The much awaited collector’s edition special 140th black and gold ties are now in school ready for Old Bonaventurians to buy.

They cost £8.50 each and can be purchased from d.halliwell@stnons.org and on Reception at school.

Numbers are limited so don’t delay….get yours today!

Tonight’s evening of music, art and drama known as MAD promises to be a superb occasion.

The weather is predicted to be glorious too so an afternoon of culture on the friary lawn in the July sunshine…what more could you ask for?

The afternoon kicks off at 4.30pm with a private viewing of an art exhibition.

The BBQ opens at 5pm and there will be musical performances from our choir and guitar and string ensemble to entertain guests throughout the afternoon.

Art classrooms will be open for visitors and parents to see GCSE and A Level coursework.

There will also be an opportunity to buy some of the artwork in an auction hosted by Mr McCormack.

A drama performance will take place also.

All monies raised will go to Richard House Children’s Hospice.

Tickets cost £5 and are available on the door.

Cars can park on the Senior Playground on St Antony’s Road.

We hope to see as many parents as possible there to support this wonderful event.

210 excited Year 6 boys joined us today for their first taste of big school as they gathered on the Friary Lawn to find out what Form class they were being put in.

Boys from Newham schools and beyond stood in line after collecting their name badges and meeting their new teacher.

They were very well behaved and impressed staff with their attitude.

Afterwards they went to Cardinal  Manning Hall where Mr Halliwell and Mr Bastian spoke to them along with our Headboy, Samuel.

They were then taken to their new Form rooms where they heard about the school rules and learned the school prayer.

After lunch the boys will go to a variety of lessons and mass in St Antony’s Church.

Mr Bastian added: “At the start of the day the boys were quiet but as the day wore on you could see the ice starting to melt as they became more chatty and comfortable as they settled into their new surroundings. I’m sure lots of new friendships will be made today that will last for many years. When they start school on September 4 they will feel more comfortable having already met their new teacher and made friends and ready to start the next part of their education.”

Here are some photos from this morning.

Today’s mufti day in school has raised another £800 for CAFOD bringing the total charity money raised this academic year – since September 2016 – to a whopping £18, 767.

Thanks to everyone who participated and donated money for non uniform day.

A very special visitor spent the morning with us today, June 28, as part of the Speakers For Schools programme.

Justice of the Supreme Court, the Right Honourable Lord Carnwath of Notting Hill, CVO, came in to speak to 6th Form students about his career.

He told them that after studying law at Cambridge’s Trinity College he was called to the Bar (Middle Temple) in 1968 and took silk in 1985. 

He served as Attorney General to the Prince of Wales from 1988 to 1994 before becoming a judge of the Chancery Division from 1994 to 2002. During some of this time he was also Chairman of the Law Commission. 

He was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 2002 and between 2007 and 2012 he was Senior President of Tribunals and led the planning and implementation of the reforms of the tribunal system following the Leggatt report.

He was happy to answer questions and pose for photos afterwards too.

This year’s Sports Day was fantastic with gloriously sunny weather but a cool breeze making the day extremely enjoyable.

Right at the start of the day early birds to the Terence McMillan were treated to seeing two of Britain’s top athletes, Christine Ohruogu and Cijindu Ujah training and they were kind enough to pose for a photograph with some of our 6th Form Sports Science students.

The day was a huge success with Bell being declared the overall winners of Sports Day.

Hot dog Ziggy and Mr V.I. visited the Jack Petchey Foundation in the Docklands area of Canary Wharf this morning, June 21, to meet Grants’ Officer, Jane Evans and other staff and take part in a photocall in their stunning new Dockmaster’s House premises.

Ziggy took it all in his stride, however, and impressed the team with his calm and laid back demeanour.

After a photocall in their back garden, Ziggy met staff from Petchey Holdings too.

The Foundation moved to the swanky new premises from Ilford in March and Jane and staff there have been dying to meet Ziggy since he joined St Bon’s three weeks ago.

Watch this space for posts when his photos appear on their website and publications.

June’s Jack Petchey award has been presented to 6th Form student, Amal Shabu.

16 year old Amal has been very active raising funds for the charity CAFOD this year. He organised ice cream sales during the recent heatwave which were a huge hit as well as taking part in a charity abseil down the Arcelor Orbit at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

Amal and two friends managed to raise almost £700 and his enthusiasm and drive has made sure the school 6th Form CAFOD group has been invigorated this year.

Mr Halliwell presented Amal with his Petchey certificate and badge yesterday, June 19,  and said: “I have been really impressed with the way Amal organised these summer events. He has shown maturity and arranged things with minimum fuss. When he wanted to organise something he just got on and did it with confidence and didn’t need supervising or coaching.”

Amal is the last of the nine students to receive a Petchey award in school.

The nine, Mr V.I. and our school will receive special awards at the O2 on September 18 at the Newham Schools event.

Amal is now deciding how to spend his £250 award money.

Barrister Max Archer came in to visit last week and  spoke to a group of our 6th Form students  about his successful career.

He was happy to answer questions on how he became a lawyer, what his day entails plus other advice and guidance that will hopefully inspire some of the teenagers to pursue a similar career.