Twelve-year-old Zain Qureshi from 8 Heath was today given the November Jack Petchey Award.

Zain impressed his History and Geography teacher, Mr Bynoth, as he is particularly caring and helpful to other students in his class and helps with one student in particular who is visually impaired. Mr Bynoth had noticed Zain explaining concepts to his class-mate who uses an iPad and sometimes needs a little extra help and said he was touched by his kindness .

Mr Halliwell commented: “Zain is proving to be an excellent young man who is always willing to help and offer his support when needed. This award validates his excellent start to Year 8 at St Bon’s.”

Zain’s award money is to be spent in the Humanities Department.

Our year 13 summer leavers are reminded to call in to school to collect their A Level certificates.

They have until Friday, December 9, to pop in. After that date the certificates will be posted to the address held on our system.

It was a double celebration for one St Bonaventure’s student, 16 year old Abdullah Bhaijee who won a silver medal for Wrestling at the 2016 British Championships in Bolton last weekend and yesterday, November 20,  won Gold  at the  Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Junior European Championships in Wolverhampton.

He brought his medal in to school today and was very pleased with his achievement.

Abdullah added: “It felt brilliant to receive Gold but I won’t be taking part in any more competitions in the near future as I now need to concentrate on my A Level studies as I want to reach my dream of going to university and becoming a Psychiatrist.”

Abdullah joined St Bonaventure’s 6th Form  in September from Rokeby School.

St Bonaventure’s 6th Form student Abdullah Bhaijee came into school smiling with a silver medal today that he had won at the 2016 British Championships in Bolton at the weekend.

The sixteen-year-old Olympic Freestyle Wrestler from Forest Gate is currently studying for four A Levels, Biology, Chemistry, Pyschology and Geography but it was his strength and determination on the mat  that enabled him to win silver in the 67 kilos category.

Freestyle Wrestling has been an Olympic Sport since 1904.

Abdullah, who is in Year 12,  trains at Legion Wrestling in Leyton where he is also accomplished  in Brazillian Ju Jitsu. He went on to explain: “ It have been wrestling since I was 8 years old and I  fell in love with the sport. My coach is fantastic and has always encouraged me to do my best. I have a passion for the sport and now coach youngsters aged 4 – 16 which I’m really enjoying. Winning silver at the weekend has really encouraged me to keep going.”

Joining our 6th Form from Rokeby School, Abdullah wants to study Medicine at University and take up a career in Psychiatry  and with determination like his,  we don’t doubt he will do exactly that. 

St Bonaventure’s in Forest Gate has been awarded the British Council’s prestigious International School Award in recognition of its work to bring the world into the classroom.

The International School Award is a badge of honour for schools that do outstanding work in international education, such as through links with partner schools overseas. Fostering an international dimension in the curriculum is at the heart of the British Council’s work with schools, so that young people gain the cultural understanding and skills they need to live and work as global citizens.

The assessor was impressed with the work St Bonaventure’s does with exchanges with schools in France, Germany, Belgium and Spain and the way it involves students in language events such as the MFL X Factor competition, Language film days and Black History Month.

International Links Coordinator at St Bonaventure’s, Emma Hoy, was responsible for putting together the application and added: “I am in no doubt what impressed assessors was our active links with so many schools in Europe that provides unique opportunities for  our students and encourages them to use a foreign language in a real context. “

John Rolfe, from the British Council, said: ‘The school’s fantastic international work has rightfully earned it this prestigious award. The International School Award is a great chance for schools to demonstrate the important work they’re doing to bring the world into their classrooms. Adding an international dimension to children’s education ensures that they are truly global citizens and helps prepare them for successful future careers in an increasingly global economy.’

The award is now available worldwide in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Lebanon, Cyprus and Pakistan as part of the British Council’s Connecting Classrooms programme. Around 5,000 International School Awards have been presented to successful schools in the UK since the scheme began in 1999.

The International School Award encourages and supports schools to develop:

• An international ethos embedded throughout the school
• A majority of pupils within the school impacted by and involved in international work
• Collaborative curriculum-based work with a number of partner schools
• Curriculum-based work across a range of subjects
• Year-round international activity
• Involvement of the wider community

This week is National Anti-Bullying Week.

