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Message May 2025 Dear Parent/Carer A warm welcome to my latest monthly letter that showcases the St Damian’s community and the many activities that ensure your child not only gets a truly holistic education, but also gets the ‘best’ education. Enjoy reading! Catholic Life of the School As I have come to expect, Mrs Gerschler and her fab RE team have been busy over the past few weeks ensuring that the Catholic life of the school continues to be outstanding. ▪ Remembering Pope Francis. We returned to school with the sad news of the death of Pope Francis. Our students joined together in prayer and reection to honour his life and legacy. A special liturgy, led by our GIFT Team in the chapel, provided a space for quiet contemplation and thanksgiving for his leadership. Assemblies and RE lessons explored the impact of his papacy and what happens in the Church following the death of a Pope. We gave thanks for Pope Francis’s deep care for the poor, his tireless call for peace, and his commitment to building bridges among all people. May he rest in the eternal peace of Christ. ▪ Welcoming Pope Leo XIV. With great joy, we celebrated the election of our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. His appointment marked the beginning of a new chapter for the Church. Last Friday at 3pm, all students and sta were invited to take part in a special reection to mark this historic moment. Together, we oered prayers for Pope Leo XIV as he began his papal ministry. ▪ Easter Liturgies. These were a moving celebration of Christ’s resurrection. Each year group gathered for prayer, scripture, and song, led by their Heads of Year. These moments oered students the chance to reconnect with their faith and nd hope in the Easter message. We were especially grateful for the fantastic reading from our wonderful GIFT Team across Yrs7- 9. ▪ The Jubilee Anchor Arrived. As part of our Jubilee celebrations, students wrote heartfelt letters to individuals and organisations making a real dierence in our local community. Each student was encouraged to choose someone they admired — whether someone they knew personally or selected from a sta-curated list — helping them to recognise and appreciate everyday heroes. We were also thrilled to welcome The Anchor, gifted to us by the faith leaders from St Christopher’s. Throughout the term, our Anchor events provided moments of stillness and reection amid the busyness of school life. From lunchtime prayer stations to class-based reections, students were encouraged to explore their faith and support one another as a community. To conclude our Anchor celebration, our school choir gave a beautiful performance of the Jubilee hymn during the Yr10 assembly. A huge thanks to the choir for such a moving moment.
▪ The Mizen Foundation. On what would have been Jimmy Mizen’s birthday, we were honoured to welcome Mrs Margaret Mizen, Jimmy’s mother, from the Mizen Foundation, as part of our Jubilee Year of Hope celebrations. Yr8 students heard Jimmy’s story and the powerful message of forgiveness, peace, and hope that his parents have carried forward in his name. Their strength and commitment to building a better world left a lasting impression on us all. We are deeply grateful to the Mizen Foundation for sharing their inspiring work with our school community. ▪ Living Joyfully Event. We were delighted to take part in the Living Joyfully event via Zoom on 6th – 7th May — a national celebration of vocations organised by @UKVocation. This inspiring session gave our students a rare opportunity to meet and speak with a diverse group of priests, nuns, and religious brothers and sisters from across the UK and beyond. The event showcased the beauty and variety of consecrated life. Each speaker shared powerful personal stories of how they were called by God to live a life of service, prayer, and community. Pupils saw that religious life is not limited to one path — some of our guests worked in schools, hospitals, prisons, or served in communities around the world. Others lived in contemplative monasteries or travelled as missionaries. The speakers responded with honesty, joy, and warmth, helping our students to understand that vocations come in many forms and that every person has a unique calling — whether to religious life, marriage, single life, or priesthood. We were incredibly proud of how our students engaged with this opportunity. Their curiosity, openness, and respectful attitude reected our school’s Catholic values and our shared mission of encouraging every individual to explore their God-given purpose. And finally, we raised an incredible £850.00 on the own clothes day last term. This will go towards supporting the work of CAFOD. Once again, I am impressed with the generosity of the St Damian’s community. Safeguarding Updates ✓ Misogyny and toxic masculinity. In light of the recent TV production ‘Adolescence’ sta and students have been educated on the topic of misogyny this half term. Mrs Brophy also delivered training to sta around online misogyny and how easily young vulnerable males are pushed or pulled into a culture of hatred towards women through the internet. We explored how no one really starts with extremist viewpoints but over time certain groups of people can prey on the insecurities of boys and give a voice to those who feel excluded by society. Children have had assemblies to help discuss the damage that can be caused to both men and women through misogynistic views, and we have looked at how algorithms can alter due to searches online which leads to children being bombarded with information about the hatred of women. As always this topic has been dealt with sensitively in school and we ask that parents also speak to their children regarding this pertinent topic. For the avoidance of doubt, misogyny will not be tolerated at St Damian’s. ✓ Sending nudes/semi nudes. There has been a spate of children in school sending nudes/semi nudes to people via social media. Please will you speak to your child about the hazards of being involved in such activities. They have been taught about this in assemblies but the message needs reinforcing from home. Please don’t assume that this is not your child and be vigilant.
