Profiles of Old Marians

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 10 Jan

This week's newsletter has been emailed to parents/carers. A copy can be found on our school website. https://www.st-maryshigh.derbyshire.sch.uk/information-for-parents-and-carers/letters-home/parent-newsletter

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 8 Jan

We regretfully share the sad news of the recent passing of two former colleagues, Mr J.E. Arrowsmith and Mrs Frances Hughes. Mr Arrowsmith was Headteacher of St. Mary’s from 1968-1992, and dedicated the majority of his working life to the school. Through his leadership, St. Mary’s changed from being perhaps the least popular school in Chesterfield to one of the most over-subscribed. Alongside this, Mr Arrowsmith worked closely with the Diocese and Canon Ryan to fund, design and build the present school campus on Newbold Road. Mrs Frances Hughes was a much-loved teacher at St. Mary’s. Frances taught English and Religious Studies, as well as leading memorable school trips to London and Switzerland, before leaving in 1992. We ask that the Lord provides their families with comfort and strength. ‘Eternal rest, grant unto them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May they rest in peace’ Amen.

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 7 Jan

Our Year 9 Options Evening takes place next Thursday 16th January. If you would still like to book tickets for you and your child, there are spaces remaining for all three talks. Please use the link below:

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 6 Jan

The bus companies are unable to safely operate the services this morning across our large catchment area, due to the road conditions caused by the snow. As the majority of our pupils use the school bus services, school will be closed today. We apologise for the inconvenience this will cause. Based on the current forecast, we expect school to be open tomorrow.

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 20 Dec

2024 has been a remarkable year for our St. Mary’s community. As ever, we thank our parents and carers for their continued support of our school. It is through the relationship between school, home and parish that our pupils thrive and flourish. We wish our entire school community a happy and holy Christmas and look forward to welcoming our pupils back on Monday 6 January 2025. Christmas Reflection “When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with the flocks, then the work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, to heal those broken in spirit, to feed the hungry, to release the oppressed, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among all peoples, to make a little music with the heart. And to radiate the Light of Christ, every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say. Then the work of Christmas begins.” Howard Thurman

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 20 Dec

We are extremely proud of our staff and pupils, whose hard work has resulted in St. Mary's being recognised as the highest performing school in our region.

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 19 Dec

Pupils in Years 7, 9, 10 and 12 will be bringing their reports home with them this evening, as Year 8 did yesterday. These are also available to view on our parent app, MCAS. We are trialling a system this year to record that reports have been received at home, using a QR code. We would be very grateful if you could take the time to scan the code on your child’s report. It will take you to a simple Microsoft Form where you need to enter your name, your child’s name, their Year Group and the date. Thank you in advance for helping with this.

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 18 Dec

On Monday, December 16th, our Hospitality and Catering students had the privilege of being joined by industry expert Mr. Sanderson for an inspiring master class. He began by sharing a fascinating overview of his career, detailing the numerous roles he has held and the renowned chefs he has had the opportunity to work with. Mr. Sanderson then spoke passionately about his current projects, showcasing his deep enthusiasm for all things food-related. He demonstrated his skills by preparing sweet chili chicken mini fillets and wedges seasoned with a Mexican spice blend, which he kindly shared with the students to taste. As a special treat, each student received a sachet of gochujang marinade to continue their culinary exploration at home. The students were fully engaged and truly appreciative of the experience. We believe this memorable session will leave a lasting impact and may even ignite a passion that leads to many successful careers in the culinary field. A heartfelt thank you to Mr. Sanderson for sharing his expertise with us!

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 16 Dec

We regret to inform the St Mary's community of the sad news that our former colleague, Mr John East has passed away at the weekend. Mr East was an inspiration to both pupils and colleagues in his time teaching PE, Maths and IT. Mr East’s career at St Mary's spanned over forty years after joining the school in 1973. He worked tirelessly for the good of all the pupils in his role as Head of Upper School. Prior to his retirement, he was on the leadership team in charge of cover and the school timetable. Past pupils have fond memories of the many trips he attended and organised, particularly the school ski trips and a football trip to America. Mr East continued his passion for sport in retirement, playing golf and scouting at football matches. We ask that our Lord may be a source of comfort and strength to his loving family. ‘Eternal rest, grant unto John O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace’ Amen.

