Scholastic Book Fair

St Bart’s Library will run a Scholastic Book Fair from Wednesday 12 June to Monday 17 June during break times, lunchtimes and after school on Thursday 13 June, 3.10 – 6.00pm.

The students will all have the chance to browse the books, and we will have wishlists they can take to write down the name and cost of any books they would like, and parents can pay online here or card payments will be accepted after school on Thursday 13 June, 3.10 – 6.00pm. There will be the latest books at great prices, and there is the added bonus that every book you buy could earn free books for our school.

Celebrate reading with us, get your summer reading list ready and earn free books for our school with a Scholastic Book Fair!

You can download the book list and the book fair guide using these links.

Well Done to our Staff Runners!

The St Bart’s teachers made it across the line at the Newbury 10K! We are still raising money for the house charities: Newbury Cancer Care, Mencap, Guide Dogs, Swings and Smiles.

Thanks for all of your support.

West Berkshire District Athletics

Congratulations to the U15 (Year 8 and 9) and U17 (Year 10) Boys Athletics teams who both came 1st out of 14 schools in the Area Athletics Competition at Palmer Park.

The following boys have qualified to represent West Berkshire in the County Athletics Championships on Saturday 8 June: Jacob Tang, 200m, Antonio Valdivia, 300m and Triple Jump, Eli Bodin, 1500m, Harry Fenner, Hurdles, Deacon Cullum, Hurdles, Joseph Richards, Shot, Chris Broadfoot, Javelin, Max Charlton, 100m, Kenechi Akosa, 200m and Discus, Theo Nightingale, High Jump, Heydn James, Javelin,

Much Ado About Numbers

On Tuesday 21 May, selected Maths students went to Kennet School to hear Rob Eastaway talk about his new book, ‘Much Ado About Numbers’. They told us how they got on…

“We found this a fascinating and entertaining talk, and who would’ve known that seven is such a magical number?! We saw so many connections between Shakespeare, Maths and so many other various subjects. Shakespeare helped contribute loads of new words to the dictionary, introducing ‘orange’ (referring to the colour), ‘apostrophe’ and ‘road’! 

We saw how difficult it was to add roman numerals together, and we now feel so grateful for our modern day number system. Previously, we didn’t see any connections between Shakespeare, Newton and Galileo – but now their coexistence feels so… right! Coming out of the talk, we now feel educated in many ways numbers, literature, music and everything in between!”

Amy Oliver, Luca Forrester, Hector Marshall, Casper Nolan & Sophie Lystor

Cultural Knowledge & Creativity in MFL!

In Years 7, 8 and 9, Language students were given the challenge of finding out about some cultural elements of their respective languages and where they are spoken. We feel it is so important that the students are aware that our main Modern Foreign Languages are not just spoken in France, Germany and Spain and that we help students develop an understanding and empathy for the wide variety of cultures represented in each of the countries chosen. After completing their research, students created a poster, without the use of IT. The results proved to be some beautiful presentations of a variety of towns and countries where the languages are spoken.

Our wonderful Foreign Language Assistants – Roberto, Hannah and Alexandre, chose their favourites and decided on overall winners. We are delighted to acknowledge the work of the overall winners and want to say a big thank you to all students who took part. Here are a couple of photos of some of the winners and posters.  Well done all!

Winners:         

Y7 French         Avi with Morocco

Y7 German      Freya with Switzerland

Y8 French        Roba with Bordeaux

Y8 German      Olivia with Munich

Y8 Spanish       Lucy with Spain

Y9 Spanish       Jess with Santiago de Compostela

Mayor’s Cadet Award for Milla

Newbury’s Mayor-Elect, Cllr Andy Moore, was delighted to award Milla the Mayor’s Cadet Award on Friday 17 May in school in the presence of Headteacher, Dr Fitter. Milla has been awarded the award for her outstanding contribution to the CCF at St Bart’s and her contribution to the Newbury community. She was nominated for the Young Persons’ Civic Award this year. Milla is highly active in her adventure training in the Newbury community. She has volunteered at the Waterside Centre for some time, where she has assisted in the accessible climbing sessions. She has volunteered at various community events, including the Newbury 10K.

Her duties will include supporting the Mayor in his attendance of various public events such as the Victoria Park Family Day, Michaelmas Fair, Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day.

Milla has recently successfully completed the 45 mile Ten Tors event on Dartmoor. This is yet another testament to her incredible teamwork, leadership and determination. She thoroughly deserves this Mayor’s Cadet Award.