Yr11 Update The GCSE exams are well underway. I have been delighted with the maturity of the Yr11 students. However, at the time of writing, the students are only half-way through their exams. They need to ensure they attend school and the revision sessions with the same vigour as the past 2 weeks. The liturgy was a very respectful occasion where students had the opportunity to reect on what it meant to attend St Damain’s, a proud Catholic school. This was followed by a nal assembly looking back over the years. It was both a sad but joyous occasion as it dawned on our students that their time at St Damian’s has come to an end. I can honestly say that I have loved this year group! They have developed into a lovely group of young adults who, no doubt, will ourish when they leave here. You should be proud as parents to have such great children. NB. I have been informed that, in the case of emergency, Wednesday 25th June has been set aside nationally as a day to complete GCSE exams in the event of national or signicant local disruption. It is important that you take this date into consideration when making any plans for the summer. Reminder about our Rules At St Damian’s we have 5 simple rules. These help us to maintain our high standards, which in turn supports a great purposeful learning environment. A small number of students, supported by their parents, believe that it is acceptable to wear jewellery, eye lashes et al and that the rules don’t apply to them. Our rules apply to every child, every day. I ask that parents support these rules. For clarity, they are non-negotiable, and our 5 simple, transparent and accepted rules apply to everyone. An Update from Mrs Walker, SENDCo School is often asked by parents to refer their child for assessment for ADHD, Autism or Dyslexia. This process takes time. The following information may be useful to you. ✓ Assessment of ADHD. Parenting work has to be completed before a referral will be considered. If you live in Oldham, The Family Connect Service signposts parents to this website: familyhubs.oldham.gov.uk/parenting-support-programmes. For parents who live in Tameside, parenting support can be found at Tameside.gov.uk/SureStart/Parenting Support for parents and carers who live in Tameside. ✓ Assessment of Autism. Before a referral can be made, there has to be a three-month period of time in which evidence of appropriate strategies has to be collated. For both ADHD and ASC, referrals do not lead automatically to assessment. Recently, it has been diicult to have school referrals accepted. When referrals have been accepted, waiting lists for an initial appointment are very long. ✓ NHS Right to Choose Pathways for ADHD and Autism. You would need to speak to your GP to make this request. Parents sometimes say to school that their GP has said that they have to go through school. This is inaccurate and it is the parent right to ask for a referral via the NHS. ✓ Dyslexia. St Damian’s does not have a specialist Dyslexia assessor. If you would like to have your child assessed, you would need to source a suitably qualied assessor. ✓ Medical Needs. Please remember that it is parent responsibility to keep school informed about any new, or changing, medical needs. We rely on up-to-date, accurate information from parents including health care plans from medical professionals. Finally, if you have any queries regarding SEND, please contact the SENDCO, Mrs Walker, for KS4, or the Assistant SENDCO, Mrs Lowe for KS3.
