St Brendan's News Bulletin 13.12.24 | St Brendan's Sixth Form College

13th December 2024

TERM 2 VALUES:

Integrity

Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

We trust that our students have enjoyed their week at College and have started to embrace the festive spirit as we approach our Christmas break. It has been wonderful to see so many of our students participating in activities to celebrate the end of the term, especially our fundraising activities, our Christmas Hamper appeal and of course our College Production of 'A Chorus Line'!

Next week marks our final week of term, and it promises to be a busy and important time. For those of you who have recently received your mock exam results, this is an invaluable opportunity to reflect on your performance, identify areas for improvement, and set clear goals as you move forward. Remember, these results are a stepping stone to greater achievements and provide crucial insights for your next mocks which take place immediately after February half term.

I want to take this opportunity to thank our students for their hard work and dedication this term, as well as parents and carers for your continued support!

Kind regards,

Marian Curran
Principal

KEY DATES:

Monday 16th, Tuesday 17th & Wednesday 18th - Year 13 Criminology Controlled Assessment
Wednesday 18th December - Christmas Hamper Delivery
Thursday 19th December - Last day of Term 2
- College Day will finish at the earlier time of 12:10pm
Monday 6th January - INSET DAY
Tuesday 7th January - First day of Term 3

🧭Industrial Action Key Information🧭

There are further industrial action is planned for the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th of January. This action is part of a national dispute concerning funding and pay for non-academized Sixth Form Colleges. While we expect some disruption to lessons, the College will remain open, and we have ensured that the following provisions will be in place to support our students during these days:

📝 Independent Study Spaces: These will be available for students to revise, complete assignments, and prepare for upcoming assessments

🔎 UCAS Support: For those finalizing UCAS applications, dedicated assistance will be offered throughout the day to ensure deadlines are met

🚀 Enrichment Programmes: The Sport Enrichment Programme and the Aspiring Engineers Programme will continue as usual

🥄 Catering Services: Catering facilities will remain operational, and students entitled to free college meals will have access as usual

🤝 Support Teams: Our Safeguarding, Wellbeing and Progress Tutor teams will be available to provide guidance, support, and encouragement during these times

The College will reopen to students on Tuesday 7^th of January. Please note their maybe some disruption to lessons in the light of industrial action.

Stay Safe in the Dark 🚴‍♀️

Now that it is dark when College ends at 16:00, we strongly advise all cyclists to have working lights on their bicycles and to wear reflective clothing for their own safety.

📢YOUTH TALKS 2024-25📢

Do you have a passion or interest or issue that you want to tell everyone about?

Would you like to learn how to become a great speaker?

BEP YouthTalks is about raising the profile of talk across Bristol and giving young people a powerful voice and platform to speak about issues which matter to them.

We've had talks about an array of topics, including:

🧠 Black Men and Mental Health - what you don't yet know

🎨 Creativity is the key to life

🔎 Philosophy is a gift, prove me wrong

💡 Living with my disability

🌍 The way to a greener planet through nuclear fission

In recent years our speakers have accelerated their applications to universities and employers and some have even gone on to take part in full TedTalk events as well as presenting to businesses and other schools.

Key Information:

Selected students, we have up to 10 spaces, to receive training from Ignited Presenting (February-April 2025)
Students will participate in BEP YouthTalks events at their own school (May-July 2025)
Outstanding contributions from each school will participate in a BEP-wide event in October 2025
The Programme is open to all students but progression to the October event is restricted to those who are with the College in the next academic year
Talks to be for maximum 8-10 minutes

Deadline for applications is January 24th 2025

To apply to take part in this years YouthTalks programme, please click here

If the above link isn't working, please click here instead.

Keeping Our Community Safe

We would like to remind all students that only enrolled students of St Brendan’s are permitted on the College premises. Bringing friends or anyone who is not a student of St Brendan’s onto the site is strictly prohibited. By doing so, you compromise the safety of our College community, which we take very seriously.

Please be aware that if you are found to have brought an unauthorised individual onto College grounds, this will result in an immediate suspension. We encourage all students to respect this rule and prioritise the safety and wellbeing of everyone at St Brendan’s.

Use of College Lifts

We have noticed several students using the College lifts who do not need to. We have provided lift passes to students who have a specific reason for using the lift, including our 6 wheelchair users who rely on accessing the lift to get around College safely and in a timely manner. Students with ‘unseen’ disabilities or medical conditions are known to the College and if there is any other student who requires a lift pass, they should speak to Alexandra Moruzzi (amz@stbrn.ac.uk) or Paul Connors (pco@stbrn.ac.uk) and we will provide them with a lift pass.

Staff will ask students to provide their pass upon request and ask them to use the stairs to ensure the lift is available for use by those who rely on it to move around the campus.

📅Save the Date!📅

Progress Review 15th January 2025

As part of our commitment to parental/carer engagement, we are delighted to invite you to our Progress Review event. This will be held on Wednesday 15^th January 15:00 to 20:00 and is open to parents/carers of Year 13 and ATL3 students only.