The theme of this year’s awareness campaign is ‘Power For Good’  and its aim is to shine a spotlight on bullying and encourage all children, teachers and parents to take action against bullying throughout the year. 

Budding explorers were thrilled today when global technology giants, Google, visited our school armed with Google Expedition viewers that gave the students an immersive trip they will never forget.

A member of the Google Expeditions team, Andrew Whittingham, came in after several schools  around the UK were selected across London, Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff along with some smaller towns.

Google brought a complete Expeditions kit with them with everything teachers needed to take students on journeys to virtually anywhere. Andrew demonstrated to St Bon’s teachers how Expeditions works and helped set it up before the classes arrived. Using a tablet, teachers guided their students using virtual reality viewers called Google Cardboards.

Expeditions is a virtual reality app,  a new product that allows teachers to take their classes on virtual field trips, immersing students in experiences that bring abstract concepts to life and giving students a deeper understanding of the world beyond the classroom. 

The trips are collections of virtual reality panoramas — 360° photo spheres, 3D images and video, ambient sounds — annotated with details, points of interest, and questions that make them easy to integrate into curriculum already used in schools.

Everything needed to travel: a tablet for the teacher and Cardboard viewers and phones for every student was brought into the classroom. Next, the teacher selected a destination, and the entire classroom jumped there automatically.

Today at St Bonaventure’s staff chose to explore The Seven Wonders of the World and there were gasps when the first Year 7 class stood at the top of the world above the Great Wall of China and Christ the Redeemer at Rio de Janeiro and looked down at the scary drop and the magnificent landscapes.   They also spent time in the Congo and delving beneath the Caribbean Sea. Teacher, Mrs Racon, oversaw the exciting lessons and added: “We are so pleased to have been selected to take part in the innovating Google Expeditions Pioneer Program. Our students had never seen anything like it. The clarity was out of this world and it will really help them understand the world and get to see places they might never otherwise ever get to see. Today they became real pioneers. It was so exciting.”

Old Bonaventurian and successful former professional Footballer and Football Manager Martin Ling came back into school today to visit and spent time with students.

West Ham born Martin has enjoyed a successful career playing professionally for Exeter City, Swindon Town, Southend United, Leyton Orient and Brighton and Hove Albion. He went on to become a Football Manager and worked at Leyton Orient, Cambridge United, Torquay United and Swindon Town.

Curriculum Leader for PE, Mr Bartlett, invited Martin in. Mr Bartlett is an alumnus of St Bon’s himself.

Martin, 50, spent time congratulating our Year 8 football team on their 4 – 0 win against City Heights Academy on Wanstead Flats yesterday, November 3, and was happy to pose for a group photo with the excited boys.

Martin joined St Bon’s in 1977 and left in 1982 and spent time looking around school before going into the Sports Hall to coach a Year 10 class who were having a PE lesson. His expertise and knowledge of the game was invaluable and he really encouraged the boys, spending time chatting to them.

Afterwards, Martin was amused to find his name entry still in one of the school’s old Admissions Record Register along with his old school chums and was given a copy of the record and a school mug.

Mr Bartlett added: “He said lots of old memories came flooding back walking around school and that whilst things have changed somewhat he could still recall his schooldays as a lot of the classrooms in St Antony’s building are just as they were.”

Martin will be returning to conduct masterclasses in the near future.

The October Jack Petchey Award was today presented to a Year 9 student, Kelvin Paul.

Eager Kelvin is always willing to participate in events and represent the school even out of hours.

He is an excellent ambassador and recently represented  St Bonaventure’s beautifully during his involvement with the BFI’s ‘Into Film’ which is an education scheme that delivers a wide range of activities to encourage watching, making and critical understanding of film for 5-19 year olds across the UK in one easy and accessible offer.

 Kelvin went along during half term to Westminster Abbey for the star studded red carpet premiere of the new Marvel instalment, ‘ Doctor Strange.’ He managed to scoop one-to-one interviews with the star cast including Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Rachel McAdams and Benedict Wong.

Headteacher Mr Halliwell added: “What a magnificent opportunity for a 13 year old. Most teens would have been star struck and extremely nervous to meet famous actors but it was testament to Kelvin that he remained professional throughout and was as cool as a cucumber. He deserves this award for representing our school so wonderfully.”

Kelvin is yet to decide how to spend his £250 award money.