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.

Tony Thomas who is in 10 Gregory has been named as the September Jack Petchey Award winner in school.

15-year-old Tony from East Ham was nominated for the prestigious award by Assistant Headteacher and Director of English, Mrs Pitt who said: “Tony has made exceptional effort this term and always makes a positive contribution to his lessons. He is a ray of sunshine and is very mature and helpful to his peers. I could think of no better student to be recognised for a Jack Petchey award.“

Tony is deciding how to spend his £250 award money.

An extremely busy first half term concluded with Year 7 students AJ, Antoni, Francis and Tyrese helping the Headmaster load up the minibus with our harvest collection of foodstuffs and toiletries.

Many thanks go to our generous school community who have been so supportive and  wonderfully kind. TImes are hard for everyone, but when called upon, our students and parents never fail to rally round and help those more needy them themselves. God bless them for always doing so.

The London Catholic Worker received the delivery today and support workers there were overjoyed  with the Harvest collection for the homeless, needy and asylum seekers. The delivery will make a huge difference to them. 

Enjoy half term and thank you all so much.

Our school welcomed ten teachers from across Newham on Tuesday this week,October 18,  who came in for a Christianity masterclass.

Claire Clinton, the Religious Education Advisor from RE Matters arranged it and St Bon’s Director of Religious Studies, Mr Lewis,  led the class.

The teachers were all taught how to teach Catholic Christianity.

Mr Lewis added: “It was hugely successful and it’s fantastic that we can provide support for our colleagues across the borough.”

There was high praise too for our Year 7 ambassadors who helped out.