Pupils Hear Holocaust Survivor’s Moving Testimony

6th April 2021Michael McGeary

Around 500 year 9 pupils from four secondary schools came together to hear a Holocaust survivor’s moving testimony.

Children from Trinity Catholic College, St Patrick’s Catholic College, St Peter’s Catholic Colege and Sacred Heart Catholic Secondary heard how more than 400,000 Hungarian Jewish men, women and children were herded into ghettos, before many were deported to Nazi concentration camps.

Judit Brody told the story of how her family managed to stay safe in Budapest throughout the war, although many of her friends were sent to their deaths after the Germans occupied the country.

“Jewish people had to move into the ghetto, which was surrounded by a wooden fence,” said Judit. “A man living close by called Leo had a huge apartment and hid people above his ceiling, but he wouldn’t take children because children make noise.

“My parents managed to find a family who would take us while they hid with Leo, but after a few days the family got scared and decided they didn’t want to hide us, so my parents had to leave and look after us.”

Fortunately, they were able to obtain special protective papers from the Swedish Embassy, which enabled them to move into a building where they were safe until Russian troops liberated the country at the end of the war, by which time Judit was 12.

“Soon after the liberation, I went for a walk with my father and when we walked past the entrance to the ghetto there was a huge hill of dead bodies,” Judit said.

Judit married and went to university, but after the failed uprising against Communist rule in 1956, she fled Hungary and settled in England.

Natalie, from Trinity Catholic College, asked if Judit knew anyone who was set to a death camp.

“Luckily, my grandmother was staying with us in Budapest when the Germans came,” Judit said. “But she lost everything, including all her friends. I knew them all. They were all taken to concentration camps. We made friends with the children when we were there for holidays and none of them survived.”

Sacred Heart Secondary School pupil Henry asked if Judit had any resentment towards Hungary.

“That’s a very difficult question to answer,” she said. “I’ve been back and in some ways I felt at home and in some ways I felt, no, these people wanted to kill me.”

NPCAT History lead Phillip Scarr said the virtual event had been a big success and would help pupils understand what happened to Judit and millions of others during the war.

“The Holocaust is more than just a topic to be studied, it is very much a lesson for humanity to learn,” he said. “Judit’s testimony adds a personal dimension to our study.

“Of course, pupils need to engage with the overarching events, such as the numbers of people murdered and displaced, but it is equally important to show them the stories of individuals, how their lives were affected. Judit’s talk leaves us with plenty to reflect on and pick up in lessons.”

Trinity Catholic Sixth Form students were also invited to join the event, which was organised together with the Holocaust Educational Trust.

Lay lead chaplain Angela O’Brien closed with a prayer, asking all present to take a moment to think about what they had heard and the survivors and all who died.

Trust Welcomes Children Back To Our Schools

9th March 2021Michael McGeary

All 27 schools in the Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust were open this week and it was wonderful and so rewarding to be able to welcome our children back.

We recognise that our pupils and their families have experienced difficulties during lockdown and we aim to enable children to return to school and experience as much normality as possible.

The trust has high expectations of conduct and appearance throughout all our schools and we appreciate the support of our parents in maintaining these standards.

We understand that the timetable for shops reopening has created difficulties for some families and we will make reasonable adjustments on a case-by-case basis to reflect these unavoidable circumstances.

The trust’s position on the wearing of face coverings is very clear and follows government guidance. The wearing of face coverings in indoor public spaces and in classrooms is highly recommended. We understand that some children are not able to wear a face covering for medical or other reasons.

‘We want to spread positivity and friendship around the world!’

1st March 2021Joseph Bowen

Pupils at a school in Middlesbrough have been trying to “spread some positivity and friendship around the world” during lockdown.

With people unable to meet up in person and travel to other countries, they decided to create a virtual wave.

They’ve been drawing and decorating cut-outs of their hands, and then with a little help from their teacher, posted photos of them on social media and challenged other people to ‘wave’ back.

Pupils and adults from across the globe have responded by posting their own hand pics online!

Check out this video to find out more.

Headteacher had ‘vision of a modern Hogwarts hall’ for school’s new £1m dining room

1st March 2021Joseph Bowen

Fond memories of the family dining together have inspired one head’s vision of a new dining room.

Louise Dwyer, headteacher at Trinity Catholic College and Sixth Form, has reflected on her own happy mealtimes in a £1m plan which will transform the Middlesbrough school.

“In my childhood the most important conversations took place when we were eating together,” she said.

“I wanted to recreate that home dining experience, a happy time together with friends and colleagues and a sense of togetherness.

“It struck me when I first arrived that there was no real dining experience, everything was grab and go and fast-paced.”

1,500 pupils currently study at the school and sixth form, which is one of Middlesbrough’s largest.

