St Aloysius' College

A warm welcome to our Easter newsletter!

We were very pleased to welcome Bishop Nicholas Hudson from the Diocese of Westminster on Wednesday, March 29th. Bishop Hudson talked powerfully to our Year 10 and 11 students about St Oscar Romero and his courage in standing up for the rights of the El Salvadorean people against the brutality of an oppressive regime knowing that this would ultimately result in his execution. Our students were inspired to be courageous as young Christians to stand up to injustice and to work towards the common good of all people.

St Aloysius' College was once more a hive of activity this half-term, with fantastic projects, trips and learning opportunities going on across all subjects. I would like to mention World Book Day, which was celebrated in colourful character costumes and with reading and telling of tales happening in every classroom. Reading well and with enjoyment is such an integral part of a student's success in life, so please encourage your son to take out a book or two this Easter holiday from your local library and get captivated by a great story.

Our proud tradition of nurturing talent in the field of basketball also saw some great successes: the school's Year 7 team for example have made it through to the Junior NBA playoffs! They move on to play All Saints Catholic College in April and we will of course cheer them on from the sidelines. This marks a great achievement for our boys.

Our Year 13 and Year 11 students are busily preparing for their Public examinations which start on Monday, May 15th. A range of Easter holiday revision sessions will take place in the first week of the holidays. Parents have been written to separately.

Easter is a time of reflection and renewal and it is in that spirit that we look forward to the Summer term of the academic year 2022/23. We are all looking forward to longer and to warmer days ahead.

Please read on for a recap of more highlights from this eventful second spring half-term.
Thank you for your continued support and I hope you and your family have a restful holiday and enjoy the peace and blessings of Easter.

Ms P Whyte
Headteacher

Instagram, Twitter and Facebook are brimming with St Aloysius' College news. All our social media accounts are updated on a daily basis and we are delighted to see that user engagement has gone up considerably. Please find the links to all platforms at the bottom of this newsletter.

St Aloysius' College on socials - hear the news first.

Those beaming smiles don't lie: our Year 7 basketball team is going from strength to strength. Earlier this March, they took part in the Y7 Junior NBA Basketball competition, hosted by Highgate School. They walked away with not just one but two wins! They then went on to

make it through to the Junior NBA playoffs, playing All Saints Catholic College before the 21st of April next..

Well done boys for building on St Aloysius' rich and long basketball tradition. A big thank you also to PE teacher and head coach of Islington Panthers Mr Akuffo for firing our players on.

'Thou art inclined to sleep; ’tis a good dulness.'
The Tempest, Act 1, Scene 2

Nothing dull or sleepy about the latest production of William Shakespeare's The Tempest! Our Year 7 students thoroughly enjoyed their visit to the Globe theatre on the Southbank, where they spent an electrifying 90 minutes watching the play. This particular production was set up with young people in mind, delivered by a cast of young actors. "It's always fascinating to see how a play that has been around for hundreds of years still feels relevant and modern," commented Head of English Elaine Doorly.

St Aloysius' Headteacher Paula Whyte invited the boys with the highest number of achievement points round to her traditional breakfast reward. As the picture clearly shows, the number of students who excelled in both behaviour and academic achievement required an extra-long table. "It's always a joy the see so many boys setting a positive example to the rest of the school," commented Assistant Headteacher Ms Garrib, who is in charge of behaviour, inclusion and safeguarding. Pictured is also Father David who congratulated the students for their amazing and standard-setting achievement this half-term.

Our Year 11 students are tackling their GCSE revision head-on - as witnessed during the PGL weekend on 25th and 26th March in leafy Wiltshire! 29 students enjoyed exciting physical activities like canoeing, zip wire riding and giant swinging as well as rigorous studies in maths and science. Our wonderful and dedicated team of teachers - Ms Toprak, Ms Garrib, Mr Dapaah, Ms Bude and Mr Nyame - made sure that the balance between brain and body was maintained throughout. Countless studies show that a healthy dose of oxygen is crucial for successful studying. "Our students certainly got enough O2 this PGL weekend," science teacher Amy Bude confirms.

World Book Day 2023 proved a real spectacle at our college: tons of fun activities kept our busy bookworms stimulated and entertained, among them a dress-up competition, spooky Horowitz story telling and a spectacular spelling bee. There were also two bouncy castles to keep our young readers' hearts pumping! This year's motto of 'Bouncing into Books' was taken very seriously indeed, as you can see from the picture above.

It was brilliant to see how lots of students got in the spirit by dressing up and adding colour and style to the proceedings. Well done to everybody who raided their fancy dress box and showed up in as a famous book character.

We can't wait for World Book Day 2024!

As we wave goodbye to the spring term, the inclement British weather has not dampened the Aloysius spirit of good will, kindness and a generosity. Our community in the last few weeks raised thousands of pounds for Food Bank Aid, in order to support the most vulnerable. Once again, the College’s dedication to the Common Good, to charity, to family are the foundation blocks of our mission. As a community, we have so much to celebrate and so much to be thankful for: exceptional teaching and learning, sporting success with the Islington Panthers, and so much more. Indeed, Easter is a time of renewal, a time to reflect upon the message of Jesus Christ – that we look after each other as we strive to be the best version of ourselves. Our Easter message is underpinned by the Jesuit motto of being a man and a woman for others, of servant leadership throughout all aspects of school life.

So, during this Easter vacation, let us celebrate this vibrant community; regardless of our faith backgrounds, we are called to convey a message of peace and love. To our Muslim brothers and sisters, we pray for all your families during Ramadan. To our local primary school neighbours, we are delighted to renew our partnerships with you after the short break: in our writing workshops, with our reading mentors, and indeed through the Friday basketball academy club with Mr Will Akuffo. During this time of reflection, our community remains open in arms and spirit to the GCSE and A level students preparing for their public examinations in the summer term. As we consider what is past, passing and yet to come, St Aloysius’ College looks to the future with purpose and rigour.

Mr Mahon

Assistant Headteacher

RE/Personal Development/Catholic Life

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