A Message from the Headteacher

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope that you are well. I can hardly believe that we are at the end of another academic year. And what a year! Our successful OfSTED inspection, another superb School production, Joseph, and the wonderful news that the School is to be completely rebuilt from 2008. It really is a wonderful time both to work and to study at St. Paul's Way Community School.

As in previous years, School will finish for students at 12:50 on Friday 21st July, with lunch available for those who wish to stay.

I have enclosed a leaflet, describing the new School uniform for all students from September 2006. As you will see, the new uniform has been designed to look smarter and to ensure that all students are recognisable as St. Paul's Way Community School students. I hope, like me, that you will welcome the new uniform as a great improvement on the previous one.

If you have any queries about applying for a School Clothing grant, please contact the Bow and North Poplar Benefits Office, Jack Dash House, 2 Lawn House Close, Marsh Wall, London E14 9YQ, Tel. 020 7364 5001. In cases of exceptional hardship, please contact me at the School.

We wait, expectantly, for the GCSE results which become available on Thursday 24th August. Until then, may I wish you and your family an enjoyable and restful Summer.

With very best wishes,

Simon Harris
Headteacher

JOSEPH
A Musical Triumph!

Over recent months, staff and students at the School have been preparing a production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, a musical telling the ancient story of Joseph, his eleven brothers and their father, Jacob. Joseph has strange dreams and is not liked by his brothers, who sell him into slavery. He is taken to Egypt, where he meets the all-powerful Pharaoh, who also has strange dreams. Joseph interprets them and saves Egypt from certain disaster. He is honoured by Pharaoh before being reunited and reconciled with his family.

The School will never forget the great performances and singing of the brothers, as well as Pharaoh's Stone the Crows and Seven Fat Cows (sung in the style of Elvis Presley). Madalena Samuel, who played Joseph, gave a wonderful performance and sang beautifully, as did the ensemble, who supplied excellent vocal support. The whole story was told and sung beautifully by the two narrators, Nazmen Khanom and Uma Akther, with musical backing from Mr Rossell, Ms McGaw, Quincy Roberts (9A) and Fiona Philip (9Y). Numerous staff and students also provided help with lighting, sound, costume, props and set and the production with not have been possible without their help, commitment and support.

The production also marks the end of an era at SPW, as sadly, Mr Rossell is leaving the School after 10 years. In that time, we have had the pleasure of working with him on many School productions. His calm, thoughtful and sensitive presence will be missed greatly by the students and his colleagues and we all extend our thanks, respect and best wishes to him for the future.

Mr Edwards and Mr Brooker, Drama Department

City of London Festival

On Friday 23rd June, nineteen Year 8 Textiles students took part in the opening ceremony for the City of London Festival. The students had previously worked with a textile designer called Sarah Pimento in two workshop sessions. Sarah set an exciting task requiring everybody to design a screen print based on Japanese landscapes. A Japanese translator converted everyone’s names into Japanese script and the banners were printed and finished within three days. The banners looked very impressive displayed on the route through Watling Street to the front of St Paul’s Cathedral. Those who took part were: Karolina, Hameema, Khaleda, Seyhan, Mehmet, Ruzina, Rahin, Aklima, Asma, Hailima, Razmin, Safali, Samia, Fokrul, Rabee-ul, Emran, Bable, Sayre and Nazmin.

The following Monday, we attended a private view of the jewellery made by some Year 10 Textile students, which is being displayed in The Guildhall Gallery for three weeks and is fabulous. Go and see it! There are highly polished necklaces, brooches, pins and rings made by trapping fragments of textiles in resin. These are finished with silver fittings. All the work will be displayed in School soon. Year 10 students who took part were: Laura, Hafeeza, Fahima, Farjana, Parzena, Rubena A., Jilfa, Nasima, Hazera, Rashida, Shahina P., Shuriea, Rubina A., Hasna, Reshma, Shahina S., Shuhela, Moushimi, Ruli and Taslima. Our thanks go to Hannah Newman, Sarah Pimento, Annoush Waddington-Bond and Chris Bond for two fantastic projects and Minara Uddin, Ms Mitchell and Ms Silcox for all the help they gave with each trip.

Ms Taylor, Textiles Technology

Bowled Over!

The School cricket team played two matches last week against Langdon Park and Bow Boys in the Tower Hamlets Cricket League. Unfortunately, we narrowly lost to Langdon Park, scoring 100 runs off 16 overs. They managed to score the winning run with a few overs to spare. It was very close and if we had not given away so many extras, it was surely a game we should have won. The next day, we played Bow Boys and the game finished in a tie, a rarity in cricket. We scored 89 off our 16 overs and they managed to get the 1 run they needed to draw off the last ball. Once again, it was a game we should have won. However, the boys were a credit to the School and played the game in the correct spirit. Well done, everybody. The team: Jamil Basith, 10A, Jakir Islam, Junaid Ahmed, Farhad Ahmed and Omar Farooq, 10P, Mothiur Khan, 10U, Akmol Ali, 9W, Syed Ahmed, 9S, Abdullah Rayhan, 9Y, Shahid Khan, 9T, Tuhin Miah and Ajay Kumar, 7P and Mamunur Rashid, 7U. Special mention should go to Mamanur, Tuhin and Abdullah, who all played fantastically well.

