THORNLEIGH SALESIAN COLLEGE SPRING 2024 NEWSLETTER
Dear Parents, Carers, Families and Friends of Thornleigh Welcome to our Spring newsletter. Whilst the Easter term has been short it has certainly not been quiet. There has been a wealth of opportunities, experiences and activities in school - all of which you can read about in this edition of our newsletter. January this year saw the dawn of Mission Week – this year our theme was ‘Dare to Dream’ as this year is the 200th anniversary of the Dream of St John Bosco. Every year we encourage all of our students to dream big and aim high but this year it is filled with special significance as we remember the dream of Don Bosco. All of the events during Mission Week this year were warmly received by students and staff and I know many were profoundly touched by many of the speakers and presenters. This term has also marked the start of Lent - all students had the opportunity to receive ashes on Ash Wednesday and all key stage 3 students have had the opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation during the weeks of Lent. Throughout this term students in Year 11 and 13 have sat their final Pre-Public exams and their final preparations for GCSEs and A Levels are now underway. We have all been impressed with their diligence, resilience and hard work – keep it up! I am, as always, indebted to the commitment of the staff body who are always prepared to give so freely of their time. February half term saw holidays to Iceland and Berlin, this half term there have been residential retreats to Savio House and the Easter holidays sees further trips to New York and Poland - thank you to all the staff who have afforded these opportunities to our students. May I take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support for our school, by working in partnership we are ensuring that all our students can not only ‘Dare to Dream’ but they have the character, qualifications and skills to make their dreams a reality. I hope you have a joyful Easter when it arrives. Yours sincerely Mrs O’Callaghan Headteacher 2 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 HEADTEACHER’S MESSAGE
3 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Student Leadership In our meeting with Mark Logan discussion centred around concerns regarding recent activities in Bolton, including topics such as the latest news updates, children’s mental health initiatives, and the state of the local shopping centre. The student council shared insights and perspectives aimed at identifying potential solutions and avenues for improvement. While no formal decisions or agreed-upon actions emerged from the discussion, the meeting provided a valuable platform for open dialogue and collaboration among attendees. One notable aspect of the meeting was the robust exchange of ideas surrounding children’s mental health initiatives. Members of the student council emphasised the importance of prioritising resources and support systems to address the unique challenges faced by young people in the community. Furthermore, concerns were raised regarding the equitable distribution and effective utilisation of recent funding received, reflecting a collective commitment to transparency and accountability in resource allocation. by Ovez, Year 11 Meeting Our MP The Make Your Mark consultation was run alongside the Youth MP Elections, UK Youth Parliament’s ‘Make Your Mark’ gives a unique opportunity to reach out to young people who go on to be opinion formers and leaders of the future. Make Your Mark gives all young people aged 11-18 in the UK the chance to have a say on the biggest issues facing young people. Make Your Mark takes place annually. This year the students council ran the Make Your Mark consultation alongside the Youth MP Elections. Make Your Mark
4 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 The student council has been coordinating and supporting all members of the school community casting their vote in the elections for the Youth Member of Parliament Elections 2024. The two candidates with the most votes will represent Bolton as Youth MPs. They represent our young people who are looked after in Bolton by supporting the work of the Voice 4 U Children in Care Council, they have delivered Super Citizenship Days in school, represented Bolton at the House of Commons, and campaigned around improving the mental services and reducing the stigma attached to young people to name a few. As well as representing the children and young people of Bolton; nationally and regionally Youth MPs sit on council meetings, Local Strategic Partnership meetings, Youth Action boards, meet with Senior adults from the Local Authority and partners to champion young people’s views. Yet again Thornleigh Salesian College were lucky enough to have a candidate Aiden in Year 8. Aiden “I’m doing it all for you”. His campaign focused on the three elements below 1. Advocate for equality and inclusion across all sectors addressing issues such as homophobia and racism. 2. I will promote how young people can get access to services like counselling or therapy. 3. Promoting positive interactions between young people from all backgrounds. Youth Parliament We are very excited that two members of our student council have been selected to become campaign champions - Iman in 10D and Alessandro 9K. As Campaign Champions they will be trained up with the knowledge and skills they need to engage in activities in the local community and at a national level to call on the UK government to protect children’s learning in times of emergencies. This includes lots of exciting activities - delivering assemblies to schools and community groups, leading lessons, talking to the local media, taking part in photo stunts, meeting with parliamentarians and speaking on panels with other campaigners and government Ministers, attending webinars, and much more! The Campaign Champions will be invited to attend a Parliamentary Action Day on the 11th June 2024. My Friend to School is a group of international development NGOs, teachers’ unions and charities. It brings together young people, politicians, teachers, civil society and the media in joint campaigning to demand quality education for all children across the globe. Each year around 250,000 UK schools, teachers and young people take part in the campaign, teaching young people the power and importance of using their voices in chorus with others across the globe to create positive change. Send My Friend to School is the UK coalition of the Global Campaign for Education movement which is present in over 90 countries around the world Send My Friend Campaign Champions