Yr10 Update ▪ Exams. I would like to commend our Yr10 students for their fantastic behaviour during the recent assessment period. As they near the end of their rst year of GCSE studies, we have been impressed with the maturity they have shown. You will shortly receive your child’s report, which outlines their current working grades and their predicted grades. This information will not only help you and your child reect but will also inform our next steps as a school. Subject leaders are currently reviewing the assessment outcomes alongside their curriculum plans for Yr11, identifying areas where students need further reinforcement to ensure they are fully supported next year. When the report arrives, we encourage you to spend time discussing it with your child. These conversations play a valuable role in helping students take ownership of their learning. As always, thanks for your support. ▪ Ten for Year 10 Art! This month Year 10 have had a taster of what the 10-hour Art exam would be like. Over the course of two days, they have worked on their coursework to start the experimentation phase of their Sweet Treats project. This is an exciting time on the course as they each begin to express their creative identity. While some pupils have been inspired by the hyper-realistic work of Sarah Graham, others have looked at artists such as Tom Hovey and Jim Bachor to create more stylised outcomes. Keep up the good work Year 10! ▪ Work Experience. This is fast approaching with most students having sourced their placement and hopefully have made contact with their employer by now. This opportunity provides students with a rst-hand look at the world of work, allowing them to explore potential career paths, develop new skills, and gain valuable insight into day-to-day professional life. Whether placed in an oice, workshop, classroom, studio, or shop oor, students will benet from real-world exposure that extends far beyond the classroom. We encourage all students to make the most of their placements by approaching each day with a positive attitude, strong work ethic, and a willingness to learn. Professionalism is key – punctuality, politeness, dressing appropriately, and showing enthusiasm will all go a long way in making a great impression. This is a time to shine, step outside of comfort zones, and gain meaningful experience that could shape future decisions. ▪ Yr10 Boys Football Team. Congratulations, to the Yr10 Boys football team who are TAMESIDE CHAMPIONS. The boys held their nerve to overcome a stubborn Laurus Ryecroft team on penalties. The game nished 0-0 with chances for both teams not taken. St Damian’s had successful penalties from Lucus, Luke, Tobey and Anthony and a penalty save from Gracjan. Dominic then converted his penalty in sudden death and with Laurus missing, it meant St Damian’s were once again Tameside Champions. Well done! Mr Burtles is very proud of your achievements and conduct on and o the pitch this season.
Space inspires Art Competition for School Calendar In 2026, NASA’s Artemis II mission will mark a historic moment, the rst crewed journey to the Moon since 1972. To celebrate this, our rst ever School Calendar will showcase student artwork inspired by the theme of ‘Space’. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to explore both scientic wonders and the boundless possibilities of imagination, from real-world space exploration to the exciting genre of science ction. There will be 12 winners, one for each month, plus a special cover winner. All entries must be the students’ original ideas, though students are welcome to draw inspiration from the artists listed on the entry form. The deadline is Thursday 19th June, giving everyone plenty of time to get creative! Please encourage your child to take part in this exciting project. I love this creative idea and can’t wait to see the quality of work produced. UKMT Junior Maths Challenge Over 100m students from Yrs7/8 took part in the UK Mathematics Trust – Junior Mathematical Challenge. The award involved a 1hour assessment where students answered 25 questions requiring a high level of analytical skills. The challenge is taken by high ability pupils from across the UK. We are incredibly proud of all the students who took part and are delighted to announce that 40 students achieved awards, 5 Gold, 9 Silver and 26 Bronze Awards. A special mention goes to Anqi Lin in Yr8 who qualied for the ‘Junior Kangaroo’ follow-on round. Good luck to Anqi on 10th June. Furthermore, Additionally, Shaun Shibu in Yr10, completed his ‘Pink Kangaroo’ follow-on round at the start of April; he was the only student who qualied when we entered. Shaun achieved a Gold Award in the Kangaroo which puts him in the top 10% of students who took part in the follow-on round, a truly exceptional achievement! All in the department are incredibly proud of Shaun and his enthusiasm for Mathematics. Well done! The Duke of Edinburgh Award [DoE] Last week 26 pupils from Yr10 and 33 pupils from Yr9 completed the necessary training to tackle their upcoming DoE expeditions. Our entrants for the bronze award spent the day learning how to pitch a tent, how to cook on a Trangia, basic rst aid, and some map reading skills. On Thursday 15th May, the students working towards their silver award began their practice expedition. A little more seasoned than their bronze counterparts, the tents went up smoothly and eiciently and within a couple of hours, a vast array of meals were being prepared on the camping stoves. On the Saturday, everything was packed down, and the