Alumni Talk: Careers in Technology

Our sincere thanks to Tom Moores (St Bart’s alumnus) who recently paid a visit to the school in order to meet with our Year 11 and Year 12 Computer Science students and advise them on careers in technology. Tom is in his third year of a BSc (Hons) Cyber Security and Forensic Computing at the University of Portsmouth and is completing a work placement at Ntegra, a specialist technology practice.

Tom spoke to our students about considering what they wanted to accomplish in the next five years. He spoke about the importance of researching the different post-18 options available to them, reflecting on what they enjoy and are good at, and about not being afraid to try new things, including work experience (paid or unpaid) in different fields. His presentation covered what soft skills employers are looking for in the technology sector, such as communication, collaboration, time management, critical thinking and adaptability. Finally, Tom gave students some tips on how to break into the industry by using networking tools and gaining new skills and certifications, as well as some ideas on job searching and building a top CV.

This was a valuable opportunity for our students. It is always fantastic to welcome back former students; their stories and advice are especially authentic and powerful. We know our students particularly appreciate hearing from those who have relatively recently sat in their seats, living the same experiences, and have now gone on to realise their ambitions – forging exciting careers. Thank you Tom, and we hope to welcome you back again soon.

If you are a former student who would be happy to support the school in this way, please do consider signing up to our alumni Future First platform and building your profile – this helps us connect with you.

 And speaking of alumni”¦

We very much enjoyed reading the recent BBC article about England Cricketer and St Bart’s alumnus, Lauren Bell, and her recent stratospheric trajectory into the women’s international game. Lauren reflects on her breakthrough year, playing for England and her desire to inspire the next generation, saying “There will be more little girls in those crowds thinking, I want to be England’s next fast bowler.” What a great role model for our students.

BartholoNews Banner Competion

BartholoNews, our school newsletter goes out weekly to staff, students and parents/carers, with a circulation of over 4800. We are looking for a BartholoNews title design for the school year 2024/2025. Last year the winning student design (below) was by Mavis in Year 13.

The new winning design will head up our weekly newsletter throughout the new school year and will include a by-line for the student designer. You will also win a certificate to include in your portfolio of work and a £30 Amazon voucher.

This is a great opportunity to have your work seen by our whole school community. It would look great on personal statements, CVs or even
House Colour applications!

Design Brief

  • The design should be bold and clear and must feature the newsletter title BartholoNews.
  • It should include our school logo or space for us to add the logo
  • The design can be in any style or media
  • Download and use the Design Template (also available at the art office, top floor Curnock) and to ensure your design has the correct dimensions.

Competition Rules

  • The competition is open to any current St Bart’s student
  • The deadline is midday on Friday 7 June 2024
  • Entries should be either sent to bartholonews@stbarts.co.uk or delivered to the art office (top floor Curnock) – remember to tell us your name and tutor group.

 

Spring Concert Review

On 25 March, our talented musicians took to the stage to give us their Spring Concert. Some Year 12 students told us what it was like to be involved”¦

“Knowing that all forces of the performance: the orchestra, choir and soloists, were faced with both challenging and ambitious repertoire, the musicianship utilised by each and every contributing member was astonishing. The concert offered an abundance of musical styles, from film scores like ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ to the more tranquil moments from the talented A Level music students. They played solos from exquisite composers like Poulenc and Debussy.

We were also presented with a wonderful arrangement for percussion by a current A Level music student – Cole Bowers, alongside contributions from the Art, Dance and Tech departments that truly brought the Senior Band’s performance of Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals to life.

Overall, this was a concert to be remembered from St Bart’s, which couldn’t have been achieved without the guidance and organisation from all of the Music department. Many thanks especially to Mrs Robertson for maintaining such high quality opportunities for the students within the school, whilst also setting time aside to create such special performances like this Spring Concert.”

Charlotte, Isaac and Tom (Y12)

Romeo & Juliet for Year 9

On Friday last week, the touring theatre company, Box Clever, made their third visit to school this year. This time they were performing ‘Romeo and Juliet’ to Year 9. This fast-paced, exciting performance really captivated students and brought the play to life. Students were eager to get involved in the workshop opportunity afterwards, and it was great to hear them speaking (shouting) lines as the love triangle between Paris, Romeo and Juliet followed its devastating, but predictable course.

St Bartholomew’s School, Andover Road, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 6JP

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