5 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Chaplaincy On 25th January, Sixth Form students participated in yet another training session for the Young Leaders. It was online training by Kirstie Hutchinson from CAFOD and all the students participated and presented their action plan in the coming months and whatever they had achieved as a group. The young leaders have also proposed activities that could be implemented during Lent and fund-raising for Cafod during Lent. Cafod Young Leaders Training Day The partnership confirmation programme continues to progress and we have been really fortunate to see that our candidates have been amazing in different ways. The parishes have organised the sessions during the month of January and February. All the candidates were back to Thornleigh on Thursday 14th March for the next session. Confirmation will take place in the Thornleigh Chapel on Thursday 20th June 2024 at 6.30pm. Confirmation Programme We are looking forward to the next Savio residential retreats for Year 8s and Year 9s, in the third week of March. Yet another opportunity for our students to experience and to develop good relationships with friends and also time to reflect on their personal lives. Savio Retreats In the Christian tradition, Ash Wednesday marks the start of the holy season of Lent, a time for reflection and repentance in preparation for the celebration of Easter. As our Lenten season began and the 40-day preparation leading up to Easter, each year a group took part in the liturgy focusing on the theme “Be More Like Jesus’’. It was a student lead service with prayers, Bible readings, reflection and distribution of ashes. At the end of the liturgy, students and staff could see the ashes on their forehead to mark the beginning of the season of lent and a reminder of our need for reconciliation and an invitation to receive God’s forgiveness. Fr Steven, Fr Chris and RE staff helped in the distribution of ashes. Ash Wednesday
6 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Follow us @tsc_re RE This term has seen the continuation of the Confirmation Programme. Thornleigh continues its involvement by engaging students both within school and the parish to celebrate and learn about this Sacrament. The Year 8 RE curriculum parallels the Confirmation Programme with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit being taught in the upcoming topics. We will be hosting three more sessions at Thornleigh with the last one being the Confirmation service itself on Thursday 20th June. Staff look forward to sharing in this spiritual journey of our young people over the coming months. Sacraments in RE The Faith in Action Award has been launched once again this year - an opportunity for Year 7 students to actively develop their relationship with God and put their faith into action! They have been invited to work towards the Pin Award which involves them gaining credits by completing 10 hours of service within school and 10 hours outside of school. Activities can consist of fundraising, planning an assembly or liturgy, and altar serving to name a few. Those who are successful will be rewarded with a pin badge and certificate and the knowledge they have made a difference in the world around them so that all might know the joys of the Gospel! Faith in Action During this term students in Year 11 had the amazing opportunity to speak to Ann Angel. As a reform Jew she spoke to students about her life and what her faith means to her as well as how she practices her faith. She brought lots of religious artifacts in for students to see as well as some Challah bread that is used for celebrating the Shabbat at home. This was an exciting and educational visit for our Year 11 students who were preparing not only for their PPE’s but also their upcoming final exams. Judaism Talk Every Friday we have offered RE revision for Year 11 students to prepare them for their PPE’s and their upcoming final exams. These revision masterclasses have focused on decoding questions, compound planning exam answers, revising key words and creating revision resources that can be used at home; as well as finishing the hour off with a pizza! Well done to all our students who have committed to this revision every week and keep up the great work. Year 11 Revision In Year 9 students have been studying Mark’s Gospel. During this topic students have been analysing the Gospel with a focus on the miracles and parables of Jesus as well key events such as Jesus’ baptism and the transfiguration. Students were given their own copy of the Gospel to support with their reading and homework tasks. All this work will build up to the final topics where students explore the events of Holy Week in more detail than they have previously with a focus on the trial of Jesus. Mark’s Gospel
7 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 During this year’s Mission Week we have been focusing on the Mission Week theme ‘Dare to Dream’ and in RE students explored this theme and created their own dream catchers. Students studied the history of dream catchers and then discussed why their dreams for the future are important. During Mission Week students were challenged to dream big and during this lesson they created a piece of art that linked to their dreams and created their own dream catchers. Well done to all our KS3 classes who created some beautiful pieces of art! Dream Catchers As we entered into the season of Lent in the Church we began our KS3 reconciliation services. All students in Year 7 to 9 will take part in the sacrament of reconciliation from the beginning of Lent until after Easter. This is an important opportunity for our students to spend time thinking about the times when we have made mistakes and how we can put them right. This is an important moment for students to take time in what can be an extremely busy school year to reflect and prepare for Easter. Reconciliation
8 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Mission Week 2024 As a community which is “rooted in faith”, each year we come together for a week-long celebration of our Catholic ethos. Through special times of prayer, workshops, talks and activities, we are renewed in the Salesian spirituality which animates our mission. Mission Week takes place in the last week in January, to incorporate the feast day of our patron saint and founder of the Salesian congregation, St John Bosco (31st January). Monday - Launch Assemblies This year’s theme was launched at the start of the week… Dare to dream! 200 years ago, at the age of nine, John Bosco had a dream which eventually shaped his entire life. He saw a multitude of very poor boys who were fighting and swearing. A man of majestic appearance told him: “This is your field of work; with gentleness and love you will change them.” John was confused and cried and then a Lady, just as majestic, added: “Make yourself humble, and strong. At the right time you will understand everything.” In celebration of the 200th anniversary of the dream, and inspired by these words of Pope Francis, our theme for Mission Week is “Dare to Dream”: “I am inviting you to dream and to dream big - knowing that all the rest will be given to you in addition. Dream of open, fruitful, and evangelising Houses capable of allowing the Lord to show very many young people His unconditional love and to permit you to enjoy the beauty to which you were called. Dream... not only for yourselves and for the good of the congregation but for all the young people who are deprived of the strength, light, and comfort found in friendship with Jesus Christ, deprived of a community of faith that includes them, and deprived of a horizon that holds life and its meaning. Dream... and help others dream!” - Pope Francis. What is Mission Week?
