24 June 2022

Bedians:
Commitment and Inspiration

Headteacher's Message

I was delighted to see pupils board the coach on Monday morning for their long-awaited visit to Normandy. This is a wonderful opportunity to improve language skills, independence and learn about cultural issues. Team building, resilience and growing in confidence are some of the skills that have been developed as more than 100 pupils have been completing their DofE expedition over the last few days. This was a little closer to home in the Forest of Bowland! LIfe beyond the classroom is busy and next week we will be treated to St Bede's production of Twelfth Night and Sports Day.

Congratulations to the Prep on their wonderful Sports Day!

Mrs S Pike

Headteacher

Theme of the week

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

“Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

Challenge

The Altar in the Chapel
is dedicated to the
Most Sacred
Heart of Jesus.
Take some time this week to look at the details on the altar and ask
Jesus to give you a
heart of love like His.

Prayer

O Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
I love You and I give You my heart. Help me to love God. Help me to love my neighbour and help me to love myself as a child of God. Amen.

Bedians Artwork

Thank you to all the families, friends and staff who came to support our pupils at St Augustine's Church on Sunday 12 June. The artwork created was unveiled and blessed by Fr Michael Deas, Parish Priest of St Augustine’s, Bedian Alumni, Fr Joe Evans, College Priest and Fr Mark Paver, Chaplain to the Youth.

The artwork is on display until Advent, so please visit the church, if you are in Manchester city centre. - Mrs. C Hibbert

Safeguarding Tips

Parents talking and listening about online safety with young people can be one of the best ways that both parties can understand the opinions, concerns and actions of each other. Below is a brilliant guide about how to approach talking to young people about online safety. - Mr T Sanders

Manchester Schools Athletics Competition

Congratulations to the U12 and U14 rounders team, who reached the semi-finals of the Manchester School Rounders Tournament. The U12s have progressed to the final next Tuesday.

At the U14 Manchester School Athletics where 29 schools participated, a number of our girls had excellent individual performances. Havana L was first in high jump, Grace C was fourth in shot putt and Maria, Georgia B, Havanna L and Amara S were fifth in the relay. Overall school results have not yet been compiled.

Israel also won the high jump. Congratulations!

Congratulations to Carey S, Maisie S, Issy L and Ella N who were all first in the 800m, discus, javelin and shot. Pictures from left to right.

The relay team of Zara T, Eniola J, Carey S and Ella N came first.

- Mrs Nickola McCormick

AJIS Athletics Meet

The Prep Athletic Team attended their first AJIS athletics meet since lockdown. This prestigious event is attended by all the AJIS independent schools in the region and is a hugely competitive event. This year there were thirty-seven schools competing and St Bede’s performed brilliantly in all areas of track and field with seven of our children winning medals. In the Girls’ Team Abigail won bronze in the 80m sprint as well as bronze in the relay race with Heidi, Jojo and Larissa. Larissa also won a bronze medal in the 60m hurdles. The Boys’ Team had great success too, with Prep 5 boys Jordan and Jysiah medalling in the high jump and 60m hurdles respectively; Jordan won silver in the high jump with a fantastic leap clearing 1.31m and Jysiah took home a bronze in his 60m hurdles race. This is a fantastic achievement for our children. The whole team performed fantastically on the day. - Mr J Joyce-O’Keeffe

Introducing Evita...

Our leading ladies Lily A, Robyn and Amara S will star as the title role. Francesca B, Daisy P and Jennah M will be understudying the role of Evita but also performing one evening and one matinee show in January 2023. More cast introductions to follow. - Mr Dickson

Higher Education Day

Last week, Lower Sixth students experienced a day of introduction to UCAS; they logged into the UCAS hub for the first time in order to begin the process of applying to University. Engaging and helpful visiting speakers from Bangor University and Manchester Metropolitan University guided them through the process of writing a personal statement, making course choices, applying for student finance and how to budget at university. Personal statement writing is now underway and will be completed by September.

