On Friday 20 December, Curnock Charity House Captain, Gen (13C3), and Mrs Whyatt safely delivered two large hampers of donations to Curnock’s House Charity, Newbury Cancer Care, 
specifically the Donnington Ward and Rainbow Rooms at West Berkshire Hospital. The Hampers were gratefully received and items were distributed to both staff and patients over the Christmas period. Thank you for all the donations from Curnock students for these hampers.
After their strong showing against Redlands in the previous round, the Year 10 rugby team made the journey to St John’s School, Leatherhead for the last 16 of the National Vase. The boys were undaunted by the impressive venue and large crowd to play their part in a very competitive and close game. St John’s put Bart’s under pressure early, moving their ball using their strong back five to attack the wider channels. While conceding field position, the boys tightened up defensively in the red zone with some excellent cover tackles and turnovers at the breakdown, which we held the edge in all game. This defensive hard work paid off after 20 minutes, when St John’s made a rare handling error, allowing winger, Ed Hancock, to scoop up the ball and race away from 60m to put Bart’s in front. St John’s came straight back on the attack, however, through a dangerous kick return from the back three, and eventually the pressure told, with the captain and number 8 battering over from close range to make it 5-5. The boys grew into the game ball in hand, and after some sustained possession from St Bart’s, just before half time, St John’s then scored again with a well-constructed maul from 20m out to take a deserved lead at the half 10-5.
The boys responded brilliantly after half time and the second half was a back and forth affair. On the back of a dominant scrum, Bart’s went on the attack with strong carrying from James, Josh, Antonio and Raul and the St John’s defence started to show some glimpses of slowing down. Antonio Valdivia took advantage to use his pace and power to beat three defenders from 50m out and Deacon Cullen slotted the conversion from wide out to put Bart’s into a 12-10 lead going into the last 15 minutes. From here, St John’s piled the pressure on, but Bart’s continued to hold on, particular thanks to Henry Wilson’s superb work at the breakdown throughout the game. Sadly, the pressure told and St John’s scored two tries in the last 12 minutes to put the game away, with a final score of 20-12. The boys can be very proud of this cup run and the fact that they pushed a very strong St John’s team to the limit, and we look forward to seeing this team’s continued progression into senior school rugby in the future.
James Dearing
Deacon Cullen
Josh Burgess
Finn Watrus
Harry Fenner
Jacob Tang
Joe Richards
Bartosz Opitek
Freddie Robertshaw
Raul Filimon
Henry Wilson
James Wheeler
Antonio Valdivia
Sidney Bloodworth
Will Mason
Lucas Bailey
Ed Hancock
Iggy Duly
Freddie Fuller
As is the tradition at St Bart’s, the Spring Term will see the return of House Evenings! These are delightfully entertaining occasions, showcasing students’ talents from dance and musical performances to hilarious sketches and teacher cameos, aiming to raise funds for our fabulous House Charities:
Curnock: Newbury Cancer Care
Davis: Swings and Smiles
Evers: Mencap
Patterson: Guide Dogs
On both occasions there will be a raffle. If you would like to donate a prize, maybe you have some unwanted Christmas gifts needing a home, please do bring them into school, either via Reception or the House Offices.
If students want to take part, they can sign up their act now, either individually, or with friends, on the sheets posted outside their House Office. Audience tickets are £2.00 each and are available now on ParentPay.
| Rehearsal
|
House Evening | |
| Davis and Evers | Wednesday 5 February,
3.15-5.15pm in the Hall
|
Thursday 6 February
6.30pm in the Hall |
| Curnock and Patterson | Friday 7 February,
3.00pm-5.00pm in the Hall |
Tuesday 11 February
6.30pm in the Hall. |
On 13 December 2024, the Patterson House Film Night debuted in spectacular style, bringing students together for a web-slinging evening of cinematic fun. The chosen feature? Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse – a multiverse masterpiece that had everyone laughing, gasping, and cheering.
It wasn’t just about the movie magic, though. This was Patterson House’s first ever film night, designed to raise funds for their house charity, Guide Dogs, whilst creating a fun, inclusive event for all students. The result? A blockbuster hit, with over £350 raised for a fantastic cause.
