Dear parents and carers,
I am pleased to announce that GCSE, A Level and BTEC exams have now been completed! We wish all our Year 13 and 11 students a relaxing and enjoyable summer break! The College week has not yet finished because Fr. Michael is celebrating our Leavers’ Mass in the Hall at 5pm today, followed by the Award of Colours for their contributions to college life.
This has been a busy week with the Year 11 Awards and 6th Form Induction, Open Evening, the Y12 Higher Education Evening and the French Trip which returned safely from Paris. The German Trip leaves for Munich on Sunday and we have a Y11-13 Apprenticeship Evening at 6pm on Tuesday. Fr Michael will celebrate Mass for Years 8, 10 and 12 in the Hall on Thursday on the Feast of Saint Peter and St. Paul, a Holy Day of Obligation. On Friday we have 1 of the landmarks of the college calendar, the Brother Kerrigan Sponsored Walk, to raise funds for local charities and projects and the mission in Sierra Leone.
I am pleased to advise you that the refurbishment of the top floor of Outwood, our 6th Form Centre, is nearing completion as the covered staircase is now being enclosed. However it remains to be paid for, as I have explained in previous messages, so the Edmund Rice Trust is fundraising to cover the shortfall and consequent loan. I have written to you this week and the Trust will be contacting parents, who do not opt out of receiving communications from them, before the end of term. We still need to raise £250,000 to cover the shortfall for this vital project which will benefit all current students and satisfy the College’s accommodation needs for the next decade. We need the extra learning space as we now have a record 995 students on our roll! We therefore invite parents to contribute to this project if you can. Any donation, large or small, will be welcomed. To this effect we have established a Go Fund Me page which will go live next week.
The Edmund Rice Trust is hosting a Gala Dinner on Saturday 1st July to launch the appeal and celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the College opening in September 1933. If you are unable to join us, please consider a donation.
I wish you and your families an enjoyable and relaxing weekend.
Yours in Christ,
Simon Duggan
Headmaster
