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St. Catherine’s High School

April…time to remember, time to have faith and rejoice

…of tots, tweens & teens!

April 2011

Newsletter

Lent, Holy Week, Easter celebrations, and Easter holi-

days all fall in April this year. Indeed, April is a time to

remember! In fact, it is a time that calls us to keep our

faith in the beautiful things, in the sun when it is hidden,

in birthing when in waiting and stillness, in spring when

it is wintertime, in change when it is chrysalis time, in

growth when there is suffering, in life when death seems

to be prevailing. It is a time to have

faith and believe that as challenged

as we might be, there is always hope,

and as in the dark as we may find

ourselves in, there is always light at

the end of the tunnel.

April was very hectic at St. Cath-

erine’s High School; buzzing with life

to say the least. We had two groups

of students travelling abroad - one to

Italy and the other to England - and, gosh, did they have

a great time during the trip! We had the Flutterby Easter

Concert for our youngest groups of students, and de-

spite the fact that for most of them it was the first time

being on a stage in front of an audience, they did won-

derfully great. Dressed up in colourful costumes, they

entertained the cheerful audiences of mummies and

daddies, nannas and nannus, with their wiggles and gig-

gles. Well done to the little ones and to their Child Car-

ers!

On the 12th April, we also had the Sports’ Day for our

Junior 6 to Senior 4 students, and we congratulate all

our students for participating and thumbs up to the win-

ners! On the 14th of April we had the School Leaving

Ceremony for our Senior 5 students. This was their last

day at St. Catherine’s. Most of them have journeyed

with our School since their Pre-Junior years, and al-

though this might have been the happiest of their days,

we are sure that the time at St.

Catherine’s will be missed! We

take this opportunity to wish

them all the best with their

forthcoming exams. May they

reap the fruit of their hard work

and studies.

In preparation for the Holy

Week and Easter, we had our

Lenten Mornings; different ac-

tivities were organised for the different levels in the Jun-

ior and Senior Schools. The Lent period is a very impor-

tant time in the life of our faith as Christians, and at St.

Catherine’s we believe that it is very important to tend

to the spiritual aspect as well in the development of our

students, thus making schooling even more holistic.

Finally, we take this opportunity to wish all our students

and staff happy holidays; may it be a time of rest and

recharging of energies! See you all in May!

Brian Gauci

School Coordinator

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Lenten Mornings

On Wednesday 13th April and Friday 15th April, the

School held its Lenten Mornings for the different levels

of the Junior and Senior Schools. Different age-

appropriate activities were organised with the aim of

helping our students get more in the spirit of Lent and

prepare for the feast of Easter.

The Junior 2 watched a

film, based on which they

took part in different ac-

tivities to reflect on the

meaning of this Lenten

period. The Junior 3 and 4

started their Lenten

Morning by writing a

Hope Note addressed to

victims of the recent po-

litical unrest happening in Libya. The Hope Notes were

then presented during Mass as part of the offerings.

During the second part of the programme, the Junior 3

and 4 were helped to reflect on God’s love for us, follow-

ing which they watched a short film on the story of Je-

sus. The Junior 5 and 6 started off with an introductory

visual of the Stations of the Cross, following which they

went to Siggiewi and walked up the Għolja tas-Salib

while reflecting on the Stations of the Cross along the

way. Once they reached the top, they celebrated mass.

In addition, the Junior 5 and 6 donated some items

which will be passed on to the victims of the war in

Libya.

Both the Hope Notes and the items were passed on to

the Red Cross on the 15th April; these will be donated to

victims who are currently finding refuge in Malta.

The Senior 1 and 2 students had their Lenten Morning

on Friday, 15th April, during which they had an introduc-

tion about the Stations of the Cross, celebrated mass

and then they were engaged in several activities to re-

flect about this important time in our faith!

Easter Wishes

On behalf of the School, we would like to wish all our

staff, students and their families a Happy Easter. As

Floyd W. Tomkins puts it, ‘Let the resurrection joy lift us

from loneliness and weakness and despair, to strength

and beauty and happiness.’