Of course, no movie night would be complete without the essentials – popcorn, snacks and fizzy drinks were flowing faster than Spidey can spin a web!
A massive thank you to everyone who came along to support the event and made it such a great night. Stay tuned, film buffs – another movie night is coming soon to a school hall near you!
Congratulations to Jack (12D2) who competed in the Berkshire Cross Country Championships and has qualified to represent Berkshire at the National Competition for Cross Country in March.
The Textile department has started the academic year off with a busy term. Year 7s and 8s have been making their felt monsters and cultural tote bags. We continue to celebrate their success by awarding ‘Students of the Term’, for each of our classes, with postcards home, certificates and prizes. Students were awarded the Barts Bee for their excellent achievement in lessons, their participation in class discussions and for always being prepared to learn and fully engage in their Textile lessons. These students have gone above and beyond to produce some excellent written and practical work. Huge congratulations to all the students who completed their products this term.
This terms’ ‘Bart’s Bee Awards’, for being ‘Student of the Term’ in Textiles, have been awarded to:
7S TX1 – Mrs Davies
Winner: Anaisha (7D3)
Runners Up: Timothy (7C1), Elsie (7C2)
7S TX2 – Mrs Richardson
Winner: Scarlett (7D1)
Runners Up: Jimmy (7D2), Flo (7C2) and Sophie (7D2).
7T TX1 – Mrs Richardson
Winner: Nina (7P3)
Runners Up: Kitty (7E1), Honour (7P1), Barney (7E1).
7T TX2 – Miss Brock
Winner: Olivia (7E1)
Runners up: Isla (7E2), Elliot (7P3), Luke (7P2).
8T TX1 – Mrs Richardson
Winner: Alex (8P1)
Runners Up: Joe (8P2), Rosie (8E3) and Poppy (8E2).
8S TX2 – Mrs Richardson
Winner: Evie (8D2)
Runners up: Jacob (8D2), Ava (8C2) Tanishka (8D1).
8T Tx2 – Miss Brock
Winner: Imogen (8E2)
Runners Up: Lacey (8E3) Millie (8P2), Elliot (8P2).
8S TX1 – Mrs Davies
Winner: Jayden (8C1)
Runners Up: Florence (8D1), Alesha (8C1)
Over the Autumn Term, Year 10 Business Studies students learnt about business plans as part of their GCSE course. Students were challenged to generate a business idea where profits were high and costs low – with all profits going to House charities! The students created a business plan outlining the various aspects of their business, from the idea to the financial viability of their business.
On Thursday 19 December, the students were part of a very festive Christmas market in the hub, where they were able to bring their business ideas to life. The students did an amazing job and there was a total of 12 stalls in the hub! The stalls ranged from a festive tombola to hot chocolate and lots of treats and goodies in between! They raised an amazing £273.74, which will be split amongst the House charities. A massive congratulations to ALL students that took part; the effort, teamwork and dedication to this task was amazing! The students who raised the most money were Hala Alharbat, Divyanshi Malik, Aanya Dwivedi and Miraya Srivastava who have won themselves Amazon vouchers – Well done!
‘I think the Market Day was really fun to do and it was a great experience to sell to students for charity. We worked really hard for it and we spent weeks planning. The students were really nice and thank you to everyone who bought from us on the Market Day.’ – Hala Alharbat
‘The Christmas market sale provided an invaluable opportunity for us as Business students to apply our knowledge in a real-world setting. My team and I invested considerable time and effort in our project, and we were all pleased and humbled by our success. At the outset, we did not expect to win or generate a profit, particularly given the calibre of the other business ideas showcased. We are deeply appreciative of the support we received and extend our sincere thanks to everyone who made a purchase from us’ – Aanya Dwivedi
‘For me the market day was an enriching experience, where students were given a real-life experience, and I learned useful entrepreneurial skills. I was thrilled to see the enthusiasm in the students coming together to help and raise money for the charity. I would like to thank all of my friends, teachers and the school community for giving us this opportunity and I am proud to have contributed to such a meaningful cause’ – Divyanshi Malik
Last year Students travelled to Cambodia – we get a full report with amazing images, plus fundraising round ups and House Evening information in this week’s BartholoNews.
