DEAR PARENTS

A BLESSING FROM WALK WITH ME

Lord, bless all those who are deprived of basic justice and who are trapped.  Give them the light of hope and help us to be attentive to them.  Release in us the flow of attentive love for all in need and for the beauty of your Word.  Bless us with the justice which you alone can give.  Amen. 

LOVELY YEAR 9 MASS YESTERDAY MORNING

Unfortunately I was not able to be there but I am reliably informed that the Year 9 Mass was a great success yesterday morning.  The singing was a bit low key but the clapping skills made up for it!  Well done to everyone involved and, in particular, to Mrs James who does a wonderful job with Year 9.

FULLY RELY ON GOD (FROG) NEXT WEDNESDAY

After school next Wednesday we are looking forward to welcoming hundreds of children from Year 5 and 6 at our Catholic feeder primary schools.  The FROG event is now a fixture on the calendar and is greatly enjoyed by the children and the staff.  Full report shortly.

LENTEN CHARITIES

We are now over half way through Lent and we continue to raise as much as possible for our chosen charities.  There are numerous cake sales, sponsored silences and all manner of events to try to raise as much as we can.  Thank you, as always, for your amazing generosity.

MR ANTHONY HICKEY RIP

Anthony's funeral took place at Our Lady of Lourdes, Yardley Wood yesterday.  We pray for the repose of Anthony's soul and remember Jim, Nuala and the whole family at this sad time.  May he rest in peace.

MRS CATHERINE COOK RIP

We were also saddened to hear of Catherine's death recently.  Catherine was the grandmother of Lucy Cook 9CJN and Megan Healy 7JDE.  We pray for the repose of Catherine's soul and think of Lucy, Megan and the whole family at this sad time.  May she rest in peace.

ARCHBISHOP ROMERO MASS - 7.00 PM WEDNESDAY 24 MARCH

An invitation is extended to anyone who wishes to attend a special Mass at St Chad's Cathedral to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Romero of El Salvador.  The life and death of Oscar Romero has become an inspiration to millions around the world in his fearless defence of the poor and helpless.  We are hoping that a good number of sixth form students will join us for this special Mass.

YEAR 7 PARENTS' EVENING - THURSDAY 25 MARCH

Last week we were thwarted in our attempt to meet Year 7 parents by a power failure in a local substation which required an emergency team to work into the night.  We were very keen to ensure we meet Year 7 parents before Easter so we have chosen the first available Thursday evening.  All Year 7 parents will receive a letter of invitation on Monday with a reply slip to be returned by Thursday please.

YEAR 8 EDUCATION EVENING - THURSDAY 18 MARCH

We look forward to a huge turnout from Year 8 parents and pupils for the very important evening to outline the GCSE options programme from September.  Before half term we had a very successful parents' evening with the year group and I am sure next Thursday will be equally as good.  Watch this space.

INSET DAYS COMING UP

A reminder to parents that next Friday, 19 March school will be closed to pupils as we participate in the annual Partnership INSET Day.  And similarly, school will be closed to pupils for the final INSET Day of the year on Thursday 1 April.  The final day this term for pupils, therefore, is Wednesday 31 March. 

GOVERNORS' AWARDS EVENING - TUESDAY 30 MARCH

It's always one of the highlights of the year and we look forward to a great evening celebrating the numerous achievements of our students past and present.  As I mentioned last week, this year's Guest of Honour is Mr Mike Moran, former Headteacher of Bishop Walsh School and former pupil of St Thomas Aquinas. 

PARENTS FORUM PRESENTATION ON MONDAY 22 MARCH

Today all parents will have received an invitation to a special presentation on the theme of Children's Safety - Home and School Working Together.  There will be a particular focus on e-safety and a representative from Birmingham City Council will be present as well as school staff to explain what we do in school and what we recommend at home.  Everyone is welcome.

UGLY SCENE ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON

I have spoken to the headteacher of a local school following an ugly scene after school on Wednesday.  About 30 youths arrived at our gates after an internet argument with one of our boys.  The ringleaders have been dealt with.  Our pupils did not get involved, our staff were terrific and, thankfully, nobody was hurt.  Well done to all concerned but it is the sort of incident we can all do without.

EIGHT HOUSES AND EIGHT PATRONS - THE RESULTS ARE READY

We were delighted to see the quality of entries from pupils for the names of our new houses for September.  At our Easter Mass on 30 March we shall announce the eight pupils whose entries were selected each of whom wins a £25 HMV voucher.  The house names are as follows: Bosco (St John Bosco); Fisher (St John Fisher); John Paul (Pope John Paul II); Martin (St Martin de Porres); More (St Thomas More); Newman (Cardinal Newman); Romero (Archbishop Romero); and Teresa (Mother Teresa).

Aquinas Ski Club 2011 (current year 8 - current year 12)

By now you might have heard about our intention to run a Ski Trip next February. We are currently still negotiating the destination and price but we are confident that we are putting together a fantastic package for your child. If you would like to express an interest in this trip then please either collect a letter from Mr McInerney or download one from our website. The deadline for all reply slips is Wednesday 17 March. If you would like more information on this trip then please contact either Mr McInerney or Mrs Kelly by phone or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . 

IMPORTANT THEMES

No Valuables in School.  They are not required and pupils who bring in mobile phones, i-phones etc do so entirely at their own risk. 

Pen, Pencil, Planner.  It's our second golden rule and too many pupils are breaking it.  A pen, pencil and planner is required for every lesson. 

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL OUR MUMS

We wish all our mums a very happy day on Sunday.  Just put your feet up and let your sons and daughters look after you for the day - well we can all dream can't we!

SPORTS RESULTS

Boys' Football

Year 7      3    Bournville   4

Year 12    5    Year 13      3

Year 10    1    Bishop Challoner   0

I was delighted to hear that our Year 10 boys have reached the final of the Villa Cup and will play Tudor Grange, Solihull at Villa Park after Easter.  Congratulations to the team on beating Bishop Challoner Sports College in the semi final.

LAST WEEK'S QUIZ QUESTION

The Liberal Democrat Leader (who I happened to hear at a conference last weekend) is Nick Clegg as we were correctly informed by Chloe Jones of 7CCO who wins £5.  Well done Chloe!

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ QUESTION

It was the Oscars last weekend.  What was nominated as the best film this year?

Yours sincerely

JIM FOLEY