Mr. Williams, Head of Year 7

Non-Uniform Day

Students of 8T are organising a non-uniform day in order to raise money for the charity Nyumba Ya Thanzi (The House of Good Health), a UK based charitable trust working in Malawi to support locally designed development initiatives. They work with Malawians who have ideas about how to improve the lives of people in their country, but often lack the resources to put their plans into action. The non-uniform day will take place on the last day of this term, Friday 21st July. All students will have to pay a donation if they wish to wear non-School uniform. I need to confirm the price with 8T, but I will be recommending the princely sum of £1, seeing as we will only be in school for half a day!

Ms Silcox

Photogenius

On 19th June, a group of ten Talented Year 8 students from St Paul's Way Community School attended a Photography Master Class at the University of the Arts. The students were able to use a real photographic studio at London College of Fashion, where they took fantastic photographic portraits of each other. Amidst all the posing they were able to think about what makes good composition and used different lighting effects, backdrops and even wind machines! They had a fantastic teacher, Anastacia, who showed them how to take digital photographs manually using a state of the art digital camera. Students where then able to use very impressive technology to create a print from the photographs they had taken. The process was quite complicated and meant using the equipment in total darkness, but the end results were magnificent - Mario Testino eat your heart out! Everybody had a great time and learnt so much, Zubeida Begum asked, 'When can we go again?'

Ms Silcox, Art Department

School Noticeboard

Special Mentions
Special thanks to Ronald Wallis and Shaun Newman for their sterling work as lighting technicians for the Joseph production. Mr Markson

The following students have successfully completed LEAP Peer Mediation Training: Shima Akhter and Fatema Begum, 9A, Saleh Khan, Henna Khanom and Tony Luong, 9L, Rukshana Aktar, Kowsar Miah and Mamun Roshid, 9P, Theo Hartley, 9S, Iquebal Miah and Odera Obi (Val), 9T, Chelsea Russell, 9W and Kareem Abdul, 9Y. Next term, these students will be helping Year 7s and 8s to sort out any problems they may have with other students. Well done to all!
Ms Doughty, ESW

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the first Tower Hamlets Dance Festival at Mulberry School. They performed superbly. Well done!

I would also like to invite more students to take part in the St. Paul’s Way Dance Group. We have practice sessions every Tuesday lunchtime and on Thursdays after School. Ms Povea

I would like to thank all those in 8P and 9TWY who helped with making the cloaks for the Joseph production. You were invaluable in getting a difficult job done well. You made a great contribution to a fabulous show. Ms Taylor

Congratulations to Shaun Newman, 9W, for winning a Jack Petchey Award. Shaun is highly regarded and has been a very reliable and helpful member of 9W and the School community. Well done! Mr Nance

Schools in View
Artists Richard Tait, Matt Caines, Sabine Fouchier and Roland Bierman have been helping SPWCS students to develop their creative abilities through a range of Art & Design practices. Artwork by students from all Years, produced in photography and felt making clubs and Option 2 Fine Art classes, was selected and displayed for a week at the Nunnery Gallery. Three students, Jaber Ahmed, Yusef Ali and Maruf Miah of 7S, were awarded prizes for their outstanding paintings based on scenes of London. Well done to all those hard working art students who contributed.  Ms. Hill, Head of Art


Public Speaking Competition
A team of Year 7-9 boys competed in the Borough Athletics Championships at Mile End Stadium on 14th June. Their effort, behaviour and support for each other was exemplary. Medallists in the Year 9 events were: Quincy Roberts (1st, 100m and long jump), Duwayne Harrison (3rd, 200m), Gerisio Lopez (3rd, 400m) and Rashid Omar (2nd, 800m), while Mamunur Rashid was 2nd in the Year 7 long jump and 100m. Congratulations also to the 7U boys’ football team, 5-1 winners over 7T in the inter-tutor group football tournament final. The commitment, organisation, fair play and effort of all boys in PE has been superb. Mr. Blakeley, Teacher in charge of Boys’ PE

HSBC Outward Bound
Pupils who were involved in the HSBC Outward Bound Project from Year 9 went to HSBC Headquarters in Canary Wharf on 8th June for their presentation evening. They spoke about their excellent experiences on the course, including their week in Wales. It was a great evening for all involved. Masoom Ahmed, 9L, and Rimon Hayder, 9T, have been chosen to go on a 3 week residential in the Lake District over the summer holidays. Well done and good luck to both boys. Mr. Blakeley, Teacher in charge of Boys’ PE