End of term letter

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come to the end of an enjoyable and successful half-term, I wanted to thank you all for your continued support and share with you our news and achievements.

Welcoming our Year 7 Students

Our new students have settled in very well and we hope they continue to enjoy their time at Notre Dame and St Boniface’s College, whilst embracing the ethos of our schools and all that a secondary school career has to offer. We have really enjoyed getting to know them and learning about their aspirations.

Students vs Tour De Moor

Congratulations to three of our super Year 7 students, who took part in the Tour De Moor this weekend. Oliver won the 11km race, with Neal coming in third place and Noel coming in 7th place. A fantastic achievement! Well done!

European Week of Languages!

At the end of September, the Modern Foreign Languages department at Notre Dame School, hosted a week of activities to celebrate European Languages.

Students were able to participate in a Europe themed bake off, watch some fantastic short films and take part in a photography competition.

There was also a treasure hunt around the school, with QR codes hidden that linked to audio recordings of different languages that needed deciphering! Tutor groups got involved too and all students were encouraged to greet each other in an alternative language throughout the day.

Outstanding Effort

Well done and congratulations to our Junior Leadership Team and Year 11 Prefects, who have supported events such as Open Evening this term and are already been making a real difference at St Boniface’s College. Thank you for all your hard work.

Cooking up a storm with Royal Navy Chefs

Royal Navy Chefs visited students this term to work with them in our Catering classes. Mr Nunn was very impressed with what the students produced in these sessions and the students had a great time learning new skills or developing old ones.

Dimension Day

We had another successful Dimension Day at both schools which was packed with an array of interesting activities that were enjoyed by all.

Our Year 7 and 8 students spent the day taking part in cultural activities based around the Day of the Dead. This included some Spanish, researching Mexico, Art, Dance and food!

Year 9 students had an RS based day looking at the environment, while Year 10 students had an enterprise day where they worked in teams to create a new restaurant for Plymouth. Tasks included analysing market research, creating a sample menu with pricing, a mood board for interiors and a business plan. Year 10 students at St Boniface’s College also had an inter-tutor rugby competition during the day.

Year 11 boys and girls gathered at St Boniface where we held a careers day which featured a variety of workshops and talks from a number of agencies including City College, The Royal Navy, Army and Peninsula Medical School along with Next steps South West.

Our Year 12 students had a day based on road safety, while Year 13s had a study day.

Lateral Flow Testing

Lateral flow testing remains important in reducing the risk of transmission of infection within schools. Please help to keep our communities safe, by continuing to test twice weekly at home, 3 to 4 days apart. Please ensure that you test on the evening or morning before returning to school on Tuesday 2 nd November 2021. Thank you for your continued support.

Covid-19 Vaccinations

The rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations has been completed at St Boniface’s College. Virgin Healthcare will visit Notre Dame School on Friday 5th November 2021 to vaccinate those aged 12 years and the rest of students to Year 11. Those aged 11 who are in Year 7 are not able to be vaccinated at present. A separate letter regarding the Covid-19 vaccination programme and additional details will follow shortly.

Covid-19 Safety Measures in School

Like many schools in the area, we have made the decision to continue wearing face coverings in communal areas for another half-term. We will also continue to implement the following safety measures:

· Ensuring good hygiene for everyone, including readily available hand sanitising stations throughout our schools.

· Maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes, including regular disinfecting of tables and chairs after lessons.

· Keeping occupied spaces well ventilated, supported by C02 monitors provided by the Government.

· Following public health advice on testing, self-isolation and managing confirmed cases of Covid-19.

Whilst wearing face coverings is not compulsory, we hope that you will all support us in helping to keep our communities safe, especially during these colder months.

Wishing you all a blessed and happy half-term holiday. We look forward to welcoming all students back to school on Tuesday 2nd November 2021.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs K White

Headteacher