A scrumptious Turkey roast  dinner with all the trimmings is planned for students for next Thursday, December 12, and it promises to be delicious.

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit than with one of Jane’s famous Yuletide lunches?

All parents and their families are invited to attend our festive Christmas Concert next Thursday, December 5, in St Francis’ Hall from 6pm – 7.30pm and start off the holy season with mince pies, mulled wine and yuletide magic.

Our Head of Music, Miss Warren, has been busy for weeks rehearsing with the students to prepare for the concert.

It’s free to attend and tickets are not required.

The programme will include a mixture of traditional carols and more contemporary songs with performances by our Chamber Choir and Year 7 and 6th Form Choirs.

There will be a flute, piano and trumpet solo and as well as a saxophone duet and a guitar performance…in fact a touch of everything to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Miss Warren is hoping that as many families as possible can make it and come along and support the concert and kick off the festivities with an evening of song and solidarity. 

We all need a little Christmas magic and what better way to feel all warm and tingly than children singing at Christmas. 

Please join us. 

Money from our Annual Sponsored Walk from a fortnight ago has been counted and totals more than £4000.

This is fantastic.

Money is still coming in and is being collected by Form Tutors.

Can parents please make sure any remaining payments are made via Parentpay.

Three excellent causes will benefit this year – A memorial for Baptista, the For Jimmy Jimmy Mizen charity and the BCCS who have helped us pot enormously over the last few years in school.

Mr McCormack would like to thank everyone for their continued generosity.

Our Examinations Officer, Mrs Ashton, has announced that  A Level and GCSE certificates from June 2019 are now ready to collect from school up until the end of December 2019.

All those uncollected will be posted home to the addresses we hold on file.

It’s that time of year again, something that has taken place for decades at St Bonaventure’s and is as well remembered and loved by all, yes,  it’s the Annual Sponsored Walk around the  beautiful Victorian  – and right on our doorstep  – West Ham Park.

This takes place this Friday, November 8, and Mr McCormack hopes to raise as much as the school did last year when over £7,300 was collected for various charities.

This year, in light of recent events, it has been decided that the first £500 raised will be put towards a fitting memorial at St Bonaventure’s for Baptista so his memory will live on.

With this in mind, Mr McCormack is going to ask that students wear a football shirt of their choosing over their school uniforms for the walk around the park this year as Baptista loved his football so much. Students should bring the footie shirts in with them and change in to them just before the Sponsored Walk starts.

The charity ’For Jimmy’  will receive some of the money collected this year. This charity was set up by Margaret and Barry Mizen after the loss of their son Jimmy to an act of violence in South London when he was 16 and the charity works closely with schools up and down the UK to spread forgiveness and hope to youngsters.

The Brentwood Catholic Children’s Society who have supported us with our loss as a community will also benefit this year. They will continue to support our students and staff as we move forward in hope and faith.

Every student has received a sponsor form to collect sponsors from family and friends and Mr McCormack hopes families will support this year’s Sponsored Walk again.

Students are reminded not to knock on strangers’ doors to collect sponsors or bother members of the public however.    

ParentPay can be used to pay in any sponsor money collected and  to stop students carrying cash into school as this is safer all round.

It is forecasted be cold and crisp. Ideal walking weather. 

Introducing…the newly elected members of this academic year’s School Council.

Please congratulate them if you see them around school and raise any issues you want discussing at the next meeting.

Well done gents!

Headteacher, Mr McCormack, wants to remind parents and carers that they have until close of school tomorrow, the 31st, to submit applications for the new Year 7 September 2020 intake.

Lots of applications have already come in which is fantastic.

School is usually closed for the half term holiday during this time but this year the holiday was slightly earlier which means school is open to receive applications if parents want to come in and hand them in the Reception personally.

There is still time.

We look forward to receiving them.

God bless.

Staff from St Antony’s Primary School joined our staff and Mr McCormack at the end of the school day today at a special mass for Baptista that was held in St Francis’ Hall in school.

Father Bob and Father James concelebrated the emotional mass and prayed for Baptista and his distraught family.

The whole community is grieving but the mass was a fitting way to remember such a loved student whose life touched so many.

Eternal rest grant onto him Oh Lord.