9 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Tuesday - Faith in Action Expo and Dan Sargansion On Tuesday we welcomed visitors from charities and organisations all around the country to take part in our ‘Faith in Action Expo’. Year 7 and 8, 12 students visited each stall and were given a flavour of what each organisation does to put faith into action. Contributors included Mary’s Meals, Aid to the Church in Need, CAFOD, Caritas Salford, Laudato Si Centre, Salesians Vocations, Million Minutes and Urban Outreach. Former professional rugby player Dan Sargansion spoke to our Year 10, 11 and Sixth Form students: I offer a story of my life that bridges the worlds of professional rugby and education. I suffered for the entire duration of my 12 year career, unconsciously at first, until it began unignorable. Having been able to overcome my mental health issues, I have been able to reflect and extract the lessons within the depths of my struggle, which I am now beyond passionate about relaying to younger generations. It was only the passing of my little brother, who was suffering deeply with mental health, that gave me the courage and enabled me to really look inwards and uncover my own insecurities, crippling doubts and low level of self-worth. Wednesday - Feast of St John Bosco All lessons were cancelled on Wednesday as we celebrated the feast of Don Bosco! There was a real ‘oratory’ feel around the school, as classes took part in may different activities, including: Quizzes, Big Sings, film time, silent disco, circus skills, leadership workshops (led by Bright Leaders), SDG projects, and team sports. Many Year 11 students enjoyed a day together at the Trafford Centre, while the Sixth Form had a well-being day, with many students opting to spend the day in the great outdoors! At the end of the day, the staff gathered together in the chapel with the Salesian community to celebrate Mass for the feast, and enjoyed some social time together afterwards. It was a wonderful celebration!
10 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Thursday - Adventureman On Thursday we heard from Adventureman! When it comes to inspirational speakers, real-life superhero Jamie McDonald not only overcame his own childhood illness but went on to complete some of the most ambitious and physically gruelling challenges ever attempted. These painstaking journeys helped him give back to the hospitals that helped him, whilst also raising money for sick children through his charity, Superhero Foundation – winning the Pride of Britain for ‘Fundraiser of the Year’. Schools Honours Programme In the context of this year’s Mission Week, Year 9 took part in the School Honours Programme. The Manchester Lieutenancy is composed of people who have given significant public service in one form or another. Our students engaged in sessions where they learnt about the Honours System, they listened to people who have achieved honours speak in assemblies and they worked in groups to create their own nominations. The intention is that they understand the system and will, one day, nominate someone they know who demonstrates British Values in their life. They may also consider what actions they can do to contribute positively to society and be nominated one day themselves. Our speakers were Steve McGuirk CBE QFSM DL and Saeed Atcha MBE DL. Friday - Closing Liturgies Our week of Mission came to a close on Friday when we gathered in the sports hall for our celebration liturgies. The liturgy was prepared and animated by the students, including dancers, drama group, choir and instrumentalists. Our main speaker was John Pridmore - This former East End enforcer turned evangelist visits students to tell of his remarkable conversion. The reformed gangster, who nearly killed a man outside a London nightclub only to impress an underworld boss who was there. That was 20 years ago and he decided to use his experiences to help young people by showing them an alternative path to violence and using their gifts to help other. The liturgy concluded with a time of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, as we brought Mission Week 2024 to an end in silent prayer, as one faith community. The week was a real success, and most importantly, provided an opportunity for all members of the school community to ask: God, what is your dream for my life?