The purpose of this event is to allow you to talk with subject teachers and progress tutors, to discuss how your young person is progressing at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College.

How will appointments run? All appointments will take place virtually via our booking system School Cloud.

How do I book an appointment? How to book appointments will be advised to you shortly, with the booking system going live on the 8^th January at 18:00.

Even though these are virtual appointments, we would encourage your young person to also attend.

Please note that the College will be closed to all students from 14:30 on the 15^th January.

New Parking Permit Application Process for Year 12 & 13 Students

We are excited to introduce a new, streamlined system for 2nd and 3rd students to apply for a College parking permit. To request a permit, simply click on the link below or visit the College website to complete the online application form. Once submitted, Central Admin will process the application and notify you when your permit is ready for collection from Reception.

Student Vehicle Registration Application Form

If you prefer, you can also request the link by emailing info@stbrn.ac.uk

📝 Revision & Study Support 📝

As our first round of examinations begin, we wanted to make all students and their parents/carers aware of our Revision Toolkit area of the website. Here you will find lots of handy resources and templates to support you with organising your revision as well as some effective strategies, proven by research, to help your study time be the most impactful it can be.
Check it out here

❗❗LRC Closure❗❗

The LRC will be closed on these dates due to exams taking place:

📅 16th December - 11:00-16:00

📅 17th December - All Day

📅 18th December - All Day

📅 19th December - All Day

Additional Information & Study Spaces:

Remember that if the LRC is full, you can use the computers in:

📍 B101 every day 8:00-16:00

📍 B225 Monday to Wednesday 12:00-14:30

📍 ID cards and print credit can be purchased from the IT Helpdesk in B101

Please remember that you can also purchase print credit from the College store

📚Library Books📚

Do you have library books at home?

If you have overdue books, please return or renew them before the Christmas break! To renew your books, log in to the Library Catalogue (click on the blue SSO button). Select your name on the top right corner, select "My borrowing details", hover over your book and renew.

Please contact the LRC if you have any problems renewing your books lrc@stbrn.ac.uk

A book return box will be available next week outside of the LRC.

NEW BOOKS IN THE LRC

Please click here to view new fiction & non-fiction books added to our range 📚

🙅‍♀️BANNED BOOKS IN THE LRC🙅‍♀️

This month the LRC is displaying a selection of books that have been banned at some point by schools, libraries and even governments.

When you read one of our BANNED BOOKS and come to discuss it on one of this term's Book Club meetings, you will receive two extra stamps on your LRC Loyalty Card. With the LRC Loyalty Card, you get a stamp every time you borrow something from the library. Once you have collected 12 stamps and posted a really well written review in the catalogue, you receive a £10 Amazon gift card. You will find guidance on how to write a great book review in the Loyalty Card information in the library catalogue.

This term the Book Club is meeting on the 17th December.

You can learn more about banned books in the Banned Books Project.

💬Social & Study Spaces💬

Students are not to socialise on stairwells in C, D or E Blocks. It is not a space for socialising or studying and is a health and safety issue as chairs are being removed from classrooms and placed onto the landings or in front of fire exits. There are ample spaces for students to go including; Café Max, Café Min, LRC, study spaces on D Block bridge and A Block and this is where students will be asked to move to if they are found to be in the areas which are off limits.

16-19 Student Bursary

A reminder to all students about the 16-19 Student Bursary. More information can be found on our website here.

CLUBS & SOCIETIES

To see the timetable for all clubs and societies click here.

If you'd like to take part you can either turn up on the day, or email bwi@stbrn.ac.uk to be added to the Teams page.

Turning Right during the end of the day

A reminder to all students, parents and carers to please turn right only, when exiting the College between 15:50 – 16:20 at the end of the College day.

Please see the letter attached here for directions back to the A4, if needed.

Talk about Law with Sarah (Teacher of Law)

Join one of our Law Teachers, Sarah, to talk about all things Law.

This will be a LIVE session hosted on her TikTok channel on Friday 13th December from 21:00 - 21:45.

simplylaw.by.sarah

CAREERS

Careers News

Head over to the Careers News page for lots of useful resources and opportunities.

Read the latest edition here!

Bristol Water Youth Board

This is a fantastic opportunity for any student to gain experience that will help strengthen their university applications. Being a panel member will allow your voices to be heard at Bristol Water’s Executive level and provide a unique opportunity for them to gain real-world experience in leadership, problem-solving, communication, and strategic thinking.

We’re offering the opportunity for to all sixth formers and college students aged 16-18. The opportunity is engaging and interactive and will involve an online pre-task and a one day workshop on Tuesday 4th February at Bristol Water’s headquarters.

Bristol Water Youth Board Benefits:

💡 Gaining practical experience in skills that are highly valued by both employers and universities, like analysis, teamwork, and presenting ideas

✨ An opportunity to have real influence on future operations in the water sector

📝 Getting a formal reference for us in UCAS, apprenticeship applications or CVs

💌 Will receive £55 as a token of appreciation

🧠 Meeting other like-minded students from across the region

If you are interested in this opportunity, please click here to sign up!