Last year, in conjunction with Challenges Abroad, St Bart’s were successful in an application to the Department of Education’s Turing Scheme, which offers education providers the opportunity for funding to support their students with study and work placements around the world. On securing the funding, our Sixth Form students were selected to be part of a global citizen project supporting the work of the Future Sense Foundation in the Supplementary Education Centre in Battambang, Cambodia, and, in October, 30 of our Year 13 students set off on a 15-hour plane flight.
St Bart’s students were given the objective to plan and deliver workshops to Cambodian primary school children around the theme of the environment and recycling. Our students were taught some basic Khmer in order to communicate with the children but they also had to be creative in delivering their workshops. Despite the language barrier, it was wonderful to see our students develop a special connection with the Cambodian young people, exchanging cultures and learning from each other. From dance to arts and crafts, students came up with many engaging ideas to deliver to the children of Battambang. Young people in Cambodia only receive half a day of funded state education, therefore it is up to charities like the Future Sense Foundation to deliver the second half of their education. This is why the work our students put in was so important.
As well as delivering workshops, our students experienced the culture, immersed themselves in the local community, met the monks, had a city tour of the capital, Phnom Penh, visited the Royal Palace, explored Battambang and learnt about Cambodia’s ancient and more recent past. It was a truly humbling experience to learn about the tragedy of Cambodia’s recent past and to visit the Killing Fields at Wat Samrong Knong. The cultural experience was topped off with a weekend excursion to Siem Reap to visit the famous Angkor Wat temple at sunrise, considered one of the wonders of the world. Moving into the second week, students spent time in the famous Cambodian markets, visited the Bat Caves, meditated and played volleyball with monks, and, of course, there was time for a game of dodgeball back at base camp. The magical two weeks closed with an Awards Night, at which students presented awards to our amazing hosts and the Future Sense Foundation staff. Teachers then took turns presenting students with personalised awards which ended with a karaoke marathon finale that went on into the evening.
“Our trip to Cambodia was a life changing experience that I will never forget. Being able to work with the children at the Supplementary Education Centre, teaching them about the environment and recycling was my highlight – seeing how excited they were to learn and engage with us every day, that is something I will carry with me forever. We came together as a group and made friends for life. I learnt so much about myself trying to fully immerse myself in the experience. Although it was challenging at points, I came away with a newfound perspective on what is important in life.”
Ellie Upton, (13D2)
“We learnt all about the history of Cambodia by visiting temples such as Angkor Wat, which was beautiful during the sunrise and full of intricate architecture and detailing which showed stories and myths from local history. We spoke to locals who could share their experiences about the recent events and visited the peace gallery where we learnt all about how Cambodians have recovered and found peace within their country despite all the conflict. We were fully immersed within the Cambodian culture in many ways, such as learning traditional dances, going to local markets, working in the school and trying new foods. Overall, this is a trip that I will remember forever and will take the lessons I have learnt from this experience with me throughout my life.”
Sophie Livingstone (13D2)
Mr Wilder, Co-Head of Sixth Form, said: “We are so proud of our students embracing the global citizen element of this project and meeting every challenge with bravery and spirit. Each student brought their unique personality and had their own personal journey in different ways. It was a truly remarkable experience with memories that will last a lifetime. The joy of the Cambodian people will stay with us for a very long time. A huge thank you to the team at Challenges Abroad and the Future Sense Foundation for making this happen and sharing our vision.”
As part of the Scheme and once again in conjunction with Challenges Abroad and Future Sense Foundation, St Bart’s will run two further Sixth Form trips in 2025, visiting Tanzania and a return trip to Cambodia.
On Friday 7 February, Year 9 students will attend a performance of ‘Risking It All’ in the school hall. This performance is part of an innovative programme of educational theatre, focusing on risk-taking behaviour and sponsored by West Berkshire Council, Building Communities Together Partnership and the Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (LSCB). The interactive performance and workshop touches on many of the issues looked at in PDP lessons, such as exploitation, unhealthy relationships and drugs and alcohol.
As part of the programme, parents/carers are also invited to attend a free showing of this performance at the Arlington Arts Centre on Wednesday 5 February at 7.30pm. This is a great opportunity to learn about and to gain confidence to talk about issues that may affect young people. Professionals will be attending the performance in order to talk to parents about these issues. Tickets can be booked here.