11 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Our week started off with the first chapter: daily challenges. Every day, students were given a challenge to complete which was anything from dressing like a book cover to creating their own tasty treats inspired by their reading. With an amazon voucher up for grabs for the winner in every form, the competition was tough. Thursday saw us celebrate World Book Day officially and there was no better way to start it off other than with our quiz. Members of staff from across the school shared a selfie of their shelfie, others were morphed into literary characters, whilst others transformed into masked readers. We had everything from a talking blob fish to a hybrid Paw Patrol, pink haired troll! As you can imagine, it was like a Mexican wave of laughter around school as each form watched the quiz. However, perhaps the most memorable was our very own quiz master, Mr Whitehead, who hosted each round dressed as a different character, with the students having to guess who he was. Thanks to Mr Whitehead’s very talented acting, he made it easy for forms to guess who! Whilst form time was busy with quizzing, our break and lunch times were just as active as students took part in ‘Around the World in 80 (minus 79) Days’! This scavenger hunt took students all around school, following clues to work out which member of staff was wearing which badge. Which member of staff was the ‘rogue one’? Who made sure school didn’t descend into a scene from ‘Lord of the Flies’? And, who can talk as much about football as the 20 page account in ‘Kes’? Well, hopefully, you now know all those answers! The whole point of World Book Day is to encourage young people to discover the pleasure of reading. Our day was filled with excitement and laughter as students had to work together to use all their literary knowledge to succeed. We heard debates about whether Mr Whitehead was Captain Hook from ‘Peter Pan’ or Long John Silver from ‘Treasure Island’. Others discussed where they had heard the names Lucy, Susan, Peter and Edmund before. Our final discussions were held in the library for our ‘Pages and PJs’ big read. Students from Year 7 and 8 signed up to get their pjs on and bring a favourite book to read and share with the group. We heard extracts from classics such as ‘Wuthering Heights’, ‘Dracula’ and ‘The Famous Five, to an array of genres from newer novels such as ‘Holes’, ‘The Girl of Ink and Hearts’ and ‘Harry Potter’. So, judging by the laughter, debates and engagement by staff and students alike, it’s safe to say we discovered the pleasure for reading on World Book Day. And, in the words of our quiz master himself: “Here’s to next year’s World Book Day 2025!” World Book Day Well, what can we say? World Book Day 2024 was definitely ‘fully booked’ with week-long celebrations and activities.
412 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 English The Spring term has been a busy one in the English department! Our Year 7 students are now fully in the swing of secondary school life, and started the new year by reading about treasured fairy tales from when they were even younger than they are now, and it’s been lovely to see them remember stories that they hadn’t heard in so many years and to look at them in a different light! Their hard work has really helped them with their new challenge of reading Shakespeare and the story of the fairies for the first time in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With students set to study poetry in the Summer term, I suppose you could say things are going to go from bard to verse… All the world’s a stage… and our Year 8s and 9s have been reading about it! Our Year 8s went straight from Shakespeare’s tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet to Liverpudlian twins fatefully separated at birth in Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers, while our Year 9s have been reading the Arthur Miller classic A View from the Bridge. Our students have adored having parts to act out and working on their very best scouse or Brooklyn accent as they start to build up to the end of their KS3 studies. All of their hard work and enthusiasm is truly setting the stage for success as they move towards GCSE! Within their GCSE studies, our Year 10s and Year 11s are putting in some hard work as they look to bring everything together in those final exams. Our Year 11 students demonstrated great resilience and commitment in completing their recent PPEs and are now on the final stretch to their exams this Summer. Soon, it will be the Year 10’s turn: they’ve now completed all the first reads of their English Literature texts, and will complete their first set of PPEs after Easter. We’d tell you an exam joke, but we wouldn’t want to test your patience. Bring on the Summer term! Follow us @Thornleigh_Eng World Pi Day Maths Follow us @ThornleighMaths The Maths department celebrated World Pi day on Thursday 14th March (the date being 3.14 using the American date system of month first) with a range of activities for students taking place in registration and during maths lessons throughout the day. Activities included a Pi estimation challenge where pupils had to estimate the number of pi symbols on a tie, a Pi memory task which involved students reciting as many digits of Pi as possible, and Pi dingbats. There was also some delicious pie treats for students to sample as well. Numeracy Challenge The numeracy challenge continues to run in all Year 7 and 8 forms this year and the competition between the forms and form tutors has been as intense as ever. In Year 7 at the time of writing Miss Millers’ 7 Omega lead the way with 12 point lead over Ms Hawksworth’s 7 Theta with term one winners 7 Zeta 17 points from the top in third place. All forms have competed really well with almost all forms having at least one week when 100% of all students got a correct answer. In the Year 8 numeracy challenge, a lot of forms have performed exceptionally well this term, with many forms scoring 100% on the challenges each week. The current leaders in Year 8 are Mr Jones’ 8O with Ms Cooper’s 8 Zeta in second place. 8 Alpha are in third place and 8 Kappa are in fourth place. The competition will continue until the final week of summer when the winners will be presented with the coveted numeracy challenge trophy and a form prize.