- Dr McMonagle

Summer Exhibition

On 14 June everyone was invited to the GCSE and A Level artists and photographers summer exhibition. Not only did we get to enjoy the creativity of our students, but we were lucky enough to have Jeremy, a L5 student who delighted us with his cello - it was a delightful afternoon full of art and ingenuity! - Mrs H Park

“If Music Be the Food of Love, Play On”

Saturday rehearsals are a must before a show! They are a chance to work with our young actors without distraction. A big thank you to all cast and parents for allowing the day to go ahead. Mrs Alderson and the team are working tirelessly to bring you Twelfth Night on 29 and 30 June, it’s shaping up to be a fantastic show.

Tickets are limited and will be available to purchase on Parent Pay for £5. We are hoping for evenings of glorious Manchester sun on the lawn for our performances. Canopies and refreshments are provided but feel free to bring some bubbly, a picnic and a blanket to sit on. - Mr Dickson

First Edition of the “Masked Singers” Competition

The competition was a roaring success. Getting things warmed up was Mr Dickson, Head of Performing Arts who gave us a rousing version of Mack the Knife - without a mask!

Competing were; Silver Monkey Monster, Floaty Hog, Funky Demon and Chicken Little. The judges overwhelmingly voted that the clear winner was Funky Demon - aka Mrs Corbett! The others revealed themselves as Mrs Yearley, Mr Power and Mrs Welch respectively.

A huge thanks to our expert panel of judges, Cliona, Francesca, Malaya and Lily. Backstage helpers were Holly and Jacinta. Special thanks also go to the amazing Mr Mason who made the incredible masks and was also responsible for sound and lighting. We also raised £80 for our house charity. Thank you to everyone!

A final massive thank you to Mr Davies for all his hard work and commitment in bringing fun musical events like this into our school community. - Mr Dickson

Summer Dance Showcase

Last week we were treated to an informal evening of Dance in the Academic Hall. Students from U3 all the way to A Level performed a variety of solos, trios and group pieces.

Our fantastic U4 dancers opened the show with incredible energy with their own take on the smash hit West End show 'Everybody's Talking about Jamie'. We then saw ballet en pointe, contemporary lyrical, our Bedian Beyonces and even a special appearance from Gru and his minions!

A huge thank you to everyone who was part of the showcase and to those who came to watch-we hope you enjoyed it! The evening proved just how lucky we are here at St. Bede's to have such talented and committed students.

Do come and see them perform in our next Performing Arts event: Twelfth Night on the lawn! - Mrs Barber

Manchester Art Gallery Visit

It was wonderful for Prep 6 to visit the Manchester Art Gallery on Tuesday 14 June as part of their humanities topic studying the ancient Greeks. This popular trip has sadly been unavailable for the last couple of years due to Covid and it was amazing to finally embrace and explore this incredible cultural resource on our doorstep.

We embarked the 85 bus into the city centre and alighted in Piccadilly just after 10am. Following a short stroll down Mosley Street, we arrived at the gallery’s glorious Grecian facade. Having recently studied Greek architecture, the children were able to identify the imposing ionic columns and their intricate volute designs. Once in the gallery, we enjoyed a self-led tour where we studied a range of fantastic exhibits. Work began with the children doing observational drawings of the Elgin Marble casts found adorning the upper gallery around the main stone staircase. We then enjoyed the variety of artwork on offer including detailed study of The Birth of Pandora painting by James Barry, Work by Ford Madox Brown,The Chariot Race by Alexander von Wagner and the Prometheus Vase by Minton.

The children noted the ‘juxtaposition’ (word of the day!) that appeared in a number of paintings and not least the fabric of the gallery building itself which they identified as a fusion of the original stone structure with the glass and steel addition of the modern extension.

