St Aloysius' College
Newsletter Summer 2 - July 2023
Our Headteacher's Message
Every year I feel exactly the same as we approach the final hours of the academic year – deeply proud and appreciative for all the brilliant work by students and staff at St Aloysius' College. Today, we bid farewell to another vibrant year – a year full with diligent, hard work, with opportunities to serve the community and of course, building upon our academic and sporting success. My faith in Catholic education is underpinned by a faith in every member of the community, in every student to be the best, most extraordinary versions of themselves. As we look back on another year, I am also mindful of the great tradition and ethos of the College, a College that has provided Catholic formation to a local community for well over a hundred years. The founding fathers of the College remarked on the verdant beauty of this urban spot, up here in Highgate. We are so lucky to be placed in such a green and pleasant space at the top of the hill, surrounded by nature!
Exciting times await us as we look to the future, building on our proud tradition, seeking to become a co–educational school from September 2024. Watch this space!
Hard work and service lie at the core of our ethos – this year is certainly no exception when I think of these values and reflect upon our distinctive presence as a school which provides for all families, for their academic and social needs, for their formation and academic development. The GCSE and A Level examinations are now well and truly complete and I certainly look forward to late August and results day! We can be so proud of our achievements to date – proud of the boys, proud of the brilliantly committed staff and proud of our families.
I would like to express my gratitude to all our amazing neighbours in Channing and Highgate for their continuing support – the sharing of their expertise and the opportunities afforded to our students in developing their reading, debating and presentation skills. Vibrant communities should be all about forging links and we, at St Aloysius, are so very delighted to maintain our deeply valued connections with such prestigious institutions.
Pope Benedict once remarked that we are all called to become Saints. At St Aloysius, we are all called to live out this ideal and as we look ahead, we can embrace the future with the certainty of our convictions and in the continuing success of our students.
Have a fantastic summer and see you all in September!
Ms P Whyte
Headteacher
Summer Fete benefits from Aloysius manpower
Summer Reading Challenge 2023 up & running
'Excellent' attendance rewarded at St Aloysius
We're pleased to announce that we won another National Attendance Award, presented by the organisation Fischer Family Founation (FFT). It is an 'acknowledgement for the hard work and dedication of staff and pupils in achieving excellent attendance during the spring term'. A massive thank you to our safeguarding team who has a relentless focus on attendance at St Aloysius and upholds the highest standards throughout the academic year. Ms Garrib is shown as their representative in the picture above.
Art and Graphic Design exhibitions bursting with colour and creativity
Sports Day brought out best in Aloysius athletes
Activity Days allow students to push boundaries
Bags of energy at Primary School basketball event
Windrush anniversary marked with moving and thought-provoking assembly
On 21st June, it was exactly 75 years ago since a passenger ship called HMT Empire Windrush arrived in the port of Tilbury in Essex. It carried people of all ages from the Caribbean who followed the call of the then British Government to assist the country with the rebuilding efforts after the second World War. Mr Thomas led an assembly on Tuesday to make sure that our students become aware of the immense contributions the Windrush generation made to British society and life in general. "Those contributions often went unacknowledged so it's important that our boys know about this part of their country's past", Mr Thomas said, adding: "Immigration is a vital part of our history and helped Britain to forge relationships with the rest of the world." A big thank you from the whole Aloysius community to Mr Thomas for marking this important milestone with us.
Year 11 students signing off in style
It was also Year 13's last day at St Aloysius and we look forward to welcoming them back for one last time on A Level results day, Thursday 17th August.
Please read on for more Sixth Form news.
Sixth Form lived up to its 'Find your geet, go far' motto during lively term
It has been a busy summer term for our newly appointed Head of Sixth Form, Ms Mauris-Blanc. A multitude of events showcased her department as an exciting hub of learning, expanding and progressing.