13 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Music Follow us @tsc_musicdep Rock Pop and Musical Theatre Night 2022 A huge thank you and well done to our wonderfully talented musicians and singers at Rock, Pop and Musical Theatre Night on Monday 12th February. The sell-out gig was a huge success and all performances were outstanding. It was wonderful to hear live music and the atmosphere at the gig was electric. The concert was recorded with many students using the night as an opportunity to prepare for upcoming GCSE and BTEC L3 Performing Arts assessments. Many of our super talented musicians were performing on stage for the first time although you would never have known!! We were able to raise funds for new equipment in the Music department. A massive thank you to parents, family, friends and students who attended on the night and we hope to see you all again at the next gig in July. If you are interested in performing at our next event, or just want to get into performing with a band, join on us on Monday evenings from 3.10pm – 4.15pm in Music or see Miss Birtley for further information. If you’d like your child to start instrumental or vocal lessons contact Bolton Music Service on 01204 333533 or on their website www.boltonmusicservice/parents-and-pupils Unwanted Instruments / Donations Do you have any unwanted instruments that you could donate to the school? If the answer is ’yes’, please contact Miss Birtley or Mr Eccleshare or bring to reception.
4814 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 MFL An Interview with Katie Katie is a past student who studied Spanish through to A Level. She is now a successful primary school teacher and talks about the impact of studying languages. What did you like about studying languages? Personally, I found studying languages to be incredibly rewarding. I found languages at GCSE had a different feel about them compared to studying them in KS3, all of my knowledge started fitting together that I had learned throughout the years and as the vocabulary became slightly more advanced, it became more relevant for real life conversations. How have languages helped you in your career? Studying Spanish at GCSE and A-Level encouraged me to progress to study Primary Education with specialism in MFL at Edge Hill University. I would argue that languages are a desirable qualification to have due to my experience in interviews and when speaking to employers. When applying for jobs, I was always asked about my background in languages and they were keen to know how I can implement this in practice. It opened up many doors and opportunities for me at university and when applying for jobs. Would you recommend continuing to study languages? I would highly recommend continuing to study languages. It has benefitted me in many ways, alongside supporting my career. Learning new languages enhanced my communication skills and opened doors to new opportunities, both personally and professionally. I have been able to visit Hispanic countries and interact with locals and dive deeper into their culture. If you could give yourself advice as a Year 9 student, what would it be? The advice I would give myself as a Year 9 student would be to embrace the challenge and step out of your comfort zone. This might mean joining new clubs, trying new things or being independent and not following the path your friends are taking. Most importantly, believe in yourself and your abilities - you have the potential to achieve whatever great things you dream of, with dedication and perseverance. I was convinced I wouldn’t be able to achieve my career aspiration of becoming a teacher, it seemed so far away and impossible. My past teachers would agree, I was a worrier and I would over think everything, I never believed anyone when they reassured me I could do it. Also, trust your gut instincts. I remember worrying over what options to pick in Year 9 and I kept changing my mind as I was constantly thinking ‘what if’. In the end, I chose my initial choices, and to this day I have no regrets. Follow us @tsc_mfl_dep
1 59 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 MFL Curriculum Update In Spanish this term, Year 7 students have been learning about how to talk about different family members and how to describe themselves. They are currently learning the words for different food and drinks and linking that to opinion phrases and adjectives so they are able to talk about their likes and dislikes. Students are also learning about different hispanic foods from different Spanish speaking countries. Year 8 have completed a topic on school including their opinion of school subjects, teachers and their uniform. They are currently studying a topic on where they live; learning about places of interest in their town, what you can buy in different shops, and how to ask and give directions. Year 9 have completed the topic of healthy lifestyles where they have learned how to talk about different sports and bad habits in the past and future tense. Currently the students are learning about future plans, why languages may be useful for different jobs and about different career options. They have studied part time jobs, looked at Spanish job adverts and what options they have when they leave school. Students have found this topic very interesting as we have also been able to discuss the changes to the GCSE Spanish course from September where the assessments are more accessible for involving some of the key skills at Key Stage 3 such as phonics and dictation. Language and Global Leaders Our Language Leaders have continued to meet and have enjoyed discussing key areas of language learning and teaching. The students are looking forward to planning sessions where they will create a lesson which they will teach in one of our feeder primary schools. The Global Leaders have also met to discuss current issues affecting our community and the local community. Following Year 9 support during Mission Week, they have decided on the key ideas proposed including a campaign on gender equality and the language used in school, to complete a beach clean and to possibly visit the Eden Project to see how important protecting our planet is for future generations. International School Update We are also continuing to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through our global and international work. We are looking forward to working with a small group of students in Key Stage 3 with our international partners in Turin in May and the beginning of a new partnership with Valencia for a small group of Key Stage 4 students in July. If any local business would like to support some of our SDG international work then please email elyon@ thornleigh.bolton.sch.uk. The Pensioner’s Party has become a real - and hotly anticipated - institution, with the local community desperate for a place of this very festive table. Months in the making, the college literally added a dollop of Christmas spirit to the season by putting together an event that certainly delivered. Our Wise Men and Ladies arrived at the stable, greeted with tea, coffee and the option of something altogether more fizzy before being entertained by dancers from Year 10 and being given the opportunity to show some festive moves themselves. The three-course meal, with turkey and all the trimmings, followed next before the fun commenced: festive bingo, a raffle of donated gifts from staff and students alike, and the joy of the college’s school and band. Tradition dictated a rousing Thornleigh sing-a-long to finish, and the guests certainly did not disappoint with their rocking around the Christmas tree! This was the most wondrous way to bring a community together and there is no doubt that the guests- clutching a Christmas card and gift- left with full stomachs and a warm heart on their journeys back to lands afar. From the staff - who donated money and gifts - to the students who so generously gave their time to support and entertain the guests, this really was the very best way for Thornleigh to gather faithful friends who are dear to us. Pensioner’s Christmas Party
