The Phoenix Singers Choir from St Mary’s CE High School had the honour of performing at the Dewhurst St Mary’s CE Primary School Summer Fete this Thursday. With a mix of old and new pop songs, we serenaded our wonderful local community in the beautiful sunshine.
We are incredibly proud and privileged to have been invited to this fantastic event. Thank you to everyone who came out to support us!
#PhoenixSingers #StMarysSchool #CommunitySpirit #SummerFete #ProudMoment
Celebrating Spanish Culture: Year 10’s Quinceañera Party
On June 18th, our Year 10 Spanish students experienced a slice of Latin American culture with a vibrant Quinceañera celebration held right here at St Mary’s school.
Our students indulged in a variety of delicious Spanish tapas, from patatas fritas and aceitunas to chorizo and tortilla española. The flavours of Spain brought everyone together, and the communal dining experience was a perfect start to the celebration.
Next, the students hit the dance floor to learn and perform traditional Latin American dances showing impressive enthusiasm and skills.
Throughout the party, students were encouraged to practice their Spanish-speaking skills. Whether talking about food, giving instructions, or simply chatting with friends, the Quinceañera was a fantastic way to apply their language learning in a real-world context.
The highlight of the event was the traditional aspect of the Quinceañera, where students learned about the significance of this important tradition. They gained understandings into the cultural values and tradition associated with this celebration, deepening their appreciation for the richness of Latin American heritage.
The Year 10 Quinceañera party was more than just an event; it was an educational experience that combined fun and learning in an extraordinary way. It was a celebration filled with joy, laughter, and valuable learning, making it a standout moment in their Spanish studies this year.
Here is a small sample of the fabulous work from GCSE Textiles Design student Lois in Year 11.
In GCSE Textiles Design, students complete three different projects including Natural Forms, Textures and an exam paper.
As part of each project, pupils are required to complete coursework based on developing ideas, refining samples and designs, recording work and producing a final outcome reflecting the work they have produce
A group of Year 10 Sports Leaders supported Churchfield primary school’s sports day last week, helping with the various events for all the KS1 & 2.
The Leaders supported with running the different sports day events, encouraging students to try their very best, as well as logging results.
Well done and thank you to all the Year 10 students who were great ambassadors for St Mary’s: Brian, Chris, Elliot, Christian, Jessica, Tia, Maddison, Michael, Khemilya and Tegan.
On Wednesday 19th June we were lucky enough to secure a visit from the author, Steve Skidmore. Steve is a successful British author, having written and published over 240 books with his writing partner, Steve Barlow. He travels the world visiting schools and libraries and spends over 100 days a year delivering talks and writing workshops to schools, universities, colleges, The British Council, The Reading Agency, to mention just a few. He is also the Patron of Reading for Leicester and is a qualified English, Drama and Media teacher.
Steve has visited us before so we knew that students were all in for a treat. Throughout the day we held 2 sessions (with performances) on Romeo & Juliet with Year 8 students, and one for Year 7 students.
A select group of students were chosen from Year 9 for ‘Lunch with the Author’ which was followed up by a ‘Writing Masterclass’ for 15 Year 7 students in the afternoon.
It was wonderful to see our students so engaged in Shakespeare! It was lots of fun with students participating in the performances but, most of all, it was highly memorable. I am certain that these students will remember this when writing about Romeo & Juliet for their GCSEs. With lots of key tips on imagery in the story they were taught how to include the scenery in analysis, not just the quotes. It was absolutely absorbing and everyone involved had a wonderful experience.
St Mary’s Hosts an Inspiring Day of Myths and Legends for Year 5 Students
This week, St Mary’s was delighted to host an exciting and inspiring day of teaching and learning focused on myths and legends for the Year 5 students from Dewhurst St Mary and Holy Trinity CE Primary schools. This special event marked the end of our Annual Programme of Festivals of Learning, designed to inspire young minds across a variety of subject areas. Early arrivals from Holy Trinity were treated to a Brazilian-inspired carnival drum session, based on the use of syllables and short sentences to notate musical language. Joined then by Year 5 from Dewhurst, their day was packed with enriching activities, with students participating in four engaging sessions. They explored the art of crafting new sentence structures and vivid descriptions of myths, enhancing their creative writing skills. Additionally, students had the opportunity to broaden their linguistic horizons by learning new words and phrases in both Spanish and French, delving into the legends of different cultures.
