One of the most exciting things to witness this new academic year has been how well our new Y7’s have settled into school and become solid members of our school community – it really does feel like they have always been here with us. 

As the chaplain, I couldn’t be more proud of this year group as they have all fully engaged with the Catholic life of the school – from taking part in their ‘mini form retreats’, virtual Collective Worships, Spirituality lessons in the Chapel and collections for the local food bank – our new Y7s have risen to the mark and really embodied what it means to be disciples of Christ.

But don’t take it from me! We asked some of our lovely Y7s a few questions about their first half term here at school – here is what they had to say: 

Maria: Hi Cora, we want to ask you about your experience in school so far. So in your own words, what has school been like for you during your first term here at Eddies?

Cora 7M: At first I was nervous because I did not know how the school worked due to not having had a transition day. I was also very excited because I wanted to make new friends (which I already have). After all that there was nothing to be worried about as all the teachers were welcoming and understanding. 

My lessons have been great and the teachers have helped us settle in – they have also helped with all the work we’ve been given and pushed us to the next level. I have been enjoying myself very much, though I am aware not everyone will enjoy learning as much as I do! 

We have almost finished our first term and it feels like I have been here for a year! I love school and over all I'm so glad that I chose this for a school because its great and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me!

Maria: And Lola, what is it that you are most looking forward to about being in high school?

Lola 7A: In high school I am looking forward to learning new things and making new friends from different communities. I am also looking forward to having a variety of different subjects to learn about and having a different teacher for every lesson. 

But perhaps one of the key things I’m looking forward to is joining new clubs/teams and getting the opportunity to explore new responsibilities and roles.

Maria: Noah, as you already know, we weren’t able to run our usual Y7 Retreat days which we usually do at Our Lady’s Church Hall in Bryn due to Covid. So instead the whole year group took part in a ‘mini form retreat’ on the first week of school. Can you remember what the theme of this mini retreat was and whether or not it helped you to settle in?

Noah 7L: The theme of the mini retreat was ‘Journeying with Christ’ and we looked at how Jesus appears in our lives whether we notice it or not. 

It helped us settle in because we played icebreaker games like bingo where we listed our favourite colours, foods etc and we had to find people who had the same favourite colour, food etc and we did our life story road where we listed some important events that have happened in our lives like being born or starting school and things like that. It helped us make friends and talk to people in our form because the rest of the form got to know a bit about us and we had to do a lot of communication in the bingo game - it also helped us get to know our form tutors because they joined in with the bingo to ask if people had the same favourite colours as us and we got to know a bit about them too. 

I liked meeting Father John for the first time as we will be seeing lots more of him when Covid19 is over. So the mini retreat helped us get to know each other and our form tutors and it was enjoyable.

Maria: And finally, Georgia, during our Y7 Spirituality lessons with me in the chapel, we looked at ‘What makes our school Catholic’, so with that in mind, what does being part of a Catholic school mean to you?

Georgia 7M: Being in a Catholic school means to me that I'm part of a big family. As a Catholic it's important for me because it helps me understand better in R.E lessons and I have people around me who are in the same community. There is also a sense of excitement in things like joining in the Chapel team and helping out in collective worships and it also helps other people my age understand their faith a bit more. Being in a Catholic School means a lot to me because in collective worships we learn things that we don't even realise and sometimes enables us to do good deeds and put our faith into action.

By Maria – School Chaplain