Click the image below to continue reading

 

George’s Appeal Helps Classmates Learn Online

11th February 2021Michael McGeary

Donations of cash and electronic devices have flooded in after St Pius X Catholic Primary School pupil made a touching appeal to help his classmates learn online.

George, a member of the school council, had all the equipment he needed to access Google Classroom lessons himself but realised many others were not so fortunate.

So he took to YouTube to ask for money and new or used tablets in the hope that no children have to miss out on their education during lockdown.

“I’m so lucky that I have this in my bedroom,” he said, pointing to his own tablet. “But we need everyone to be learning, so please donate money to our school.

“Even if it’s £1, it’s fine. If you have old iPads that still work, that would be good. We are the future, we can do this – stay safe! Thank you.” 

St Pius X began remote live learning for children in their homes on the Wednesday after the lockdown was announced, as part of a blended education programme. 

“George absolutely loved his online lessons and took part wholeheartedly,” said head of school Nick Bennett.

“But while he was enjoying learning and seeing his teacher and classmates, he was also acutely aware of the fact that not all children were able to access the live learning at home as they didn’t have devices.

“He felt compelled to do something about this and decided to launch an appeal on YouTube.” 

The appeal has been a phenomenal success and to date the school has received donations totalling £790 from well-wishers, as well as two electronic devices from the Teesside Family Fund.

Famous former pupils at St Pius X, which is part of Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust, include Boro chairman Steve Gibson and TV presenter and former player Chris Kamara. 

You can see George’s appeal here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc31iN-4mE4

To donate to the school, please contact [email protected] or telephone the school office on 01642 314453.

‘Wonderful’ Donation Will Help Keep Children Learning Online

11th February 2021Michael McGeary

When headteacher Angela McCann was asked how many devices were needed to ensure all pupils could continue learning during the lockdown, she hardly dared admit the answer.

After a quick survey of parents, she discovered that more than 50 families didn’t have the digital technology equipment required to enable their children to take part in live lessons.

But that didn’t faze generous local community organisation North Ormesby Big Local, who went even further by presenting St Alphonsus Catholic Primary School with 60 brand new Amazon Fire tablets.

“It’s absolutely wonderful,” said Angela. “Karen O’Hara from the North Ormesby Big Local has been fantastic in liaising with the school.

“They approached us when we first went into lockdown and asked if we had enough devices for our children who needed them.

“We sent out a questionnaire to our parents to see how many we needed, and I hardly dared go back to them and say we needed about 50. But they have given us 60!

“Our children want to get on and learn but are struggling because they just don’t have the devices, or there are four of five children in a household sharing a phone and have to wait their turn for live lessons. This donation will make all the difference to those children.”

Children at St Alphonsus with the new tablets donated by North Ormesby Big Local

Children at St Alphonsus with the new tablets donated by North Ormesby Big Local

Big Local development officer Karen O’Hara said they were delighted to be able to help.

“We heard children were having problems getting into the school programme, so I rang Miss McCann to ask if there was anything we could do,” she said.

“I put her request for devices to the board and they totally wanted to support the school, just as we support anyone else in the area who is struggling.

“This is what Big Local is about, helping residents in our community. One of the main things we do is listen. It’s a residents’ project and if residents are in need we want to step in and support them.”

Mayor Andy Preston, who has championed the fight against digital poverty, was invited to join North Ormesby Big Local board members for the presentation. It was his second visit to the school after he came in to talk to Year 6 children last year.

He said: “Nothing is more important to our children than a solid education, and that’s never been more true than right now.

“The pandemic has hit schools hard, but we’re all determined that no child in Middlesbrough will be disadvantaged because they can’t get online.

“This amazing gesture will make a huge difference to many children and their families, and will benefit them for years to come.”

St Alphonsus, one of the 27 schools in the Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust, is situated in one of the most deprived areas in the country.

The school uses online platforms including Google Classrooms, Purple Mash and Tapestry to enable children to access their work and return it to staff to be marked and gain valuable feedback.

“We use these platforms to deliver live lessons and resources throughout each day and it’s vitally important for pupils to be able to access them,” said Miss McCann.

“We are having to stagger and limit live lessons across school to enable siblings to share the limited resources they have or to gain access to their parents’ phone to join lessons.

“Some don’t even have this and are relying on paper packs provided by school, with no live input. Now, thanks to this generous donation, they are equal to their peers and have the same opportunities as every other child.”

The tablets will soon be allocated and will be given out on home loan agreements.

North Ormesby Big Local gave out 120 comfort boxes to elderly people at Christmas, each containing a selection of treats and details of services that could provide additional help. They are currently putting together kindness boxes for parents who are suffering from stress during lockdown.