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Students at Notre Dame got the chance to sample a range of different cultures recently as part of the school’s Respect Week.

Organised by Senate members Hollie Garbett and Amanda Jury, the week featured daily workshops on a range of topics which students signed up to participate in. The aim of the week – which is an annual event – is to develop understanding of different cultures and thereby build respect for them.

Each workshop was run by a visiting speaker and, across the week students were able to take part in Indian dance, Italian cooking, African drumming, Mexican storytelling and also those most traditional of English sports, football and rugby!

Notre Dame, Devonport High School for Boys, St Boniface College and Holy Cross Primary School brought together a complete version of William Shakespeare's As You Like It as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Shakespeare Festival.

The project took 3 months to complete and was designed to increase the enjoyment of Shakespeare. It grew out of the RSC's Stand Up For Shakespeare campaign which encourages students to see Shakespeare live, start it earlier, and put it on its feet in the classroom.

The Festival was about bringing different people together as one and about creating performances that use only Shakespeare's words. There have been 11 festivals nationally, with one school from each getting the chance to perform at the RSC in Stratford later in the year.

The Notre Dame production involved both English and Polish students and a mix of ages. The cast were dressed in black and white to show the symbolism of the ying and yang in the play and to focus on the importance of love and forgiveness.

Year 10 GCSE Drama students at Notre Dame have created a play about confidence and self-esteem as part of their studies and have been performing it to primary school children.

The play, called ‘Moving On, Moving Up’, deals with issues relating to self-esteem, confidence, bullying and the transition from primary to secondary school. The objective is to explore these issues and worries through drama and the performances end with the primary children involved in a workshop with the older students. The work is based on Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) which is a key part of the primary school curriculum.

Drama student Georgina Stuart said, “I’ve really enjoyed the chance to create a play that will help younger children become more confident. It has been great to see how much they have enjoyed the performances so far – and how much they have learnt.”

Andrea Casey, Head of Drama, said: “A key part of the Drama course is about creating performances with a real purpose. Our students have really benefited from having to create a show that will entertain and educate younger children.

“The project is one of a number of community events we are involved in as part of our Humanities Specialism.”

There have been four performances of the play, presented to Year 5 and Year 6 children from Holy Cross and Keyham Barton schools.

Lent is a period of reflection before Easter. It is characterised by a focus on three distinct approaches to life: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. In this spirit, each of the five Notre Dame Houses has chosen a specific charity to support during Lent.

Students in each House will learn more about each charity through presentations during assemblies. They will be invited to reflect on the needs of those helped by the charities, and to use prayer, fasting and almsgiving as ways to offer their support.

Through prayer and reflection, students will come to a better understanding of the needs of others. Through fasting - or giving up something during Lent - they will be able to donate (give alms) to help those thier chosen charity is focused on.

The charities being supported include:

St Vincent de Paul

Disaster Relief for Haiti

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