A Message from the Headteacher

Dear Parents / Carers,

We are very pleased with the way our young people have been focusing on their learning this term. We would like to thank you for your support and ask that you continue to talk to your son/daughter about their progress in their studies.

As you will read in this newsletter, there have also been a number of successful educational trips. Many thanks to staff who have given up extra time to make this possible and to our students who have represented the School so well.

On Saturday 29th March, St. Paul's Way is hosting a 'Healthy, Wealthy and Wise' day. This is an opportunity for everyone in the community to find out about local health and learning opportunities as well as to take part in a number of fun activities. Please see the back of this newsletter for further details.

I hope we will see you there.

Kind Regards,

Ms. L. Page
Acting Headteacher

A Letter from Louis!

Four boys from 8T have received a letter from the famous author Louis Sachar, who wrote Holes. Agibou Deen, Ahtik Ahmed, Boody Hassan and Samiur Rahman wrote to Mr Sachar in December to ask him some questions about his life and his writing. "We enjoyed his book so much, we asked him to come and visit us!" said Ahtik Ahmed. "My favourite character was Armpit and I enjoyed watching the DVD of the story," said Agibou Deen. Louis Sachar sent the type-written letter from his home in America. He wrote:

Dear Agibou, Ahtik, Boody and Samiur,

Thanks for your very nice letters. I'm glad you like my books so much. I live in Austin, Texas, with my wife, Carla. She was a school counsellor when I met her, and was the inspiration behind Carla, the counsellor in 'There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom'. Our daughter is away at college. Our dog, Watson, is barking as I type this. He's a mutt we rescued in the pound, which is where all the best dogs can be found. He takes me for a walk every morning before I write. My most recent book is 'Small Steps'. It took me two years to write, one small step at a time. The main character is Armpit, from 'Holes'. My first book was 'Sideways Stories from Wayside School'. I wrote it in 1976 after working as a playground supervisor at an elementary school. You can see me in the movie version of 'Holes'. Sam sells me onion juice to make my hair grow. I'm wearing a fake moustache.

In my spare time I like to play bridge. If you're interested, there is more information about me at www.louissachar.com.

Your friend,
Louis Sachar

A Trip to the Lakes

Author Jane Austen famously asked in Pride and Prejudice, “What are humans compared to rocks and mountains?”- so when we took Year 7 students from St. Paul’s Way to the Lake District in February, they got the opportunity to find out!

The main themes for the week were teamwork, co-operation and leadership. Practical activities included walks in mountains and gorges, climbing, tracking, building shelters and fires, conservation, ghyll scrambling and general domestic and hygiene tasks. Here’s what Rajel Miah of 7L2 said about the trip:

“On Monday 25th February, we left school to travel to Keswick, Cumbria. The coach trip was long: over five hours and quite boring. When we arrived, it was very cold and wet. We stayed in a nice old spooky house with dormitories. There were a lot of fun activities such as rock climbing, mountain walking and classes on nature. We also learned how to start a fire with just dry grass and flint. My favourite activity was the ghyll scramble up a fast river - we got very wet and cold, but it was fun. I really enjoyed the trip as we got to know more about nature, animals and mountains.”

I wish to thank the Headteacher and Ms Wild for their encouragement and assistance, the teachers involved in the residential - Ms Addison, Ms Compton, Mr Markson and Mr Johnson-Chapman - for their professionalism and support, and the students, most of whom were a pleasure to be with. They showed how they, the school and their community work best.

Mr Jacobs, Head of Humanities

Lights... Camera... Action!

Year 8 students have been filming ‘newsclips’ with a film crew in recent weeks. They are getting a glimpse behind the scenes of the media and are lighting, directing, producing and acting in their clips. When these are finished, the newsclips will be used in Citizenship lessons. Lights... Camera... Action!

Ms Spilk, Citizenship and PSHE Department

HSBC Outward Bound Trip to Wales

Twenty Year 9 students went to Aberdovey in Wales for an Outward Bound trip with Mr Blakeley, Ms McGaw and Kudaja Begum between Saturday 8th March and Friday 14th March. They went with pupils from four other East London schools and were involved in activities such as rock-climbing, kayaking, raft-building, and abseiling. All pupils did an expedition in the mountains, where they had to camp, cook their own food, and walk about 15 miles in 2 days.

