ALL SAINTS PARENTS’ NEWSLETTER 3 PTFA Quiz Night Thank you to those parents who attended the quiz night and also to those who helped to make this another successful event. Everyone had an enjoyable evening. Thank you once again to the PTFA for their support. The answers to the picture rounds which came around at the interval are shown at the end of this newsletter. Parents' Forum Meeting Our first Parents' Forum meeting will take place on Monday 16 March 2015 4.00pm – 5.30pm in the Upper School Library. All parents and carers are invited. The meeting will be informal and friendly and a chance for parents/carers to talk openly about how they believe the school could improve for the benefit of all our children and their families. Topics we will discuss in this first meeting are: The School Website What works well and how could it be improved? What do you use the website for and what else would you like to see on there? School Newsletters Are you happy with the content/layout of these? If not, what changes would you like to see? Lockers Do you have any thoughts / issues relating to these? If you are unable to attend the meeting we would still very much welcome your comments - so please email us with your thoughts instead on any of the above, or alternatively any other subjects that you would like the forum/school to discuss at future meetings. Both positive and negative comments on any aspect of school life are welcome. Please email the following [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you. . Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson DBE We are very pleased to be welcoming Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson when she visits the school on Friday 6 March. The 11 times Paralympic Gold Medalist and 6 times London Marathon winner is now a Life Peer in the House of Lords and is coming to school to talk to our A level students. Half Term Trip to Rome and Pompeii 44 students from Years 9 to 12 spent half term in Rome and Pompeii. Highlights included marvelling at the sheer size of the Colosseum, seeing Rome from the top of the Palatine Hill in the Forum, a fantastic guide in the Sistine Chapel, the Papal Audience in St Peter’s Square, exploring Pompeii and climbing Mount Vesuvius. The students showed fantastic enthusiasm throughout a packed itinerary, and were a credit to their families and to the school – gratias vobis ago! Mrs Nightingale (Teacher of Latin) Year 11 student Imogen Harter-Jones writes: “Mrs Nightingale, our Latin teacher, organised an All Saints’ RC School Classics trip, the first for many years, to Rome, Pompeii and Herculaneum in Italy for 6 days during the February half term. We had a packed itinerary, which enabled us to make the most of every minute. In Rome we visited the magnificent Colosseum built in AD70 by Emperor Vespasian for gladiatorial contests. It could hold between 50,000 and 80,000 people! We went to the Roman Forum, Trajan’s Column, Saint Peters Basilica in Vatican City, one of the largest and greatest churches in the world, and we saw the Sistine Chapel. We also visited the Vatican Museum and attended a Papal audience in Saint Peters Square. We visited various beautiful churches, including the bizarre Bone Chapel in Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini where the crypt is decorated with the skeletons of over 4000 friars. We attended mass and visited the Trevi Fountain. We ate out each evening in restaurants and walked many miles each day in lovely sunny weather – 17 degrees in February! After our three full on days in Rome, we travelled down to the Bay of Naples and used beautiful Sorrento as our base. Our hotel was lovely and we ate in each evening. From there we went to Pompeii and Herculaneum, which were buried under 13-20 feet of ash in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. We saw the famously preserved bodies, amphitheatre, theatre, baths, forum and many houses and shops. On our last day we walked up Mount Vesuvius, from which we had fantastic views and we visited Herculaneum. It was such an amazing, interesting and fun school trip. Everyone enjoyed every minute and made loads of new friends. Thanks to all the teachers for taking us. I’d really recommend the trip when it next runs and I am inspired to go back to Rome. Get studying Latin! I threw two coins in the Trevi fountain so hopefully I’ll be back at least twice….” This was a picture from the local press showing some of our students who have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge. ALL SAINTS TEAMS WIN AGAIN!! Year 7 Netball Team Our Year 7A netball team played Joseph Rowntree School on Monday 23 February. The girls did extremely well considering they have been unable to practice as normal. It was a close and tense match but the girls fought hard and kept their nerve throughout and won convincingly 7-5. Aoife Stancliffe was voted player of the match by her team winning it with 3 votes. Well done to everyone! PTFA QUIZ NIGHT ~ ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ Films and their Locations – Answers 1. Slumdog Millionaire ~ India 2. The Hobbit ~ New Zealand 3. Lost in Translation ~ Japan 4. Mamma Mia ~ Greece 5. Good Bye Lenin ~ Germany 6. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ~ Narnia 7. Bridge to Terabithia ~ Terabithia 8. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ~ Akakor 9. Frozen ~ Arendelle 10. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone ~ Hogwarts