Our 6th Form abseilers and CAFOD team fundraisers, John Dawes, Amal Shabu and Gabriel Viera will be selling  ice creams and lolly ices at break time and lunchtime this week in the senior playground outside the cage.

The brave CAFOD lads abseil down the iconic orbit at Queen Elizabeth Park in Stratford this Friday, June 16, to raise money for the charity.

Things are going really well too and at break-time today they sold 70 cold treats for 50p each and raised an amazing £35.

Let’s hope this lunchtime is just as successful.

The ice cream parlour will be Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

They have set up a JustGiving page as they need to raise £300 so the icy treats are helping them reach their target.

Amal ensures an orderly queue forms at his Ice Cream Stall

The mock election results are in at St Bonaventure’s and it was a Labour landslide.

549 boys voted with the breakdown as follows:

Labour 426 votes

Conservatives 39 votes

Green  30 votes

UKIP 24 votes

Lib Dems 6 votes

Independent 5 votes

Spoilt votes 19

Thanks to everyone who took part and to Ms McNullty for arranging proceedings.

This morning, June 8, we held a mock General Election in school organised by Ms McNulty.

Years 7, 8 and 9 queued to vote in St Francis’ Hall. Year 10 and Year 11 students didn’t participate due to work experience and the maths exam.

At a special assembly,  our chaplain Mr Connolly stressed the importance of democracy and voting and added that Pope Francis has said everyone must use their vote wisely when they reach the age of 18.

Today was a chance for our young students  to get involved and to start to realise the importance of the vote.

Results will be announced later today.

It will be interesting to see if our students’ choice tallies with the Country’s choice.

The newest student at St Bonaventure’s in Forest Gate is settling in well and is proving to be  popular with staff and students alike but this is no ordinary pupil but a nine week old Australian Labradoodle pup called Ziggy.

Ziggy joined the school in Boleyn Road yesterday, June 5,  and is training to be a school therapy pet with funding secured with a Jack Petchey Foundation small grant.

He will live at home with Geography teacher and Head of Year 8, Mr James Volket-Igoe, who went on to explain: “New research supports existing evidence that school assistance dogs can bring tremendous benefits to a school community. Therapy dogs can help teachers build positive relationships to remove specific barriers to learning for some students and physical interaction has been known to reduce blood pressure, assist with pain management and stimulate the senses. We’re hoping Ziggy will provide a positive mutual topic for discussions, promote greater self esteem and help focus social interaction with our students.”

Therapy dogs help to stimulate the memory of some students and help with problem solving and emotional issues in school. They decrease anxiety and help students work with anger management issues and provide comfort for some students. The Learning Support and SENDCO Department are hoping to work with Ziggy too over the coming months.

Mr  V.I added: “His first day went really well, he made lots of new friends and loved being the centre of attention. He sleeps a lot of the time as he’s only a puppy but already lots of boys have shown an interest in him. I’ve had a special St Bon’s jacket made for him so he will fit in but it’s huge on him at the moment.”

Already one student has sent an email to Mr Volket-Igoe expressing his delight at having Ziggy in school and explaining he had lost his pet recently and asking if he could become his friend and help with his care.

Curriculum Leader for PE, Mr Bartlett, is delighted to announce that our brilliant Year 7 athletes are the Simmond’s Cup Year 7 victors.

This is an invitational competition  for the best athletic schools and many Independent and Grammar schools take part that have state-of-the-art facilities. 

Whilst we have none of those benefits, merely the senior playground where our training takes place, what we do have is passion and determination and tonnes of spirit.

We pipped Whitgift Independent School in South Croydon to the title and were excellent in both track and field and were a credit to our school.

Mr Bartlett is rightly proud of his athletes and thinks their success will spur them on to do well in other competitions.

Tomorrow, May 25, the annual Spring Charity Concert takes place in Cardinal Manning Hall.

Doors open at 5.30pm for a 6pm start and the entrance on Boleyn Road  should be used.

It’s £3 entry or £1 concessions with money this year going to the Sickle Cell Anaemia charity.

Please come along and support the performers as it promises to be a good evening.