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 13 Dec

This week's newsletter has been emailed to parents/carers. A copy can be found on our school website. https://www.st-maryshigh.derbyshire.sch.uk/information-for-parents-and-carers/letters-home/parent-newsletter

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 12 Dec

We are very grateful to the large number of parents/carers who have responded so generously to the annual Christmas hamper and gifts appeal. Thanks to their kindness, we have been able to support a significant number of children and families, at this special time of year. We wish to acknowledge the amount time and effort given by Mrs Brookes and Mrs Gilding, in preparing the hampers, as well as a special recognition of Mr Ivan Kirkman, aged 81, who has once again beautifully wrapped all of the gifts and hamper boxes.

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 11 Dec

A sincere thank you to our wonderful catering team who provided a delicious Christmas lunch for pupils and staff today. Members of the catering team were in extra-early this morning in order to ensure everything was ready for lunchtime.

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 10 Dec

Yesterday we celebrated the feast of the Immaculate Conception - our whole school feast day! It has been a joyous occasion. Pupils began the day in prayer and reflection, led by Fr Adrian in a pre recorded message. This was followed by all pupils watching this years feast day video, superbly produced and edited by members of our sixth form. Y7's welcomed Adele from Ashgate Hospice who led their assembly, educating them on the extremely important work they do. Throughout lunchtime we held our feast day fundraising activities for Ashgate Hospice (our whole school charity). Pupils were able to take part in a range of games and activities whilst listening to live music from our sixth form band. On the precinct pupils enjoyed a 'Mary Biscuit', expertly made by our catering assistant. We would like to say a huge thank you to our School Council, Sixth Form FIAT group, Mr Marshall, Mrs Collins, Jude , the Art Department, the Admin team, caretaking and catering staff who made the day a huge success. And of course a final thankyou to our pupils who have behaved impeccably throughout the day.

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 9 Dec

Pupils in Year 9 will be bringing letters home today regarding our Year 9 Options Evening, which takes place on Thursday 16th January. If you would like book tickets for you and your child, the link can be found below: https://buytickets.at/stmaryscatholichighschool/1482587

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 6 Dec

This week's newsletter has been emailed to parents/carers. A copy can be found on our school website. https://www.st-maryshigh.derbyshire.sch.uk/information-for-parents-and-carers/letters-home/parent-newsletter

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 2 Dec

We are excited to be hosting our annual Festival of Readings and Music at the Crooked Spire on Tuesday 10th December. The event will start at 6pm. Pupils performing as part of the service should arrive at the church by 5.45pm. The night will showcase the outstanding talents and efforts of our young musicians. In the interests of both pupils and audience members, we politely ask that you do not bring babies or small children who may disturb the performance. The event is free of charge, but there will be a retiring collection for our whole school charity partner, Ashgate Hospice. We look forward to seeing you there!

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 29 Nov

This week's newsletter has been emailed to parents/carers. A copy can be found on our school website. https://www.st-maryshigh.derbyshire.sch.uk/information-for-parents-and-carers/letters-home/parent-newsletter

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 28 Nov

Parents and carers of Year 11 can still book appointments for next Wednesday's Parents' Evening via SchoolCloud. We look forward to meeting you and your child online next week.

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 22 Nov

This week's newsletter has been emailed to parents/carers. A copy can be found on our school website. https://www.st-maryshigh.derbyshire.sch.uk/information-for-parents-and-carers/letters-home/parent-newsletter

St Mary’s Catholic High School / 19 Nov

Our school buses are unable to safely operate this morning. Therefore, St. Mary's will be closed today.

Rob Boardman

Patrick Gannon

Claire Thompson

Gemma Willis

John Medvenics

Isabelle Rodgers

Zoey Spendlove

Faye Thorley

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