Boreatton School Trip

Our 17-strong group of girls and boys enthusiastically

met at the airport on Thursday 31st March in view of

their departure for the Adventure Trip to Boreatton

Park. The students, together with Ms. Sue, Ms. Lorraine

and Mr. Brian, experienced the thrills of jumping off

poles to catch a trapeze swing, walking on tightropes at

the height of 36 metres, gliding down a

zip wire at 30 metres height and working

together as a team to climb a 33 feet high

Giant Ladder and work out group tasks.

It was a great experience for all the stu-

dents who stretched their comfort zones,

and tried things which were at first

daunting to them. The looks of satisfac-

tion and smiles on the faces of the chil-

dren once they achieved the much

daunted task were incredible, and as

teachers, we were so proud of the sense of challenge,

team work, and support that each student gave to fellow

friends in the group.

We left Boreatton with a huge sense of pride in our chil-

dren - they behaved impeccably, took each challenge

with a sense of determination and courage, and helped

and supported each other throughout. So we look for-

ward to next year ... and yet another adventure week-

end with our students!

Parents’ Group

The Parents’ Group, in collaboration with St. Catherine’s

High School, organised another seminar on the 12th and

the 13th April. The topic dealt with Educating Children

for Healthy Sexuality. Once more the response was very

good and encouraging, which urges is us to continue

providing such fora for the parents. In fact, we are plan-

ning a different topic for the month of June. In the

meantime, upon general demand of some of the par-

ents, we are hoping to organise a repeat seminar on Ef-

fective Communication with our Children in May for dad-

dies only, and a repeat seminar on Educating Children

for Healthy Sexuality for parents. More details will be

given in the future.

We take this opportunity to thank the members of the

Parents’ Group who have organised these seminars with

great dedication.

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Easter Figolli

We thank and congratulate our group of Mummy Chefs

for whetting our appetite with the nice smell of their

school-baked Easter Figolli. We hope that you managed

to purchase a pure almond or a date figolla, because

they are simply delicious and making you want more! In

fact, over 200 figolla were baked and they are all gone.

Well done to Ms. Juanita and Ms. Jennifer and

the group of mothers and grand-mothers who

fulfilled this mission with great generostiy.

School Uniform

Please be informed that as from the first day of

Term 3, 2nd May, students are expected to

come to school in their summer uniform.

Parents’ Outing

The outing organized for parents, relatives and

friends, consisting of a tour of the Casa Rocca Piccola in

Valletta (including the Bomb Shelters), has been re-

scheduled for Wednesday, 11th May (during school

hours). The outing group will also be treated to tea/

coffee and pastizzi at the Casa as well as they can spend

some time in Valletta. The price is that of €11 per per-

son. Those interested in joining are kindly requested to

inform Mr. Brian Gauci by not later than Friday, 6th May.

Open Day & International Day

Sunday 22nd May is Open Day and International Day for

St. Catherine’s. Our School will be open for the general

public from 10:00am to 5:00pm and on this occasion a

full programme of activities will take place on our prem-

ises and grounds, including a variety of activities linked

to different countries of the world.

Kindly note that registrations for new prospective stu-

dents will also be accepted on the day and for this pur-

pose there will be School Tours taking place.

This Day is another opportunity where our School com-

munity comes together to celebrate and share the St.

Catherine’s family and homely ambience with others. So

please do join us on the day. We guarantee fun and re-

laxation but also educational activities.

Summer School

Our kids all look forward to summer… but only if their

schedules are full of fun and exciting activities aimed at

stimulating their intelligence and creativity! This Sum-

mer St. Catherine's is promising precisely this; active,

fun-packed programmes, customised for children of

different ages, provided in healthy and safe environ-

ments under the supervision of

qualified and experienced staff.

The Summer School will run

from 18th July till 9th September,

with a one week break between

the 15th and 19th August. Appli-

cants can choose between a 5-

day programme (Monday to

Friday) or a 3-day programme

(Tuesday, Wednesday & Thurs-

day). The hours will be from

8:00am to 1:00pm. There are

two different programmes,

each targeting a different age

group and consisting of a variety of age-appropriate

activities that are fun but educational at the same time:

Play, Learn, Laugh & Go! (Flutterby); and,

Summer Blast (Pre-Junior to Junior 3).

