September 2012

PE Department - Visit to Manchester - 23 October 2012

UPDATE: Due to a cancellation there is now one place remaining!

Dear Parent / Carer,

The opportunity has arisen for the Physical Education Department to take 14 students to the Manchester United v SC Braga UEFA Champions League match, on Tuesday 23rd October 2012 at Old Trafford football ground, Manchester

Catering Services October 2012

Dear Parents/Carers

NEW INVESTMENT IN OUR CATERING SERVICES

We know that health and nutrition is high on the agenda of many parents and we are pleased to update you on improvements that we have made to enhance the quality of the catering services for our students.

Year 12 @ Bishop Auckland Town Hall

On Wednesday 30th May 2012, the Year 12 Btec Music Group (The Slush Puppies) provided entertainment for the Bishop Auckland Town Council Youth Awards evening held in Bishop Auckland Town Hall. The band performed a variety of songs throughout the evening and were well received by the young audience. The event was to celebrate the work of various youth groups and charities from across County Durham.

‘We Killed the Bass Player’ and ‘The Snakes’ @ the Youth Village

Charlie Frankcom and Mark Hyatt formed ‘We Killed the Bass Player’ in late 2010 and since then they have been performing gigs in the local area. Their music is influenced by bands such as Green Day, The Sex Pistols, Dead Kennedys, The Specials and many more. ‘We Killed the Bass Player’ perform a wide variety of songs in different styles ranging from Punk, Ska, Indie and Grunge. The band also write their own material and are currently working on an E.P which will be available at their gigs.

Distortion: Bishop Auckland Town Hall

‘Distortion’ Music Festival was held on Friday 22nd June 2012 in Bishop Auckland Town Hall. The event was organised by the St John’s Year 12 Btec Music Students and showcased bands from within the school and in the local area. ‘The Slush Puppies’, ‘We Killed The Bass Player’ and ‘Pocket Snakes’ all delivered quality performances and entertained a lively audience with both covers and original material. The purpose of the event was to promote upcoming bands and to raise money for a Music

Pocket Snakes at the Excel Centre

The Snakes were invited to perform as part of the entertainment for the Future Business Magnates celebration evening held at the Excel Centre on Friday 6th July. The event brought local businesses and schools together to work on various projects throughout the year. The Snakes kept the young audience entertained with a selection of covers and some of their original material.

Music Department Tour Belgium

The Music Department embarked upon their second annual music tour from 15th – 19th July – this time to beautiful Belgium. During the trip the students performed in the Berkenhof Residential Home, Place Du Village Bruparck next to Mini Europe and in St Peter’s Church in Leuven. Students presented a variety of musical repertoire in many different styles and genres – from solos and duets to larger ensembles pieces. During their visit students had time to explore the sights of Bruges and Bru

Wise Drive

On the 20th of September I went to Police Headquarters at Aykley Heads in Durham with a group of Year 11 students to take part in Wise Drive. The experience was organised to keep young drivers safe particularly when you have just passed your driving test; it showed you the potential dangers of driving irresponsibly and not wearing a seatbelt. I thought it was a very good and knowledgable experience; my favourite part of the day was driving because it prepared me for when I start to drive.

Outstanding Results for Outstanding School - 2012

GCSE 5+ A* - C including English and Maths – 82%

A Level – 100% pass rate with 79% A* - C grades

Students, parents, staff and governors at St John’s are celebrating an exceptional set of A Level and GCSE results. Whilst national results have declined, once again St John’s has seen a significant and impressive increase in their exam statistics.

Awards Evening 2012

The celebration of work at both A level and GCSE at St John’s is always an evening well spent. The Awards evening was complimented by our external speakers. It was marvellous to hear Dave Ford, the former director of Achievement Services in County Durham, speak so sincerely at the depth of talent and achievements reached by our students. This warmth was shared by Debbie Flood, triple world champion and Olympic silver medallist in the 2004 and 2008 games.

ESFA U18 Coaching Course

Two players from the Durham County SFA U18 Squad took part in the ESFA pre-season course at Repton in August where they received some high level coaching and competed against 72 elite players from around the country. Christian Taylor (Bishop Auckland College) and Thomas Iley (St, John’s R.C. Comprehensive) were hoping to impress Andy Buckingham who was course leader and, more importantly, the England U18 manager.

20th September 6-8pm

Year 6 pupils and their families are warmly invited to our Open Evening.

Come and see our outstanding school in action and meet ourstudents and staff. During the evening you will be able to visit our excellent facilities, including state of the art sciencelaboratories, technology and ICT suites.

London 2012

During the summer holiday’s 35 students attended a trip to the 2012 London Olympics. Students watched the Women’s football final at Wembly between the USA and China. It was an exciting game which ended in a 2-1 win to the USA. The students were able to see the medal ceremony.

Olympic Sports week

During the whole life learning week 96 students signed up to take part in an Olympic Sports week. The students were split into 8 different Counties and competed in different events to gain points for their Country. It was a fantastic week which enabled students to try a range of different sports that they may not have done before. Activities included tennis, wrestling, hockey, handball, synchronised swimming, BMXing, kayaking, rowing, archery and finished with a triathlon.

Record-breaking Results - 2012

After a fantastic Summer of Olympic success for Team GB we would like to share with you our own record-breaking results. Whilst national results have declined, once again we have seen significant and impressive increase in our exam statistics.

This year we achieved 100% pass rate at A Level with one in three of all A Levels taken awarded A* or A grades, as well as over half of the students who sat A Levels achieving at least one or more A*/A.