4816 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Neil, Ian and Mel from Aspens Catering came in to school to visit our Hospitality and Catering lessons for Year 10 and 11. The sessions started with Neil explaining his role and responsibilities within the test kitchen, giving our students a better understanding of the way that the Aspens chefs create and trial dishes before adding them to their menus. He gave students an overview of his career and the pathway that led him into working in contract catering and then role in the development kitchen. There was then a demonstration in which he created a pulled chicken and loaded fries dish which the students all got to try, he then explained that this was a dish that could be served on the menu here in the future. Speaking about nutrition he explained the different requirements that they as a company need to meet when creating food for children in schools. students were then given the opportunity to try out a brownie and guess at the secret ingredient which was... sweet potato. Mel explained her role and that although she had trained as a chef originally was now enjoying her work as part of the procurement and support team to the range of schools that were in her area. Ian then did a talk outlining the wide range of possibilities in terms of jobs available within the hospitality and catering sector, describing the range of duties and responsibilities that our students might have if they continued in the sector. A great talk and very informative in terms of future careers - we hope to see them team again in the future. Follow us @_HomeTech Food Technology
1759 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Pensioner’s Christmas Party On 14th December students from the Year 10 and 11 Hospitality and Catering group created a range of biscuits to be served at the pensioners Christmas party with tea and coffee. The students made a selection of shortbread biscuits stamped with festive wishes for our visitors to enjoy whilst listening to the choir and watching the dance students complete a routine. A great time was had by all, with our students gaining valuable knowledge and experience of creating and serving products to a specific brief. Cooking Afternoon The end of the Autumn term saw another two groups of students cash in their rewards points and take part in a cooking afternoon. This popular event has been expanded into KS4 rewards with students from all school years now able to take part and create a range of products to take home and enjoy with their families. As it was the Christmas season students had the opportunity to create chocolate crinkle crunch cookies and peppermint polar bears, made to a sound track of festive hits. Future rewards events are planned for the Spring and summer term, keep an eye out for them in the rewards shop. On Tuesday 5th March, five Year 10 students represented Thornleigh Salesian College at the University of Manchester’s Stock Market Challenge. Francesca M, Hannah P, Emily C, Kenan M and Jackson C spent the day buying and selling stocks, foreign currency and commodities based on media reports and news updates and made an impressive 300% return on their fund! Business University of Manchester’s Stock Market Challenge
14018 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Art Year 8 have recently taken part in a very challenging drawing activity that tasked them to think like a Cubist, recording what they could see from several angles all at the same time. A drawing ‘musical chairs’ each time the timer stopped, they were to take to their feet and circulate the room, once again recording the shapes and colours seen. We love their cubist inspired still life drawings and paintings, well done everyone! Year 8 Cubist Still Life Follow us @tsc_art Art club have began to sew their own Binca Bookmarks on world book day, learning basic sewing skills to create colourful designs. We had a lovely time chatting about our favourite books and developing our sewing skills World Book Day Bookmarks
19151 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 These photographs taken by Year 9s have been inspired by the environmental photographer Mandy Barker, who collects discarded plastic from oceans and beaches for her subject matter. Year 9 in Action Students from Year 10 and Year 7 have worked together to create Thornleigh’s contribution to Astley Bridge’s Easter display. The students wanted their work to be joyous, full of expressive vibrant colours. These murals will be displayed alongside artwork for other schools, community groups and nurseries over the Easter period. Astley Bridge Easter Display
120 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 ThornleighArtGallery Take a look at the amazing work from our students this term, from Year 7 to Year 13! As always we are immensely proud of the superb quality artwork they produce and how hard they all work. Follow us @tsc_art
21 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024
422 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Follow us @tsc_geography Geography This February half term saw the Geography Department jet off to Iceland. 34 students and 4 members of staff embarked on what was set to be the trip of a lifetime. On arrival we were immediately greeted with Icelandic hospitality (a very strong bitter wind on the way to our coach) but the weather was remarkably mild for the time of year. The first day we visited the sights around Reykjavík including Hallgrímskirkja Church by night with its lights filling the skyline around the city. The second day saw the beginning of our journey around the Icelandic terrain, going on a tour of the so called ‘Golden Circle’. This included visits to the Thingvellir National Park - the place where two continents are separating via movement in the Earth’s mantle. We stood on a rift between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates where the world’s very first parliament was held. We also went to the Secret Lagoon, Iceland’s oldest public swimming pool which is heated by the abundance of geothermal activity in the region (many students said that this was the highlight of their trip). We finished the trip with a visit to the Strokkur Geysir where an impressive column of water is expelled at force every 10 minutes. Throughout the trip we visited many breath-taking waterfalls which although icicle laden were still seen in full force. These include Gullfoss and Seljalandsfoss with it’s 400 steps to an iconic view of where land meets sea. We ended our trip with a tour of the Perlan Museum an iconic landmark in the city where we watched the Northern Lights dance and volcanoes erupt as well as walking in an ice cave. This truly was a physical geography dream with everything the students could wish for. We hope to complete this trip again in future years to give others this exciting opportunity.