There are only limited spaces and applications will close 17:00 on Thursday 19th December 2024.

EDT Application

They are currently accepting applications for their 2025/26 (staring July/August 2025), further information and the application form can be found here.

Accreditation: Platinum Industrial Cadets Award

Application are open for their Year 12 Residential Insight into University Courses.

These are summer schools at various top Universities that run over 4 to 5 days where students get a taster of university life and an insight into a specific STEM subject. Students will get the opportunity to experience university style lectures and work on activities and group projects with the support of academics and student mentors. Students will stay in halls of residence and take part in social activities in the evening, so they get the full university experience.

Below are the courses that are currently available to apply for, please click on each link to find out more:

🌍 Ocean and Earth Science at Southampton University

🌟 Materials Science at the University of Oxford

🔎 Physics and Astronomy at Surrey University

🚀 Aerospace Engineering at Liverpool University

💡 Maths at Lancaster University

🔧 Mechanical Engineering at University College London

Please click here to open the Application Form.

Are you working on individual or group STEM Projects this academic year? If so why not enter the Big Bang Competition! Applications are now open and the link is here. It would be a great opportunity for you to gain some recognition for all your hard work!

KWMC Work Experience Programme

This is a friendly reminder that KWMC Work Experience Programme is still accepting applications, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many young people!

Our Work Experience Programme is for anyone interested in Design, Architecture, Social Justice, Engineering, Sustainability, Creativity, Climate Change, Construction, or Community Development.

Weeks of Work Experience Offer:

📅 Monday 30th June - Friday 4th July (2025)

📅 Monday 7th July - Friday 11th July (2025)

Please click here to view our application process.

During the Programme, students will:

💬 Develop confidence in work skills including communication and teamwork.

📍 Visit locations around the city of Bristol, to learn from professionals about their workplace and jobs.

🔬 Learn about a variety of job roles in STEAM industries. These job roles might include engineers, construction workers, software developers, designers, architects and more!

📊 Get involved with live projects at the Media Centre, KWMC The Factory, and the local community.

📝 Learn from professionals about career and education pathways into a variety of future workplaces.

Please do note that there are only 24 spaces available. If the work experience dates don't align with your College schedule, please still complete the form, then KWMC will explore other opportunities that can be offered to you in your area.

The application deadline is Monday 21st February 2025. If you are successful, your space will be confirmed during the week commencing March 3rd 2025. Once your space has been confirmed you will be contacted with more information regarding you schedule.

If you have any questions, please contact school@kwmc.org.uk.

Pathway To Bath

We are so excited to announce that applications for our next intake of Pathway to Bath are open now!

This award-winning blended curriculum enrichment programme for Year 12 students from Widening participation backgrounds offers students:

The opportunity to work on an undergraduate topic in a subject of their choice alongside academic tutors and undergraduate e-mentors
A chance to attend a free 3 day residential at the University of Bath
The opportunity to receive a guaranteed conditional offer to the University of Bath

If you would like have a chat with one of their team first or book a virtual assembly please click here. Students can apply via their website now and the deadline is 31st December 2024.

Any questions, please email pathway@bath.ac.uk

NEW Careers SharePoint Site

Our Careers Team have created a Careers SharePoint site to support you in obtaining all the information, advice and guidance for your future plans.

On the site, you will find the following pages:

💬 Careers Guidance Meetings - You will see our calendar of activity and have access to our booking link

🧭 UCAS - Information and guidance on personal statements, open days, taster days, key deadlines and much, much more

📍 Apprenticeships - Guidance on understanding apprenticeships, useful links, and hints/tips for interview

📢 Industry Spotlight - Videos that will inform, educate and empower you to make an informed next step decision

📝 CV and Cover Letters - Useful templates and guidance

🚀 Labour Market Information - Understand more about the growing and declining sectors and industries

🔎 Subject Careers Support - Information and links to subject-related support that can impact your studies

💡 Work Experience - Dates and opportunities to gain ready-life experience of the workplace

Click the link https://stbrn.sharepoint.com/sites/Careers or log onto the jump page and click on the Careers Zone button.

Calling All Potential Sponsors!

St Brendan's is seeking sponsors to support our sports and health enrichment activities! We have several exciting opportunities where your contribution can make a real difference to our students and College:

🏅Team Kit Sponsorship
⚽ Training and Equipment
🧘‍♀️ Yoga Classes
🚴‍♂️ Fitness Equipment
📚 Health Workshops
🎖️ Awards and Trophies
🌳 Outdoor Activities
🛠️ Facility Upgrades
💡 Innovative Programs

We are open to any ideas — no offer is too big or small! In return, we will offer media coverage across all our social platforms and much more. Partner with us to foster a healthier, more active community!

Interested? Get in touch here!