On Thursday 3rd May 2018, we held our fourth annual Battle of the Bands competition. 8 bands entered from Years 7 right up to year 12 and the evening was a huge success. Well done to all bands that took part and congratulations to Phoenix (Jaimie Dawson, Bridget Mahoney and Paddy Tighe) who were this years winning band, as voted for by the audience. Our comperes (Maria Custodio and Leah King) did a fabulous job of introducing each band. We look forward to seeing you next year

2018 Performances can be seen HERE

This year, the Languages (MFL) Department launched its first ever photo-description competition – the first of its kind, so far as we know. Students in Year 9, 10 and 11 were asked to submit a photograph based on one of the many themes studied for the language GCSE, along with a description of the photo in French, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish. The star judge was BBC News Picture Editor Phil Coomes. We are proud to congratulate a winner from each year group who were awarded Amazon shopping vouchers (£45, £25 and £15 respectively), thanks to the generosity of the PFA.

Congratulations to all who entered, especially the winners

1st Prize – Orla Breslin – Year 10

2nd Prize – Thomas McQuaid – Year 11

3rd Prize – Callum James – Year 9

Full details of the entries are available here

Download (PDF, 738KB)

Over the Easter break, 4 staff and 35 students from year 8 & 9 embarked on the trip of a lifetime to South Africa to immerse themselves in the sport and culture of the Western Cape. Cape Town was the first stop, with the excited students taking in Table Mountain, Cape Point, Chapman’s Peak, Seal Island, Boulders Beach and Simonstown all within 2 days of arriving!
Our first round of fixtures saw the girls lose narrowly to Pro Star Netball Academy before the boys A & B teams took on Durbanville FC, with both teams coming out victorious. Players, staff and spectators from both teams then enjoyed a traditional Braai (BBQ) hosted by the Football club, with the local hospitality being an excellent way to finish our first sporting experience in Cape Town.
Next up was the much anticipated trip to the Langa Township, where the students joined in with local children from the Township Primary school to facilitate a range of sporting activities. For many, this humbling experience was the highlight of the tour, which finished with the JOA students handing over the sports and essential school equipment purchased via the £1200 the tour raised prior to departing.
With spirits high, the group moved on to their second round of fixtures, with the girls kicking off proceedings by exacting revenge on the Pro Star Netball Academy in an 18-17 win. Inspired by the massively improved performance of the girls, both boys’ teams secured heavy wins over Bellville FC, with the A team winning 10-1 and the B’s winning 10-3.
From Cape Town, the tour moved along the Garden Route to our new base in Oudtschoorn, where the students visited the ostrich farm, wildlife park and caves of the Cango region as well as having a leisurely morning on Wilderness beach in Knysna.
Our day in Knysna also included our final round of sporting fixtures, with the girls kicking things off with an outstanding 12-1 win over Knysna School. This was followed up by an impressive 5-0 win for the B team and then a last minute 3-2 victory for the A’s in what was the most hotly contested game of the tour.
The final leg of the tour saw the group travel inland to the impressive Gondwana Game Reserve in Mossel Bay. After taking high tea, the students jumped in the jeeps for their first safari game drive and were soon greeted by an array of wild animals including Rhino, Giraffe, water buffalo, Impala and even 2 lionesses. The final day on tour started with a 5:45am wakeup call before jumping back in the jeeps for our second game drive before departing for the airport.
I would like to say a big thank you to all of the parents for their support and kind messages upon returning from the trip as well as everyone who donated towards our various fundraising efforts. I would also like to thank the staff – Miss King, Mr Clarke and Miss Bowden for all of their time and support with the trip. The final thanks has to go to the students, who were extremely well behaved and an absolute credit to St Joan’s’.
Mr Gallagher

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For Holocaust Memorial Day 2018, 25 year 9 students were chosen after their great attitudes in History this year to take part in a live feed from a survivor. The students listened to Janine Webber who gave her talk to hundreds of schools across the country with students being able to submit questions to be answered by Janine herself through a live web stream.. The students had an excellent experience and hopefully it is something that has solidified their love of history for years to come. Well done students.’

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On Wednesday the 22nd of November  Aid to the Church in need organised a day to wear red to raise awareness of the persecution which is experienced by thousands of people around the world for simply wanting to practice a faith. It was great to see so many of our pupils support the cause and show their solidarity for those who are being persecuted for their faith. Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” Our pupils clearly demonstrated this teaching by wearing it red. A huge thank you for your generosity as we were able to raise over £900.

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