St Brendan's News Bulletin 24.11.23 | St Brendan's Sixth Form College

24th November 2023

Dear Students and Parents/Carers,

Last week we held our third and final Open Evening event for 2023. A warm thank you to our student ambassadors who contributed significantly to the event's success. The feedback from prospective students was very positive. Your efforts in showcasing the spirit of St Brendan's College are truly appreciated!

Christmas Hamper Appeal

Thank you to our students who have been able to contribute to our Christmas Hamper appeal. Your generosity and kindness is greatly appreciated. There is still time to donate as we begin delivering these hampers filled with joy and goodwill on Wednesday 13th December.

Upcoming Events

BTEC Mock Examination Week (w/c 27th November): Please check with your class teachers or our exams team for the schedule and venue of your mock exams.

Whole College Musical 'Chicago': Mark your calendars for a spectacular performance from Tuesday 5th to Thursday 7th December. Our students have been working hard to bring this amazing show to life! We have a limited number of tickets available here.

Christmas Jumper Day: Join us in spreading festive cheer on Friday 8th December. Wear your best Christmas jumper and start to get into the festive spirit.

Marian Curran

Principal

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) Sign Up

How to Sign-Up for EPQ

If you want to sign up to EPQ, scan the QR code opposite and complete the short form.

IMPORTANT – you must sign up before 12:30 on Friday 1st December.

Please contact John Chescoe if you have any questions.

YouthTalks Finalists Videos

We are delighted to finally be able to share the videos of our three YouthTalk students at the recent BEP YouthTalks event.

- Kaz Pomerance-Trifts

- Ryan Nzolameso

- Jeff Bird

We are so so proud of their work, and very excited by the opportunities our Oracy work has brought them with Kaz recently speaking at a Bristol TedX event on the SS Great Britain and Ryan and Jeff taking part in a Shaftesbury TedX event in March.

We hope you enjoy and are as inspired by these talks as much as we have been.

Want to get involved with all things Oracy?

We have lots of opportunities for you such as Debate Club taking place on a Friday morning, and Speak Up Club (information for which can be found in the SU Hub).

Our next round of Oracy Pioneers work has begun with four of our students undertaking training in order to deliver to local secondary and primary school children. YouthTalks 2024 will soon be advertised for you to get involved. The power of talk is one of the biggest drivers to academic and personal development. We happily invest so much in it so that we can help you on your journey... don't miss out, get involved!

Applied Exams - Lesson Arrangements

Some students in our applied courses are sitting mock exams next week ahead of January exams. Times for these exams have already been published onto your timetables for next week, which you can access via portal. You can also ask your teacher to be sure.

We want to ensure that students who are sitting these mocks are clear on which lessons they are expected to attend next week.

To all students taking these exams please click here for more information!

EXAM STRESS WEBINAR

Anna Freud Exams Stress Webinar

At this time of year many young people will be starting to take their mock exams or have these coming up in the next couple of months. The experience of working towards and taking exams can be a stressful one for many young people and may impact on their mental health and wellbeing.

Below is a link to a managing exam stress webinar run by Anna Freud. Anna Freud are a fantastic organization who specialize in supporting students and their parents with mental health and wellbeing. They have lots of excellent resources on a range of topics and you can browse these here.

BOOK CLUB

Book Club

The next book club meet will take place in the LRC on Wednesday 6th December at 14:30. This month's theme is Fantasy!

Read a Fantasy book of your choice. You will find recommendations in the Library Catalogue and in the LRC.
Come to the Book Club meeting to discuss your read
Get double points towards your Amazon Gift Card in your Loyalty Card

Please email the LRC to let us know you are coming: lrc@stbrn.ac.uk

CONSTRUCTION HEALTH & SAFETY

We are now entering the final stage of the construction works at our new sports facilities which includes the forming of new roads, coach parking bays and a new exit.

This means that there is a marked increase in the amount of construction vehicles which will include large lorries collecting/transporting spoil from site.

These vehicles are restricted to between 09:15 and 15:30 so as not to interfere with the main arrival/departure times for staff and students. Caution should be taken by both pedestrians and drivers when entering/leaving the College site between these times.

A reminder to students that there is currently no student parking permitted on-site. Parents/carers and any taxis should be dropping off/picking up off-site. Thank you for your co-operation.

RESEARCH PROJECT: Understanding Colourism Among Young People in the UK

We are working with Kings College London on their research project: Understanding Colourism Among Young People in the UK and we need your help!

To support the project we are looking for students, parents/carers and staff to participate in their focus groups. Thanks to everyone who has signed up so far. If you are interested in taking part please email our Director of Faculty, Sophie Preece.

For more information regarding the project, please click here

DEBATING SOCIETY

The debating society meets on Fridays at 11am in D106*, the more the merrier!

Future scheduled debates include:

1st December - This house would introduce a ban on the production and consumption of alcohol
8th December - This house believes that the UK has a serious problem with juvenile delinquency
12th January - The house would make the study of Maths and English compulsory to the age of 18

STUDENT ENRICHMENT

Clubs and Societies Notice

You can find the timetable for this year's clubs and societies here: Monday-Wednesday and Thursday-Friday.

YEAR 13 PROM - If you haven't already, please fill in this form to let us know your ideas for prom and/or to become part of the prom committee.

CROCHET SOCIETY - The Crochet Society is currently working on a community blanket. We would love as many different squares as possible to create this, even if you aren’t a member of the Crochet Society but want to take part please drop your completed square into the SU office.

Upcoming Enrichment Events

Item swap

Bring in your unwanted clothes, books and toys, we will exchange them for early access to our item swap, the final day will be open to everyone regardless of whether you have donated. The deadline for donations is the 27^th November with the swap happening the 28^th onwards (Tuesday and Wednesday early access). Students and staff are welcome to take part.

Envision Programme – Year 12

We have spaces available on our envision programme. Envision is a 19-week programme that works on improving key skills and confidence, you will work as a team of around 10 students to tackle a social issue in College. You will be partnered with an external business who will mentor you during three sessions where we visit them in their place of work. Please email bwi@stbrn.ac.uk if this is something you are interested in taking part in.

Upcoming Christmas Events

Since December is round the corner, we have created a Power Point about all the festive events starting very soon!

Here you can find information about:

Clothes Swap
Brendan the Elf
Christmas Hampers
Santa Dash
Candy Gram
Christmas Jumper Day
Decorate your door competition

ELECTRIC SCOOTERS NOTICE

A recent incident, brought to our attention that public electric scooters tend to be left on the College premises after their use.

If any students or staff travel into College via the public electric scooters, then please make sure to leave them outside the College entrance gates. This will allow for the company to safely pick them up off the entrance road.

If you have any more questions please get in contact with Paul Connors, Estates Manager here!

YOUNG PERSON SUPPORT SERVICES

The Schools and Colleges Early Support Service is here to help.

The Schools and Colleges Early Support Service provides guided support for young people experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties such as stress, anxiety and low mood. We are a remote service, so all of our sessions are delivered online. Find out more information on how to self-refer here.

Please contact Zoe Watson, the College nurse if you have any queries.