235 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Options Evening It is a really useful event because it allows students and parents to get a better understanding of all the courses on offer and also gives information about the options selection process. There are also options videos available on the options page on the website which students and parents can watch for more information about the course content and assessment criteria. Following the options evening, students and parents are invited to a consultation appointment with their form teacher or a member of the year team where they can discuss their options choices further before making final decisions. Thank you to all that attended the event last night, we hope you found it useful. Options evening provides the opportunity for students and parents to meet with all the different subject teachers, see what each course offers, and answer any questions they might have. Fundraising Mrs Crosby, a recently retired PE teacher at Thornleigh took part in a ‘Trek the Sahara’ fundraiser for Bolton Hospice In February. The trek saw Maria walk up to 20km per day as she battled scorching temperatures, scaled sand dunes and slept in a tent in the desert! She raised an amazing £4687 in total. Mr Hughes, who teaches Science, and his wife Michelle, are raising money for Macmillan Cancer Support by running a Marathon in April! Ms Morris, Year 9 Student Progress Co-ordinator, and her daughter have set themselves the challenge of completing 100 miles in March to raise money for MIND - a mental health charity. All at Thornleigh wish them the best of luck. If you wish to donate to these causes, which are close to the hearts of these members of staff, you can do so by visiting the Just Giving website. All donations are greatly appreciated. Members of staff at Thornleigh have gone to great lengths to raise money for different charities this term!
424 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Computer Science Follow us @_Computing Our Year 13 IT Students visited Electricity NorthWest this term to see how data is used within the business. We were lucky enough to meet three apprentices including cyber security apprentices who talked us through the apprenticeship route after finishing college. Students considered life working in the IT industry as well as considering the different careers available in IT. As part of their Cambridge technical course in IT students consider big data and it’s impacts on society and industry. They were able to see some of the data that Electricity Hold in different visualisations of their network, customer interaction and schematic diagrams. Students learnt about data flow diagrams and how a business communicates with its stakeholders including engineers and the general public. Back in the classroom students have been considering working practises and using Electricity Northwest to put their learning into context. A big thank you to Mr McFarlane, our Chair of Governors, who invited us into his place of work! Electricity North West Visit There are two exciting options within Computing at GCSE and it was fantastic to see so many people at the options evening. Computer Science GCSE equips students to solve computational thinking problems; learning about how computers work, hardware, software, networks and cyber security. Students learn python programming and solve logical problems using programming. With a myriad of career opportunities spanning software development, data analysis, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence, the computing industry offers boundless possibilities. Coupled with the high earning potential and the opportunity to shape the future through technological advancements, pursuing computer science education equips students with the skills and knowledge to thrive in a rapidly changing digital landscape. Creative imedia is our vocational option, where students delve into graphics and games design units of work. With the digital media landscape continually expanding, the demand for skilled professionals proficient in visual communication, digital storytelling, and interactive design is ever-growing. Creative iMedia gives students hands-on experience in creating visuals, immersive gaming experiences, and engaging interactive content. Additionally, the versatility of skills acquired in Creative iMedia opens doors to diverse career paths in industries ranging from entertainment and advertising to education and technology. If you would like more information about either of the courses then please speak to your computer science teacher. Year 9 Options All Year 8 and 9 students have been learning about Robotics in Computer Science. Students have designed, built and programmed a series of robots to solve real life problems. We are using Lego Spike Prime kits which allow the use of a range of different sensors attached to a Control Unit. The Robotics Club will be restarting this term. Watch this space for more information. Robotics