Pupils really enjoyed the experience, made new friends and developed their communication and teamwork skills. They faced poor weather conditions and tough challenges, but came through with smiles on their faces, having overcome them.

Well done to all pupils who went on the trip for their hard work, perseverance, and excellent attitude and behaviour during the week. Pupils who went on the trip were: Abu Saleh, Ekraj, Maruf, Jaber, Abdul Kadir, Imran, Mazharul, Ismail, Anwar, Nayeem, Zakir, Jahid, Rezwana, Sajda, Nazia, Thao, Nazmin, Hajera, Lubna and Criscitta. They were a credit to themselves and the school - I was very proud of them.

Finally, a special mention goes to Nayeem who made an extraordinary effort to overcome a medical condition and was fully involved and excelled in all activities. Well done Nayeem!

Mr Blakeley, Physical Education Department

School Noticeboard

Mama Mia!
On Monday 3rd March 2008, Year 10 Performing Arts students and some of the students who take singing lessons were taken on a trip to the West End to see the musical Mamma Mia at the Prince of Wales Theatre. The musical is a love story set on a Greek Island and it is based around the songs of the Swedish pop group, Abba, who became famous in the mid 1970s. We heard many of their famous songs including 'Dancing Queen', 'Knowing Me, Knowing You', 'The Winner Takes It All', 'Chiquitita', 'Thank You For The Music' and, of course, 'Mamma Mia'.

The same group of students were also taken on a trip in February to the newly-refurbished Royal Festival Hall where they watched a completely different type of performance. The London Philharmonic Orchestra gave a performance for a number of different schools of the classical piece, Pictures at an Exhibition by the Russian composer, Modest Mussorgsky. The second item in the concert was a song by a contemporary composer called Paul Griffiths. He composed it specifically for this event to give students an opportunity to actively participate in the concert. They were taught to sing some sections of the song and got to sing along with the London Philharmonic Orchestra which is something not too many people can say they have done!

Special Mentions
Congratulations to Hassan Choudhury (10T) for his achievement in completing his Independent Living Skills which are part of the Asdan course. Well done Hassan - keep up the good work! Ms Horncastle

The Science Dept would like to congratulate Year 10-11 Triple Science students for their hard work and great exam results so far. A special well done to Akmol, Tai and Abadur for getting 100/100 marks! Mrs Rahman

Congratulations to 10P and 11U who won the Year 10 and Year 11 inter-form football competitions. Golden boot winners were Mazid (Y10) and Raju (Y11) who scored 15 goals each! Mr Johnson-Chapman

Well done to 9U for turning a corner to take control and responsibility for their own behaviour and attitude. Mr Jacobs

Rowing Championships
Well done to pupils involved in the National Junior Indoor Rowing Championships on 5th March in Battersea. Their positions in this national competition were as follows:

Year 7
20th Akram Khan 457m
25th Amir Hamzah 452m
31st Jaber Ahmed 444m
35th Aminul-Ruhel Islam 432m
Year 11
25th Jamar Porteous 1562m
34th Collins Nganwuchu 1511m
43rd Quincy Roberts 1419m

Bow Arts Visit by Year 9 pupils
9A visited Bow Arts to find out about careers in art and take part in workshops. Students worked with sculptors, illustrators and animators in their own studios and asked questions about the artists' work and careers. They made some fantastic elephant sculptures and a short animation using the latest technology and were commended by the artists and organisers for their excellent behaviour and enthusiasm! A great day was had by all! Ms Silcox, Art Department

Tower Hamlets Showcase
On Thursday 13th March, a number of music students went with Mr Jay to take part in the annual Tower Hamlets Schools' Showcase at Sir John Cass Redcoat Secondary School. Our students gave an entertaining performance and were well received. They also saw performers from other schools and were supportive members of the audience. Well done to all. Mr Jay, Music Department