seven weeks ago! There has been no half-time, no time-outs or substitutions. It has just been full on, with all members of Team Turing paving the way for academic, sporting and enrichment success.

The tactics have been simple for the players, turn up promptly and smartly dressed in the correct uniform. Behave, in a polite, courteous and respectful manner to everyone within the whole school community. Try your hardest in everything that you do.

I can safely say that this has been an amazing start for all house members, who have all frisen to the challenge of a good start to the academic year.

It has been rewarding for me to see everyone back to school for the first term of 2022-2023. I would like to give a special “welcome” to our Year 7 Turing House. The Turing House Hub has continued to be a success, with the introduction of an amazing blue entrance and the striking Turing House graphics. The hub has continued to allow the tutor groups in the house to be in one centralised area in the morning, creating that feeling of unity and community.  

A big thank you to all current house members for remembering how they felt in Year 7 and taking time to reassure and support new students as they found their way in the early days at St Katherine’s. I would also like to thank parents and carers for the encouragement you have given to those in your care, helping them to throw themselves into their first term at school.  

Turing House would also like to welcome our three new Turing Tutors, Miss Kingston, Miss Jackson and Mr Mullis. The pastoral staff are repeatedly supported by the students who form the leadership team. It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you the amazing Turing Leadership Team: TeaganDavidson, 11T2, Hope Roberts, 11T1, Jena Walker, 11T2, Emily Earle, 11T1, Victor Achim, 10T, Fern Clarke, 10T, Alex Caveille, 9T2, Jack Tkinson, 9T1, Luke James 9T1, Faria Azim, 8T, Bea Hall, 8T, Skye Smith, 7T2 and Lucas Farley, 7T1.

The team has continued to work on the “student- voice” and reflecting on how the academic year has begun. They will try to identify all aspects that have gone well and areas the school could improve on for the up-and-coming academic year.

The members of Turing House have once again risen to the challenges, I always take great pleasure in celebrating the successes of Turing House members in this letter. All of their achievements have been based on the house values and motto:

• Turing Values: Determination, Acceptance, Unity
• Turing Motto: “The strength of the team is each individual member, the strength of each member is the team”
• Turing Spiritual Animal: The Wolf for loyalty, pathfinding, never ending journey and sense of family.

Notable successes have been seen across Turing House, with students earning a considerable number of praise points, seven students have been truly outstanding, with Emily James topping the bill. Well done Emily!

Top praise earners in each Turing tutor group:

• 7T1: Billy Watson - 139 praises 
• 7T2: Nathan Pitt - 180 praises
• 8T: Emily James - 185 praises
• 9T1: James Juchau-Nash - 163 praises
• 9T2 : Luke James - 180 praises
• 10T: Evie Roberts - 111 praises
• 11T1: Billy Stringer - 129 praises

Term 1 Weekly Tremendous Turing are mentioned below. It always gives me great satisfaction in highlighting these considerable achievements by house members, and I always look forward to hearing from our tutor who and why a house member has received this recognition. Well done to all 42 of you!

• 7T1: Jaihan Singarda, Sienna Delaney, Leo Richardson, Billy Watson, Lucas Farley and Tom Hillitt
• 7T2: Nathan Pitt, Sid McKenzie Andrieux, Aidan Butler, Theo Bartovsky, George Hallford and Elsie Caton
• 8T: Bethany Hodges, Eleana Antonio, Emily James, Owain Donovan, Harvey Bambury and Noah Roberts
• 9T1: Joe Freeston, Cerys Voisey, Jay-Jay Lincoln, William Juchau-Nash, Ellie Stallard and Liam Davies
• 9T2: Maxine Nash, Lucus Whitfield, Ella Bartozsky, Sam Nani, Joey Doherty, Thomas Earle and Luke James
• 10T: Zac Kington, Sabira Caraye, Lucas Matthews, Eve Osborn, Keir Sutton, Oscar Cayton and Bess Stevens
• 11T1: Grace Lowther-Harris, Alex James, Billy Stringer, Hope Roberts, Hector Mackenzie-Andrieux and Yahye Caraye
• 11T2: Toula Hudson, Henry Fairholm, Nahla Mengoud, Ruby Magnum, Teagan Davidson and Michael Sirrell

At the end of each term the Turing Tutors identify a student for their Magnificent Termly Turing's award. Often the tutee who receives this prestigious award has exemplified our true values consistently throughout the term and is therefore a credit to themselves and the house. Well done to our eight Magnificent Turings! 

In turn, this has had a massive and positive impact on the overall Behaviour Ratio at St Katherine’s with our house currently at 91%. I think this reflects the concerted and sustained effort made by the majority of the house.