The 3-day programme for Play, Learn, Laugh & Go! is

€300 and the fee for the 5-day programme is €350.

Groups will be composed of 10 kids. Confirmation de-

pends on a minimum of 40 kids applying and no deposit

is required since the whole payment will be required

upon confirmation by the School.

The 3-day programme for Summer Blast is €375 and the

fee for the 5-day programme is €425. Groups will be

composed of 10-15 students and will always be

accompanied by a supervising adult at all times.

Read more in the respective brochures which have been

distributed (in hardcopy or via email) to all students

concerned. Alternatively, you can downloaded them

from the website.

Registrations are currently being taken and the deadline

for these applications is Friday 13th May. Although

preference will be given initially to our School

students, we will also be accepting students from

other schools so please pass the word around!

We will have a whale of a time together!! Come

and join us!!

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Puttinu Cares Football Marathon

We remind you that members from the School staff will

be taking part in a Football Marathon in aid of Puttinu

Cares, which will take place on 7th and 8th May. St. Cath-

erine’s team of staff will play football

between 5.00pm and 6.00pm on Sun-

day 8th May. Those parents who

would like to sponsor our team may

do so by sending their contribution to

Mr. Brian Gauci. All proceeds will go

to Puttinu Cares. Parents and stu-

dents are also encouraged to attend

this weekend event, and why not,

come to support and cheer for our

team on the day!

Book your Diaries!

Please take note of the following dates:

29th April (Friday) - Teachers’ Day;

2nd May (Monday) - First Day of Term 3;

5th May (Thursday) - Public Lecture by Prof. Tom

Billington;

6th - 8th May (Friday - Sunday) - University of

Sheffield Study Weekend;

11th May (Wednesday) - Parents’ Outing;

13th May (Friday) - Junior 2 to Junior 5 Sports’

Day, morning;

22nd May (Sunday) - Open Day & International

Day;

3rd June (Friday) - Pre-Junior to Junior 1 Sports’

Day, evening.

“To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream;

not only plan, but also believe.”

Anatole France

Achievements in Sports

May we congratulate those students who represented

St. Catherine’s High School in national sports activities

taking place in the recent weeks, and honoured the

name of our School with victory.

Once again our young footballers

have done it!!! Our team of girls

from the Junior 4, 5 and 6 have won

the Primary Schools' Festival Foot-

ball Tournament against 7 teams

from other independent and state

schools. It was a joy to welcome

them back after they played admi-

rably well as a team!! This is the

third tournament out of four, and

our team placed first in the first

three tournaments.

Another success for our students - our two representa-

tives, Giulia Micallef and Clarissa Cauchi, won the MSSF

Table Tennis Tournament for the Under 13 Girls' Sec-

tion! Hip hip hooray! Well done to our girls!

Home Tutoring

Do you feel your child is struggling in a few subjects at

school and needs some extra help to boost their confi-

dence? Have your child’s grades gone down? Are you

pressed for time or do not have the necessary knowl-

edge to help with homework? Would you like to help

your son or daughter feel more prepared for exam time

and not have to cram last minute? Do you feel they lack

the necessary study skills and need more guidance?

Then why not consider home tutoring?

This consists of a qualified teacher coming directly to

your home to give tailor-made lessons to your child or

children. This avoids any unnecessary disruption and no

time is wasted travelling to and from the lesson. Also

home tutoring can help raise grades, improve self-

esteem, and assist students of all ages and abilities.

Various options of tutoring are available (from 1-to-1 to

a mini group), and prices vary according the subject/s

requested and the number of hours per week. Lesson

times vary according to needs and they can be even held

during the weekend (at a slightly higher charge).

If you are interested, kindly contact Ms. Sue Mifsud Mi-

dolo on sue.mifsud.midol@stcatherines.eu or 21378703.