The enthusiasm and excitement were palpable as students immersed themselves in the world of myths and legends. Their enthusiasm was matched by the dedication of the inspiring teachers and supervising staff from both schools, who ensured the day ran smoothly and successfully.
As we reflect on the success of this year’s programme, we eagerly anticipate next year’s programme of festivals. We are particularly excited about the upcoming CSAW group production in December 2024 – celebrating the nativity story, which will be a significant collaboration between the schools in our local community.
In lessons Year 8 students have been studying a unit titled ‘What happens when the land meets the sea?’. On Wednesday 12th June, Year 8 students travelled to Walton-on-the-Naze to conduct fieldwork where they investigated the processes occurring along a stretch of coastline and compared different types of coastal management. The fieldwork conducted allowed students to consolidate and expand their knowledge of coastal environments and the impact that erosion is having on our UK coastlines. The fieldwork provided students with opportunities to see coastal erosion and how management has been put on one side of the beach for protection. Students then compared this to an unmanaged side of the beach, where the true impact of coastal erosion and lack of coastal management was seen. The layers of rock were clearly visible where cliff erosion and mass movement had taken place. Students conducted their fieldwork on this side of the beach, standing on the wave-cut platform visible only at low tide. The cliff, on average, is eroding at a rate of 1.5 metres each year and to visualise the erosion since 1945, students saw the WW2 pill-box bunkers which were originally on the cliff tops. This provided a cross curricular link to both History and English where students study war poetry. Back in school, students will use their fieldwork data to complete a decision making activity about how we should further manage Walton-on-the-Naze.
Students used a range of fieldwork techniques such as field sketches, environmental quality indexes, long-shore drift tests, wave counts, measuring groyne heights and beach profiles. We look forward to students developing their human fieldwork techniques next year in the local area.
Well done to all students on their hard work, and thank you to staff who accompanied this trip.
All of the GCSE geography students recently undertook a day of fieldwork to carry out a geographical investigation.
Half of the year group went to Stratford in East London where they investigated the impact of the regeneration that has taken place. They carried out surveys and traffic counts as well as speaking to the public to carry out a questionnaire.
The other half of the year group went to Epping Forest to investigate Debden Brook. They measured different aspects of the river channel at three points along the course of a river to see the change.
Students on both trips were extremely engaged in their learning and represented themselves and the school very well.
Year 7 Theatre Trip
On the evening of 23rd May, thirty five excited and expectant Year 7’s and three supportive staff members travelled up to London to see the acclaimed production of Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre. They were not disappointed! A fun and thoroughly entertaining evening was had by all, and for some of the students this was their first theatre trip into London. They were mesmerized watching the production with the colourful set designs, talented actors and professional lighting and music. The group were all very responsible young people and a credit to our school community. Thank you to all the parents/carers who supported their child getting home late on in the evening and ensuring they arrived in school the next day ready to learn as usual.
Mrs Doubtfire Theatre trip
On the evening of 15th May, 64 Year 8 and Year 9 students, accompanied by 6 staff members, went to see the acclaimed production of Mrs Doubtfire at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London. We had the privilege of meeting Mrs Doubtfire himself, played by the amazing Gabriel Vick, before the show, thanks to one of our parents who knows him. He really took time out to chat to our students and to sign programmes that he gave them, and the students were delighted. The students then watched him on stage delivering a fabulous, energetic and thoroughly entertaining performance along with a strong cast and production crew. Our students were all fantastic throughout (for some this was their first theatre trip). Staff said it was a pleasure to take them and all the students arrived on time to school the next morning after a late night. Thank you to all the parents/carers who supported their child attending the trip, as it was a late night for you as well and we are grateful. If you get a chance to see this one, it’s a great family show and one we would thoroughly recommend.