A morning of such high-brow cultural discussion and study had worked up our appetites nicely, so we wasted no time crossing the city to our lunch venue: Bouzouki by Night. We were welcomed to the sights and sounds of Greece at this traditional taverna and were served a meze banquet fit for Zeus himself! The meal was finished to perfection with ice cream and a rendition of ‘Zorba the Greek’ which saw the children dancing round the restaurant - their enthusiasm and enjoyment was wonderful to see.

The children’s behaviour was excellent throughout the day and once again this trip proved to be a day of Grecian culture and gastronomy to remember!

- Mr J Joyce-O’Keeffe and Mrs Cartmell

Prep Instrumental and Vocal Talents

On 15 June the Academic Hall was alive with music. Sixty-eight pupils from the Prep performed solos and ensembles to a full and appreciative audience of parents and staff. Pupils from Reception through to Prep 6 showcased their instrumental and vocal talents with confidence and joy. The programme was full of variety from traditional folk music to Tchaikovsky, songs from the shows and a Rockschool drum solo. The Prep school choir shared their love of singing and performing with four vibrant songs. The event was a wonderful opportunity for pupils to share not only their musical talents but their resilience, confidence and teamwork skills.

- Mr J Joyce-O’Keeffe

New Catering Service at St. Bede's

Last Thursday some parents and pupils came to try out the new flavours and offerings from Harrison, our new catering service which will be launched at St Bede's in September. We were able to talk about food sourcing, allergy management and catering arrangements.

Learning about the Tudors

Last week, Prep 4 visited Ordsall Hall in Salford to support their learning about the Tudors. As they entered the main hall, Prep 4 were transported back in time to 1572 when Elizabeth I was Queen. They collectively prepared a Tudor wedding feast, learning all about the Tudor class system and the food they would have eaten. After an informative guided tour around the Hall, including the star chamber and kitchens, the children learnt all about different herbs and spices which were so important at that time for so many different reasons including use as medicines and to prevent plague. The day concluded with a Tudor dance before returning to the year 2022.

- Mr J Joyce-O’Keeffe

University of Liverpool Visit

On 17 June, the Lower Sixth travelled by coach to the University of Liverpool's Open Day. It was a beautifully sunny day, perfect for exploring the campus; we attended lectures, visited faculties and had tours of student accommodation. Isobel, Matthew and Ross enjoyed listening to members of the English Faculty speak about a range of topics covered on their courses, from Middle English poetry to the forensic analysis of the language of serial killers. It was a very useful day, which helped many students to think carefully about the university they would like to attend and the kind of subjects they wish to pursue. - Mrs A. McMonagle

We know we have some very talented students, but we want to be even more aware of all their successes, including the ones they achieve when they walk out of the door of our buildings.

Please contact the relevant department head and send us photos and information about your child's achievements. We'll be proud to share it with the whole Bedian family.

#Be part of a Great Tradition #BeBedian

bedesnews@sbcm.co.uk

On Sunday 12 June, Joseph entered a football tournament in Littleborough with his football team, Shawside Juniors.

Joseph rotated positions in games, appearing in goal, defense and midfield. They made the final which was a tense game as it went to penalties. The Shawside team kept their nerve and won the Cup!

Here is Joseph with his winning medal and the Cup his team won for the club.

Bedian Talent

On Monday 14 June we held a cake sale, one of the ones we organise throughout the year, to raise money for our charities. Most of the children in Prep 5 made cakes.

Zachary with the cakes that he made.

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Prep Headteacher Award

Congratulations to Cristina and Martha on receiving a Headteacher’s Award. These two wonderful children are at both ends of the school, Nursery and Prep 6 yet both display the same Bedian characteristics of kindness and compassion. In Nursery Class Cristina is always the first person to welcome new pupils into class and help them to settle in. Martha also shows amazing kindness to others, she is the first person to share what she has with others. It is beautiful to see that the number one rule of the Prep ‘Be Kind!’ is evident throughout the school from Nursery to Prep 6.