students set o on a walk in the local area, carrying their heavy bags and navigating using a map and compass. Miss Hughes said “What a pleasure it was to supervise our students over the subsequent days; they spent the evenings playing games on the school eld, enjoying the sunshine, and were extremely polite and respectful to our expedition coordinator, Andy. All students showed a great deal of resilience, and I was very proud of them. Can I also thank Miss Joseph who volunteered her time to support me in running the few days”. Sta Prole In this month’s correspondence I am delighted to prole 2 members of the Languages department. ✓ Mrs Sutton. Subject Lead for Languages. I joined St Damian’s in 2013 after being a Head of languages at two previous schools. When I was interviewed by Mr Logue, I promised to stay for 3 years to improve the MFL department at St Damian’s. However, thanks to the wonderful sta and amazing students, the time has absolutely own past and I still thoroughly enjoy each and every day spent in my classroom. I passionately believe that all our great students deserve to benet from the lifelong opportunities oered by language learning. Studying languages opened up many experiences to me as a young person. I have been lucky enough to live and work in both Spain and France as an English teacher, a ski guide, a waitress and even a chef! I am extremely proud of all our students and their achievements and love to hear of past students that have gone on to travel and have amazing experiences putting their language skills to great use. I am also the professional mentor at St Damian’s, responsible for initial teacher training. Thanks to this role I get to work with the outstanding subject mentors across school. It’s an honour to help develop the teachers of the future and ensure St Damian’s has a lasting legacy. ✓ Mrs Forde. Head of Yr11 and Language teacher. I joined St Damian’s as a Newly Qualied Teacher in 2015 and have no idea where the last ten years have gone! I cannot imagine working anywhere else; from day one every single member of the community has been so welcoming. A number of years ago, I was appointed as Head of Year and have had the opportunity to support students pastorally throughout their time at St Damian’s. This is a role I feel very passionate about and understand how vital support and care is for all students to achieve their best. My other passion is languages and learning about other cultures. I studied Spanish and Italian at the University of Hull and then moved to Manchester to complete my PGCE. As part of my degree, I spent a year abroad living in Spain and Italy and hope to inspire students to enjoy learning a language as you never know what opportunities will come their way. Prefects: After a rigorous application and selection process, I am delighted to announce our newly appointed Head Boy & Head Girl: Frazer Huish-Patel and Eva Danko have been awarded these prestigious positions for the year 2025-26. They will be supported by a team of deputies: Matthew Hall, Shaun Shibu, Thea Brophy, Caitin Halliday and Maya Santana. Congratulations also to our Yr10 students who were selected as prefects last week. Being an ambassador for St Damian’s is an important role and we know these students will raise to the occasion. Well done Yr10, we are immensely proud!
The London Trip! Wow! What a great trip and experience for 40 of our children. The sun was shining, the sta behaved themselves and the behaviour and conduct of our great children was impeccable! I speak on behalf of Mrs Biggs, Mrs Hayworth and Miss Hibbert when I say it was an absolute pleasure to be part of this school trip. To visit Wembley, the London Eye, the Tower of London, the Science and History Museums and a river cruise on the Thames. Additionally, we visited many famous landmarks such as Covent Garden, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Downing Street and Westminster. And to top it all o, we saw a truly memorable theatre production of the ‘Lion King’ at The Lyceum Theatre. I received several emails from parents which I will share below. “Dear Mr. Logue, Thank you for giving up part of your holiday to take the pupils to London. Please can you also pass our thanks onto Mrs. Biggs, Mrs. Hayworth and Miss Hibbert, we really appreciate them giving up their holiday time too. XXXX had the best time and has not stopped talking about it. Thanks again. Best wishes” “I just wanted to send a quick email to say thank you so much for taking XXX to London during the Easter break - he very much enjoyed the whole experience, and we are grateful for you giving up your free time to make it happen. Many thanks & best wishes for this term”. Well, we couldn’t stop talking about it either. Last year Barcelona, this year London, next year…. Who knows! A special thanks to Mrs Hayworth who organised a tremendous range of activities and a fabulous trip ! Pastoral Themes During