After a very productive first year, our St Bonaventure’s honey bees have produced an impressive crop of honey that is now ready for students, staff and parents to buy.

The small jars cost £2 each with proceeds going to buy an overflow hive for the spring.

The locally produced honey is 100% natural with our bees foraging on nectar from West Ham Park and surrounding gardens. It has many health benefits and fantastic that they have produced such a good yield in such a short time.

They jars would make an ideal stocking filler this Christmas and can be purchased from Mrs Halliwell in Reception.

The November Jack Petchey award was given out this week to a Year 10 student who has turned over a new leaf and made real progress in school.

14 year old Daniel Barimah who is in 10 Wall was nominated by Mr McCormack as he had noticed how he had matured recently and had a real epiphany when it came to his studies.

Mr McCormack went on to explain: ” He now has 100% attendance and is getting brilliant reports from his teachers.  His confidence has grown and he is happier and proving to be an excellent student and role model now.  I am so happy to see this change in attitude and I always knew he had it in him. I hope this award gives him the boost he needs to continue on this path.”

Daniel will now decide how to spend his £250  prize money.

We are proud to announce that Year 9 student, Ethan Suppaya, was announced as the winner of the St Jospephine Bakhita Award at the Celebrating Young People Awards in Leicester Square, London, last night, November 23.

The awards are an opportunity for the Catholic community to celebrate the enthusiasm, commitment and incredible difference young people like Ethan make to the lives of countless people inspired by Catholic social teaching.

Ethan was shortlisted along with a group of students from St Gregory the Great School in Oxford along with students from Bellrive Catholic College in Liverpool, Bishop  Milner in Dudley, Ursuline High School in Wimbledon and Loreto Grammar School in Altrincham.

The competition was tough as all the students were nominated for doing outstanding work in their school communities and when Ethan was announced there was an audible gasp from his delighted family who were in the audience along with Mr Lewis and Mr and Mrs Halliwell.

Ethan went on stage to collect his crystal award and pose for photographs and everyone agreed the award was well deserved for his work in school helping to promote and protect the dignity of refugees and migrants families.

Mr Halliwell was there to see Ethan pick up his award and added: “Pope Francis has stated that every human being is lovingly and beautifully made in God’s image and likeness and that he other principles flow from this. Ethan is the epitome of kindness and always shows love for his fellow man. What a beautiful quality to possess.”

Archbishop Malcolm McMahon was there to congratulate the winners.

The awards are sponsored by Million Minutes.

Congratulations Ethan!

Everyone at school wishes Ethan Suppaya who’s in Year 9 the very best for tonight, November 23,  as he attends the Prince Charles Cinema in LeicesterSquare in the West End, where he has been shortlisted for an award.

He is in the running for the Josephine Bakhita Award in the Celebrating Young People (CYP) Awards powered by Million Minutes.

He was nominated for his compassionate and enthusiastic work with TELCO,  the Refugees Welcome and Aid to the Church in Need campaigns.

The Archbishop of Liverpool, Malcolm McMahon, will be there tonight to meet the fantastic individuals nominated and Ethan will be there with his family, Mr Lewis and Mr and  Mrs Halliwell to support him.

Good luck Ethan, we are all thinking of you.

Sean Rolle became the first 6th Form student to be given a Jack Petchey award as part of the new additional bronze scheme St Bonaventure’s was allocated by the Foundation.

Sean was presented with the award by Headteacher Paul Halliwell today, November 20, for his enthusiasm helping raise money for a Christmas party and all the trimmings including a disco with Santa Clause at a Plaistow old people’s care home, Lea Court which will bring a lot of happiness to the residents.

Sean took part in  NCS – the National Citizenship Service – this summer and loved it so much he decided to take part in their autumn scheme too. The scheme helps 16 and 17 year olds develop greater confidence and responsibility and brings together people from a variety of backgrounds.

Sean arranged football matches and tournaments and collected sponsors to help raise money for the Christmas party. Mr Halliwell went on to explain: “Sean is an all round gentleman in every sense of the word,  he is  kindhearted and quiet and honourable too so when I heard he was going out of his way to help raise money to help make this Christmas party special for local pensioners I knew he deserved to be recognised. In all his time at St Bonaventure’s, Sean has been a model student and is well loved by his teachers and his peers.”

Director of 6th Form, Wayne Templeman, added: “Sean is in Year 12 and is studying Sports Science and German and is a worthy winner of this award.”

It’s a double celebration for Sean as well as today he celebrates his 17th birthday.

He is deciding how best to spend his £250 prize money.

Friday’s annual sponsored walk around the beautiful West Ham Park will go down in our records as another huge success.

The weather was crisp, sunny and cold – ideal walking weather. Our students were in great spirits and completed the two laps of the park and collected lots of sponsorship money for Bentwood Catholic Children’s Society.

The total amount raised is still being calculated but lots of sponsor forms have been coming in to school. Added to the money raised from the  6th Form Tuck Shop it was a wonderful day for the charity and our school.

Thanks to everyone who took part and parents and their families and friends for their generosity and continued support.

Tomorrow, Friday, November 17, our 6th Form Senior Student Leadership Team will be opening –  for one day only – a Tuck Shop selling snacks and drinks.

This will take place at break-time and lunch-time outside the Headteacher’s Office on the senior playground with all money raised going to Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society which is a children’s charity that caters for children in East London and Essex.

Snacks will be 40p or 50p and drinks 50p or £1.

Please support this worthwhile event. 

Three Year 10 young scientists from St Bonaventure’s found out this week that they have been allocated a place on the prestigious STEM Potential programme.

Chibuike Agu,  Kairon Concepcion and Gabriel Akinsanya who are all 14 are all currently studying for the triple science award in their GCSE examinations.  Their  science teacher,  Dr Naheed Alizadeh, helped them apply for the programme and they are all invited to attend a special launch event at Imperial College London on November 29 when they will find out more about what’s expected of them and the many workshops they will be attending.

Dr Alizadeh went on to explain: “The first workshop is scheduled to take place on Saturday, December 2, at the South Kensington campus and already the boys have said they are excited and really looking forward to expanding their knowledge.” She added:  “They are all very enthusiastic and have shown a love of science and technology and  I know they will thrive on this  two year programme.”

Imperial College’s STEM Potential supports up to 90 students in their Key Stage 4 and 5 studies via lectures, subject-specific workshops and a summer school for Year 10 students.

All three St Bon’s students hope to follow careers in the STEM subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths and will attend university experience taster days and they will gain a better understanding of subjects they may wish to study at A-level.

HeadTeacher at St Bonaventure’s, Paul Halliwell added: “To have three of our boys get on to this programme is marvellous as I know how incredibly difficult it is but they must have impressed the panel and I’m grateful to  Dr Alizadeh  for supporting them throughout.”