• 7T1 - Jaihan Singarda - Jaihan has displayed a brilliant worth ethic with 130 praise points in this term alone. He is kind and thoughtful towards other members of the form. Keep up the fantastic work, well done!
• 7T2 - Aariz Zafar - Aariz has shown excellent determination and resilience since starting Year 7. Trying his best to overcome the difficulties of starting secondary school, and all the new expectations that entails, building new habits and continuously giving it 110%. Aariz always has a smile on his face and a hello to give to brighten up everybody's day. Keep up the good work! 
• 8T - Faria Azim: Faria consistently embodies Turing House values of 'determination', 'acceptance' and 'unity'. With over 120 praise points to her name this term, as well as performing a Bollywood style dance at Cathedral School's Trust's celebration of Black History Month, Faria really is a true super star! 
• 9T1 - Bowen O'Callaghan: Bo has shown great resilience and determination this term. His attitude and engagement in lessons and extracurricular activities is always positive, as well as his respectful nature towards all members of staff and students.
• 9T2 -Manon Herzog: Made a brilliant start to the year continuing where she left off in year 8 with the perfect positive mental health attitude to school.
• 10T- Evie Roberts: Great start to Year 10 and her GCSE courses by showing a determination to do well in all subjects. 
• 11T1 - Nas Gyimah- Sarpong: For helping to organise the BHM match and being a great role model in the school.
• 11T2: - Ruby Magnum: For making a brilliant start to Year 11. You are working so hard to do your best - keep it up!

Finally, I would like to turn my attention to the on-going House Competition. Turing House has enjoyed some success in the Inter House Competition over recent years. However, last year saw Turing finish in a disappointing third place.

Poor attendance and behaviour were the key elements that significantly dented our challenge for the top spot. Next term, one of these is tested in the “House Ethos Competition”. Attendance is the focus and worth a substantial amount of house points. All students should make a significant and determined effort to attend school, taking individual responsibility and adding value to their own education.

Despite the huge efforts of many Turing House members, Turing has already faltered, with a disappointing third place in this term's “House Ethos Competition” of punctuality. As a house we have missed out on a valuable 100 points, falling behind Stephenson and Yousafzai. 

170 House members lead the way for all in Turing, by attending lessons on time. Well done to those of you that achieved this. For those that did not, “punctuality” is a basic expectation and important life skill and this must improve. 

Now is the time to recognise the upcoming challenge of attendance and unite in our efforts to win.

There have been notable successes in other area of the House Competition, particularly in the Flag Quiz (1st place), Keepy-uppies FunFix Friday (1st place), Roald Dahl Quiz (2nd place), European Day of Languages Quiz (3rd place) and the European Day of Languages Cake Competition (3rd place)

I hope that you enjoy your well-earned holiday and return to school in Term 2, invigorated, motivated and steadfast in your quest to do your best and show progression in every aspect of academic, House and School objectives.

Mrs Price, Head of Turing House

Yousafzai House is a group of students who have high expectations of themselves and show these at almost every opportunity. I have really enjoyed the weekly assemblies and seeing all the students together where they enter assembly and listen perfectly. I have now got them singing happy birthday to each other each week - I count this as a real success! 

It has been brilliant to have 7Y join the house - a group of really kind, thoughtful and hardworking students who are a brilliant addition to our team. Jerry Lee and Phoebe Drane were both chosen to speak at the year 6 induction evening and they did an exceptional job. They told prospective parents and students who we are as a house - that we treasure our education like a diamond and do not take for granted going to a good school like St Katherine's. I was so proud of them both! 

At the start of term our house council was voted for. There are two tutor representatives from each tutor group joining our house leaders, Sienna and Leah, to discuss important matters such as the praise system at St Kath's and how we can mingle more as a house. Both Sienna and Leah have done an excellent job speaking to the house each week in assemblies. As a house, we loved coming back and seeing the house hub have a revamp with yellow walls and a beautiful poster featuring Malala and our house ethos.

We came together for one final time this term for our celebration of achievement assembly, we had lots of things to be celebrating: 

Tutors nominated two individuals from each of their tutor group to be named as ‘Malala’s Greats’ - those that have had an excellent start to the year. 

• 7Y - Esme Toto and Charlie Carkeek
• 8Y1  - Aidan Richards and Demmi-Leigh Matthews
• 8Y2  - Henry Slade and Lara Mohan
• 9Y - Mya James and Tom Creton
• 10Y1- Dulcie Donnelly and Sofia Koptieva  
• 10Y2 - Mae Kingston and Dan Hewett
• 11Y - James Drury and Erin Barnett

We have made some good progress in the house championship and currently find ourselves in first place. Long may this continue! Our biggest achievement was winning the house ethos competition of punctuality which gained us 200 points. This was brilliant as last year we came last in this competition so it was excellent to turn that around. We had an exceptional entry into the European languages bake off competition from Amelie Whalley which won us some significant points for the house. A team of year 7 students won the Roald Dahl quiz for us which was excellent too.