half-term 5, our pastoral theme has been, “Success… from the Jubilee year of Hope”. There have been a range of activities completed in form groups from writing about someone who they consider to be successful, to completing their own ‘steps to success’ plan. However, this month I would like to celebrate the work of 9RFN who were successful in raising money to buy everyone a ‘litter picker’ and then used them to pick up litter in the hope that our school environment remains clean and pleasant for everyone! Celebrating the talents of our children … I am very proud to announce that 3 of our Yr8 students who are part of the Tycoons Allstars Cheer and Dance Academy won rst place in 2 competitions at the Nnity Cheerleading and Dance Finals that recently took place in Florida, America. Their cheer team, Olympus, also Hit Zero which was an amazing achievement. Brooke, Bonnie and Florence came away with FIRST place in two competitions, a tremendous achievement, particularly when you consider it was an international competition with teams from multiple
continents. They received champion medals and rings and are now global champions. Well done!! Lois Rae Mulcahy year 7 also travelled to America (Florida) with her dance company, Tycoons Allstars, to compete in the Nnity nals to represent the UK. Lois competed in youth hip-hop (Sphinx) and won rst place, making them international champions in that division. She also competed in junior hip-hop (Argonauts), winning 1st place and making them international champions in that division. Lois competed in level 2 cheer (Electra) and came 2nd. The names of the teams (Sphinx, Argonauts, and Electra) are in brackets. Each team that dances has a name just in case there is confusion. It’s with much delight that Lois and her team brought home 1st place and international champions x 2. A big well done to George Beswick, a Yr8 student, who won the East Manchester Junior Football League Cup 3-1 against tough opposition. George was the goalkeeper and Lee Mason, the manager of the team, said he played “amazing”. ‘The Lisbon Maru Memorial Award for History’ In the February newsletter we told you that we now have a new award in school namely ‘The Lisbon Maru Memorial Award for History’. This award is in memory of two local lads who lost their lives o the coast of China in World War II and of the friendships that have developed between relatives of the survivors and the Chinese descendants of the shermen who rescued so many. We are delighted to say that we were asked permission from a college in Hong Kong to use our logo as the basis for their own award. A group of their students, as part of a history project, were taken to visit the Sai Wan Military monument in Hong Kong where two of their students, Andrew Lam and Chan Kwan Ki were awarded with certicates for their progress in history. As you can see from the photography, the name of St Damian’s Science College has travelled to Hong Kong and they are so proud to be part of our own award. Date for your Diary… Our annual Celebration Evening takes place on 25th June ‘25. This is the highlight of the St Damian’s calendar and is my favourite night of the year as we gather as a strong community to celebrate and recognise the many achievements of our great students and sta. The theme this year is ‘St Damian’s, a place of hope’. Further details will be announced in due course. Finally … Showcasing our GREAT sta A massive well done to Mrs Mattison. A few weeks ago, she completed a race called “The Lap”. This is a FORTY SEVEN [47] mile race up and around Windermere Lake. Mrs Mattison attempted this a few years ago but didn’t complete the race. However, she was very determined and re-entered, training even harder to succeed.
Part of this training included running the Midnight Reverse London Marathon. This in itself, is a phenomenal achievement. She was delighted to complete this gruelling ‘race’ in an incredible 19 hours at 1.45am, often running through pain barriers and at one point in the race banging her head quite hard on a tree branch and telling her fellow runners that she didn’t have time for concussion. Mrs Mattison’s grit and determination ensured she completed the Lap! She said it was the hardest thing she has have ever done and it felt great to cross the nish line. The St Damian’s community says well done, she ‘Believed and Achieved’. And a big well done to Ms Walthew who, along with her cousin, took part in the Great Manchester run and ran 10km to fund raise for the charity, Mind. They raised an amazing £700 which will go towards helping young people and adults get the mental health support they deserve. This is a charity close to Ms Walthew and she said that it is crucial to raise awareness of mental health issues and let people know that it is ok to speak out and ask for help! National ‘Thank a Teacher Day’ is on 18th June and recognises the hard work of our educators across the country. Teachers and support sta alike, it is your chance to say a big THANK YOU. For further information and to send an e-card please visit https://thankateacher.co.uk/thank-a-teacher/thank-a-teacher-form/ I wish you all a great break. I hope the sun shines and I look forward to half term 6. Yours sincerely Mr S Logue Headteacher