December 2011

On the 19th of December, a selection of students represented the Music Department and visited The Butterwick Hospice in Bishop Auckland.  Singers and instrumentalists played a variety of Christmas repertoire to entertain a small group of residents during their Christmas party.

Over 100 performers took part in this year’s Christmas Celebration based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.  Audiences were transported far and wide in the company of the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come as Scrooge learnt his lesson and was reminded of the true meaning of Christmas in this creative and atmospheric production.  A large team of staff, patient and good-humoured, supported the talented musicians, singers, actors and dancers in preparation and behind the scen

As the end of term approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy and holy Christmas.  We would also like to thank you for your cooperation and support during this past term.  It has been a busy and hopefully enjoyable time for all students.

Students in Year 8 worked really hard to make and decorate a range of fabulous cup cakes, which they sold during their lunch break on 23rd November to raise funds for their chosen charity Tabitha’s Toys. 

Spain is not the only place where elections have been taking place recently!  Election fever hit St John’s last month when the whole Student Body and Staff voted for the School’s first head girl and boy in more than 30 years.   Our Student Council has been expanded this term to include Student representatives from each subject taught in school as well as senior prefects.

There is currently a lot of confusion surrounding Higher Education funding and how students can afford to fund their time at university. Many students are being unnecessarily deterred from applying to university due to misconceptions about student debt, rather than basing their decision on how much it’s actually likely to cost them.

In June 2011 we were informed that the opportunity had arisen for two Sixth Form students to participate in a visit to Auschwitz in the October with the Holocaust memorial Trust. There was a lot of interest in the visit but only two of us could go. We were all interviewed by the Head of History and the Director of Sixth Form stating why we wanted to go. The teachers made their choice but there was still keen interest and two students were added to a reserve list.