As a house, we need to ensure that our attendance and behaviour is the best it can be - particularly as these will be ethos competitions in the future. Our year 7-9 students need to ensure they are completing their reading logs and quizzing their books and all students need to enter as many competitions as possible so that we can win as many points as possible! 

One of my highlights each day is being on duty in the house hub and saying hello to every Yousafzai student. I absolutely love being head of Yousafzai House and I am so grateful for each student who makes up the house. They are what make the house what it is. A big thank you to all parents and carers of Yousafzai students for your continued support. 

I hope you all have a restful and refreshing half term. A particular shout out to year 11 who will have begun revising for their mocks and will continue to do so over half term. You’ve got this! 

I look forward to seeing you all in November. 

Miss Andrews, Head of Yousafzai House

• Term 1 has seen a full return to all things school sport and we have loved welcoming students back to PE. We have appointed leaders of our houses and school teams, seen students in sporting action for friendly fixtures and cup competitions as well as supporting local primary school events. We are just about to kick off the house sport competition with our annual cross country run and are looking forward to finding out how the first points of the year will be distributed.
• Rugby, hockey, football and netball fixtures have begun in earnest with well over 200 students already having represented the school this year. We've seen hoards of high drama in matches with last gasp winners, brilliant bits of skill and tremendous teamwork and togetherness. Special mention to Year 7 who have polled the highest number of school representatives in the first term with more than a third of students getting involved in some school sport.
• Clubs and practices have been equally well attended with almost 300 students getting involved in some additional activity in their own time. We've continued our normal programme of before school, lunchtime and after school activities and it has been great to welcome new and familiar faces alike. A special mention to the 50 students from Year 7 to Year 11 who have been arriving early on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings for our strength and conditioning club. We have loved seeing so many students getting serious about how to get the best from their bodies, physically and in terms of injury prevention.
• Our school teams have started the year with aplomb in particular on the football pitch. Our boys and girls teams have all been embroiled in National Cup matches in term 1 with special mentions to our U13 boys, U14 boys and U16 boys who all find themselves in the third round.
• Leadership is always big business at St Katherine's and we've already supported two fantastic primary school events this year. Back on our September INSET day we welcomed primary schools to SK to come and 'give it a try' in a new style activity day where children came to experience new activities. Archery, rowing, table tennis and Molkky were all on offer and all superbly led by a group of young leaders who volunteered their time off to come and support the event. Nothing says commitment to me like a young person who is prepared to give up a day off to come into school! More recently we took a team of Year 9 & 10 leaders to BGS playing fields to support the primary cross country event - another huge success with our students supporting lots of superb young athletes to challenge themselves with a tough distance run.
• As well as the work of our teams, we've also got exciting news to share from some of our sporting students. Our term 1 newsletter will contain updates in everything from BMX racing to taekwondo to rugby with some special stories of success from our school community.
• As always, the only way to find out about everything that has happened in term 1 is to sign up to our termly PE newsletter ... and you can do that here. For daily & weekly updates, you can also follow us on Twitter @StKathsPE and see all of our PE and school sport photographs on Instagram. Students can also sign up for Slack using their SK drive email addresses. We use Slack to communicate with students who are interested in all things extra-curricular whether that be clubs, practices, school teams, enrichment and a whole lot more. Slack is essential for students who are likely to be representing the school. It's completely free and students can join by using this link and their SK drive school accounts - https://join.slack.com/t/stkathspe/signup. 

Mr Cook, Head of PE

• 31 October: INSET day
• 01 November: INSET day
• 02 November: Students in school for Term 2
• 02 November: Year 9 Progress Evening
• 10 November: Careers Fair
• 11 November: Year 13 Biology field trip to Kenfig Nature Reserve
• 16 November: Sixth Form Open Evening -register here
• 21-24 November: Year 13 Geography field trip to Slapton Ley
• 23 November: Parent/ Carer Association meeting, 15.00-16.00
• 30 November: Year 8 Progress Evening
• 30 November: KS4 and KS5 Art and Textiles trip to the RWA and Bristol Museum
• 9 December: Y13 Biology trip to Weston College
• 12 December: Photography students tip to Warner Brothers Studios
• 14-16 December: School Production: Grease 
• 16 December: End of Term 2 - Early finish buses leave 12.30pm
• 03 January: INSET DAY - School closed to students
• 04 January: Students in school for Term 3

There isn’t enough space here to showcase the huge variety of student experiences and achievements this term. Keep up to date by visiting the ‘News and Events’ section on the school website, check the school Facebook page or follow us on Twitter (@stkathsschool)