Dance triumph for Alice Wilkins!

Congratulations to 16-year-old Btec Dance Award student Alice Wilkins who has successfully auditioned for a place in the prestigious Yorkshire Young Dancers Company. This company is made up of 13-17 year olds with exceptional talent in contemporary dance. Alice will have to attend contemporary classes three times a week as well as intensive weekends and summer schools. It will give her the chance to be taught by leading contemporary dance teachers and professional choreographers.
Competition into this company is fierce with Alice winning a place out of two hundred other young dancers. She had to participate in two gruelling auditions where she had take part in contemporary dance and ballet technique classes and also choreograph and perform a one minute solo.
Alice has been interested in dance and gymnastics from an early age. She has trained in a variety of styles from ballet to disco at the Victoria Wills School of Dance and has developed a love of contemporary dance since she participated in GCSE Dance at Carlton High School. Alice joined St Wilfrid’s Sixth Form Centre this year specifically to continue her dance training and is an exceptionally dedicated student on the Btec Dance Award course. Since being at the school she has been a lead dancer in Fame! She has also won the Northern region of Festival 4 Stars in the duo competition alongside fellow Btec Dance Award student Rebekah Barraclough.
Alice is really looking forward to being part of the Yorkshire Young Dancers Company and hopes that it will help her achieve her dream of becoming a professional dancer.
If you want to see Alice in action, alongside the other Btec Dance Award students, come and see the “Evening of Dance” at St Wifrid’s on Wednesday 16th May. Tickets are £4 for adults and £2 for concessions and will be available soon.

Michelle Birkett

Mission Day

Anna Cowell, Hannah , Fr Martin Kelly and Franciscan Brothers Simon and Thomas visited St Wilfrids on Thursday 19th April for the school mission day. The day reminded students of the Diocesan programme ‘Come and See’ and this years theme of Reconciliation. Each session began with a warm up game followed by a dramatic interpretation of how humankind became separated from God and how this was reconciled. Fr Martin gave a testimony of his call to priesthood which then moved into a presentation of a very moving film called ‘team hoyt’ about a Fathers love for his Son. This left a lasting impression with staff and students reminding them of love, love God lavishes upon us. The day was a great success and we look forward to more days like this in the future.

Incredible Gianna

Gianna Jessen visited St Wilfrids High School on Monday 19th March to speak to students in year 10 and 11. Gianna has been a guest on numerous radio and television programmes. She travels frequently, sharing her testimony .Gianna told her incredible true story of her courageous journey from Abortion survivor to steadfast defender of life. She captured students with her story of determination to make the most of her God given opportunities. Speaking for those who can’t, she brings encouragement and hope to youth and adult audiences.

Fantastic Inset

Tuesday 13th March Jason Bangbala led the staff in their INSET on behaviour for learning. He was a very charismatic speaker whom enthused and motivated staff to experiment with a positive approach to learning. Staff welcomed the training day and some have stated ‘It was the best INSET ever’ and ‘We should have more INSET like this’. Jason will return to the school next academic year to work with teams of people on behaviour for learning strategies.
Here are just some of the pointers he provided:
Behaviour for learning pointers

Believe you can make a difference
Be calm
Plan for the behaviour before it happens
Focus on the good pupils
Praise good behaviour
Reward good behaviour
Focus on what pupils should be doing
Give pupils escape routes and options/choices
Give pupils responsibility for their own behaviour
Be consistent – take the action you promise
Intervene quickly and calmly when inappropriate behaviour occurs – don’t let it escalate
Don’t take inappropriate behaviour personally
Be non confrontational
Avoid shouting – be assertive not aggressive
Have a sense of humour
Enjoy what you are doing
Be positive
Use smile therapy
Body language

Easter Prayers

Lord, by the Easter mystery you touch our lives with the healing power of your love. You have given us the freedom and the promise of eternal life. May we celebrate your gift, and find joy in it forever in heaven. May each of us make your love known in all that we say and do. May we give to others the sense of hope that you give to us. Amen.

Risen Lord Jesus, the truth of your resurrection echoes throughout this Easter season. Help me, my family and friends to grow strong in faith and know your presence. Amen.

International Week 2007 "Every Child Matters"

On Monday 5th March 157 students and teachers from 6 countries descended upon Featherstone for the 7th annual International Week at St. Wilfrid’s. Visitors, old and new, came from partner schools in Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, Sweden and Ukraine. Our partner school in Spain joined us for the first time, whereas our German partner school was visiting for its 18th year!

On Monday afternoon some of our primary feeder schools got the week off to a great start by taking part in the 2nd Primary Song Extravaganza. The event was organised by Jane Johnson, Primary Languages Coordinator and gave the students the perfect opportunity to show off their languages skills.

Over 100 hundred of our guests were hosted by families of students at St. Wilfrid’s. This gave our international guests the chance to experience life in an English home. Our English families made our students feel so welcome that most of them didn’t want to leave at the end of the week.

This year’s theme was “Every Child Matters” and international students, alongside students from St. Wilfrid’s, worked in teams on an exciting project. It was their task to adopt a virtual child from cities including Johannesburg, Bangkok, Marseille and Sarajevo. During the week, groups researched their given cities to create a life for their virtual child. On Thursday, all of their hard work was exhibited in school to Year 7 students. The exhibition was also displayed to specially invited guests, including the Mayor of Wakefield, on Thursday evening.

During the week students actively involved themselves in a range of other activities, including cookery workshops, origami making, Bollywood dancing and yoga sessions. Excursions also took place to York and the National Coal Mining Museum.

Perhaps the most memorable and lively event of all was the International Song Contest on Wednesday evening. Thirteen superb acts took to the stage to battle it out for the winning trophy but there could only be one winner. Our partner school in Lodi, Italy won the contest with a song and dance routine.

The week was not only an opportunity for people from different backgrounds to experience life in England, but also a week to build long-lasting friendships and take away very happy memories. We definitely succeeded in doing this and many of our partner schools enjoyed the week so much that they have already started planning for next year!

Ian Storey
Head of the International Dimension

Matthew's British Biology Olympiad success - wish him luck!!

The BBO is a competition open to all 6th form colleges in the country, and about 1500 people sat the first exam. Sixth form student Matthew Stammers received a Gold Medal from the first round, and was selected to sit the second paper. He has subsequently finished in the top 12 candidates,and has been selected for the practical training at Birmingham University over Easter. Four people will then be selected to represent Britain in the International Biology Olympiad in Canada.
This is an outstanding achievement for Matthew. The vast majority of successful competitors are from the top private schools. The exam papers are extremely difficult, and include material that is far in excess of what we do at A level. Matthew has shown a phenomenal understanding of the subject, and we wish him luck in the next stage of the competition.