At the end of June, our Year 12 students met professionals from various industries to discuss potential career pathways. A range of presentations and round-table discussions gave the boys an opportunity to explore options and engage in some invaluable networking. 'How can I turn my talents and passions into a job that I find fulfilling?', was the questions on everybody's lips. Ready to help with the answer were experts from Healthcare, Finance, Engineering, Construction, Creative Industries to name but a few.
There was also a chance for Year 12 to develop their oracy skills and communication confidence during a Talk the Talk workshop, part funded by the Jack Petchey Foundation. "It's all part of a bigger picture," Ms Mauris-Blanc explains: "Getting the students ready for the world of work and helping them write the next chapter of their life."
If Ms Mauris-Blanc had to summarise, what her three focal points are, now that we are at the cusp of starting a new academic year. "Possibility, positivity and ambition," she cites without missing a beat.
Pupil leadership team rewarded with al-fresco pizza
The Brilliant Club celebrates additional learning
It was smiles all around in the school library for a special rewards ceremony earlier this term.The aptly named Brilliant Club sends future academics into schools to support students with weekly workshops. Our bright Aloysius sparks looked at the Earth’s climate and sat regular assignments on their learning. Here you can see them receiving their certificates and rewards for successfully completing the whole course, called the Scholars Programme. Well done everybody and a big Thank You to Ms Kienzel, who oversaw proceedings.
Maths Challenge sweeps Key Stages
Junior maths challenge: Year 7
Tashveenn Haridas - silver certificate and Best in School
Intermediate maths challenge: Year 9s
Chin Chaiyapruk - Gold and Best in School
Christopher Baah- Silver certificate
Rafeeq Akinbola - Silver certificate
Slavy Bachvarov - Silver certificate
Tyrese Amofah-Akardom- Silver certificate
Senior maths challenge Years 10 & 12:
Muhammed Ibrahim - Bronze
Prince-Denzel Kitaka - Best in year 10 (Bronze)
Alfie Ragan - Silver certificate and Best in School
Mayan Maheswaran - Silver certificate
Pictured is Chin from Year 9, representing all the students who committed themselves to going the extra mile in maths this year.
Year 8 football team take home massive trophy - literally!
Geography 1: Year 10 measure small Essex river
Geography 2: Year 8 amazed by rare plants at Kew
New Year 7 boys get first look
The new academic year start on Monday, 4th September for our Year 7 boys. For more information about the year group of your son or ward, please visit our website at www.sta.islington.sch.uk.
School gardens get a fresh splash of summer colour
We are determined to bring our premises even more in line with nature and make them as eco-friendly as possible - not just because green is our college's colour, but because we want to play our part in preserving the wonders of our natural world for generations to come.
History teacher Geraldine Rimmer looks back on amazing 40 years of service
Academic Taster Mornings prove a winner with primary school partners
A massive Thank You to St Joseph's and Ambler primary schools for filling our classrooms with plenty of energy and curiosity this term! A total of 90 children made the most of a series of academic taster mornings currently happening at our college. St Joseph's Year 4 boys got their hands on clay and pizza dough - not at the same time, it has to be said -, whereas Ambler's Year 5 enjoyed brain-teasing science and history taster sessions. "When are we coming back?", one of the children asked at the end of the morning, which we take as a compliment 😉
Spoken Word star triggers discussion on male identity
Awe-inspiring destinations on our doorstep
Lots to talk about and digest in next door's Waterlow Park, where the boys moved on to for an outdoors English drama class and a maths lesson. Summertime learning at its best.
Multi-functional library space is hit with chess fans
The library also proved the ideal meeting point for the fans of chess, like Ayman and Kaan (pictured). The classic board game started out as a bit of a niche past-time for KS4 students, but increased its popularity over the months to become our students' top choice for non-book related activities in the library. We invested in some brandnew equipment and look forward to inviting even more budding chess champions into the library in the next academic year.
St Aloysius' College
Email: enquiries@sta.islington.sch.uk
Website: https://www.sta.islington.sch.uk
Location: St Aloysius' RC College, Hornsey Lane, London, UK
Phone: 020 7561 7800