25 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Follow us @tsc_dt Design Technology The sizeable donation includes lengths of 2m x 2m timber and sheets of Plywood; all of which were leftover materials from Northstone’s Airie development in Bolton. We will use the donation to support the development of its construction and design technology students who will use it to gain hands on experience of working with different building materials. Jacob Shaw, Site Manager at Northstone’s Airie development said: “From the outset of any new development, we prioritise sustainability – we even choose the dimensions of our homes in line with brick sizes to minimise waste. So when faced with a significant amount of leftover materials we were committed to making sure it was put to good use.” Chrissie Bramhall, Communities Manager for Northstone added: “Thornleigh Salesian College is located very close to our Airie development in Over Hulton and is a pillar of the community for young people in the area, so was a natural choice to receive the donation. “We are absolutely delighted the materials will be used to support its design students and budding construction workers of the future and can’t wait to see what they get up to with the wood!” The donation is just one of several sustainable initiatives from the homebuilder who has become known for its company-wide eco-leading policies from all its homes featuring Velfac windows and an intelligent heating system as standard, to it being the first homebuilder in the UK to become a Gold Member of The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, aiming to enhance biodiversity for the benefit of local wildlife and communities. The Design Technology department has received a generous donation of wood from leading eco-homebuilder, Northstone. The brilliance of our students never ceases to amaze us, especially in the Design Technology department. No truer words have been spoken when it comes to Amelia G in Year 11. She has literally blown us away with the fantastic creation of her own chessboard! She has worked extremely hard to produce this original design showing innovation and creativity on a completely new level. Well done Amelia! Your perseverance has paid off to produce this phenomenal piece of work. Year 11 Students Amazing Chessboard Design!
426 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Follow us @tsc_pedance PE We have enjoyed another badminton season in which the sport continues to be popular amongst our students. From October half-term until February half-term we have had a scheduled practice on Tuesday afterschool, available to students from all year groups to attend in order to start to learn the sport and improve their skills, practice to be competitive and represent school, or, simply just play socially with friends. Our sessions have been well attended, as always, and have attracted both boys and girls from across all 5 year groups. We competed in the league structure, playing competitive fixtures against Bolton Boys, Bolton Girls, Canon Slade, Rivington and Westhoughton, with some strong performances from our team players. The Year 9 and Year 10 students that have represented us now have a strong chance of winning the league next year after building their experience for the last two seasons. We also organised two KS3 badminton festivals to introduce the sport to our younger students and to expose them to competitive badminton. Our students loved these competitions and we look forward to many of them representing the team again next year. Badminton We were fortunate enough to have some of our students represent Bolton at the Greater Manchester Cross Country Championships on Saturday 3rd February at Heaton Park. This was following on from the individual success they had by finishing in the top 20 at the Bolton Schools’ Cross Country Championships back in November. The conditions on the day were tough and our students were competing against the strongest runners from across the other 9 boroughs in Greater Manchester but each one of them made us proud on the day. Well done to Harry P in Year 7, Amelia S in Year 8, Elise H in Year 8, Daniel A in Year 9, Abbas B in Year 10 and Nathaniel K in Year 10. Cross Country In January, we took 20 students to Bolton One for the Bolton Schools Swimming Championships which are held every year. This is an opportunity for those students at school who swim regularly for their club, to represent school and compete against the best swimmers from schools across the borough. The standard in many of the races is very high with multiple regional standard swimmers as well as a few national standard swimmers. We always find this challenging as we do not have the option of offering swimming on our PE curriculum but our students always rise to the challenge and this year was no exception. Swimming Our table tennis practices were hit-and-miss this term, with students attending on Monday evenings to learn how to play the game. The sessions grew in popularity as the term progressed with many of our Year 11 GCSE PE students filling the sessions in preparation for their upcoming moderations. We look forward to growing this next academic year. Table Tennis
275 SPRING NEWSLETTER 2024 Dance In the first week back after the Christmas Holidays we took 40 dance students from Year 10, 11 and Sixth Form to perform in the Secondary Schools Dance Festival 2024 at The Albert Halls in Bolton. Year 11 performed their exam piece Rhythm Nation and our Upper School Dance Club performed the debut of their piece ‘Wednesday’. Both pieces were crowd pleasers amongst the audience. I would like to congratulate the girls on their exemplary behaviour and professionalism throughout the day. They should be incredibly proud of their performances. We are certainly looking forward to our next performance back at the Albert Halls in March. The winter term always brings basketball to the sports hall and our students continue to thrive when given the opportunity to attend weekly practices and compete in half-termly tournaments against other schools across the borough. This year we were able to run two sessions each week to offer students to play with students from their age groups, helping to hone their skills and tactics for use in competition. Many of our teams continued their consistency from the previous seasons but notable performances came from our Year 7 students who returned the most wins this season. Well done all and we look forward to building on the good work next year. Basketball Follow us @tsc_pedance
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