St Brendan's News Bulletin 29.11.24 | St Brendan's Sixth Form College

29th November 2024

TERM 2 VALUES:

Integrity

Dear Students, Parents and Carers,

We hope this has been a good week our students, particularly for those who have started their mock examinations. These mocks are important since they offer invaluable feedback to help our students identify strengths and areas for improvement as they prepare for their final exams. We encourage students to reflect on their results and use this feedback as a tool to guide their revision and next steps. Reports detailing key assessment marks and grades will be available in Pro-Portal from Tuesday 7th January.

On a festive note, we are delighted to announce the launch of our Annual Christmas Hamper Appeal. This brings our local communities together as we collect donations to create hampers that will support families and foodbanks during the holiday season. We extend our thanks to all students, parents/carers, and staff for their generosity in helping us make a difference. Throughout December, we will also be holding various fundraising events to support several charities. We hope to engage as many of you as possible in these efforts, fostering a spirit of giving and an awareness of others during the month of December.

Kind regards,

Marian Curran
Principal

KEY DATES:

Wednesday 4th December - Year 13 Music Performance (book tickets here)
Thursday 5th & Friday 6th December - Year 13 Remote Learning (Except Creative Arts)
Tuesday 10th, Wednesday 11th & Thursday 12th December - 'A Chorus Line' Performance (book tickets here)
Thursday 12th December - Advent Assembly
Wednesday 18th December - Christmas Hamper Delivery
Thursday 19th December - Last day of Term 2

Year 13 Remote Learning

Year 13 will have remote learning days on Thursday 5th and Friday 6th December. Some Year 12 students may find they have work set for them over these 2 days also to enable teachers to mark their mocks and get feedback ready for the upcoming external exams. These students will be advised of this by their teachers and must ensure they attend all other lessons.

GET READY FOR SOME HOLIDAY CHEER 🎉

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🎅 Santa Dash 🎅

12th December - 12:10pm

Lace up your trainers for this festive fun run around the campus and compete for a special prize!

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✨ Christmas Jumper Day ✨

12th December - All Day!

Rock your most stunning or hilarious sweater and send your selfie to the SU for a chance to win!

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🎄 Brendan the Elf is on the Loose 🎄

Use daily clues to find him and bring him to the SU Hub to claim your festive treat!

Psst... follow the SU Instagram to be the first to see the hints

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Don't miss out - it's time to celebrate the season in style 💜
To learn more, please click here

Road Closure Signage

You may have noticed signage on Emery Road, adjacent to McDonalds, indicating a road closure for three days from 3^rd December.

We have contacted Bristol City Council Highways department who have assured us that this closure, still to be approved, will not have any impact on getting to and from the College or on our First bus routes. Parents and carers will still be able to drop-off and pick-up students in the student drop-off/pick-up zone.

If there are any changes to this, the College will issue an update.

You may already be aware that the National Education Union (NEU) has recently balloted for industrial action. As a result, strikes will take place on Tuesday 3rd December and Wednesday 4th December. This action is part of a national dispute regarding funding and pay for non-academized Sixth Form Colleges. We anticipate that some lessons will be impacted, and unfortunately, there will be disruptions to the usual timetable. Teachers will confirm directly with students if their sessions will be running, and for these sessions, attendance is required, and registers will be taken.

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To minimise the impact of the industrial action on our students, the College will remain open, and the following provisions will be in place:

Independent study spaces will be available for students to revise, complete assignments, and prepare for their mock exams.
Support for completing UCAS applications will also be available.
The Sport Enrichment Programme and Aspiring Engineers Programme will proceed as normal.
Catering facilities will remain open, and students entitled to free college meals will be able to access these as usual.
Our Safeguarding, Wellbeing team and Progress Tutor team will also be available for support.

While we understand that the strikes may cause some disruption, we are confident that with careful planning and communication, we can ensure students remain supported and on track for success. Please continue to check updates from the College and your teachers regarding any further developments.

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.

Engineering A Better World: Innovating for a Sustainable Future

Join this engaging and interactive Christmas lecture that tackles the pressing challenges facing our world today. This session will demonstrate how innovative thinking can drive positive change across environmental, social, and economic spheres.

Families and young people will participate in demonstrations and hands-on activities, exploring real-world issues and collaborating to brainstorm and design impactful solutions. This event is a unique opportunity to harness creativity, deepen your understanding of sustainability, and be inspired to make a difference in your own community.

Come ready to learn, innovate, and discover how each of us can contribute to a more sustainable future! To learn more and book your spot, please click here

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.

Safeguarding & Support Resources for Parents & Carers

Being a parent or carer of a teenager can present many challenges and a lot can happen over the course of a student’s journey with us. Students may experience issues around their wellbeing, mental health, relationships and identity to name just a few examples. Navigating this as a parent or carer can feel overwhelming, especially if you are not sure where to look for help. To help, we have put together resources on a range of topics to help you navigate supporting your child with tips and advice on everything from how to talk to your child about their mental health, to checking their privacy settings on social media. You can access the resources here. Please keep checking back as we will be adding to them throughout the year.

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.

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 5th, 13th and 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.

Law Career & Progression with Sarah (Teacher of Law)

Join one of our Law Teachers, Sarah, to talk about life in Law.

This will be a LIVE session hosted on her TikTok channel on Friday 29th November from 20:30 - 21:30.

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!

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.

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

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!