Newsletter 02.03.2026 – St Nicholas Catholic High School

A prayer to share

Loving God,
You call us not to be served, but to serve,
and to give of ourselves with generous hearts.
In our classrooms, our teams, our friendships,
us to notice those who feel unseen,
to help without being asked,
and to choose kindness even when it costs us something.
When serving feels inconvenient,
give us patience.
May our small sacrifices each day
become signs of your love in the world.
We ask this with grateful hearts.

Amen

A Message from our Chaplain, Mairie

St Nicholas Retreats

As part of our Catholic Ethos in developing a reflective understanding of ourselves and the world around us, the school commits to a Day of Reflection for Year 8 and Year 9. This year the retreats were planned to encourage our students to appreciate their own gifts and the contribution they can make to the community and the wider world. We are grateful for the support of the Diocesan Youth Mission Team and representatives from CAFOD for their workshops and to all the school staff who supported the students throughout the day.

As part of the Year 8 retreat, students were asked to recognise where they see Catholic Social Teaching taking place in school. We were overwhelmed with the response as students pointed out that this takes place everyday in school, in our Mission Statement, in classrooms and in corridors. We were then able to take this responses to our MiniDASH conference and share them with other high schools from our diocese. This was a wonderful meeting of almost every high school and around one hundred and fifty students and accompanying staff. The MiniDASH day celebrated all that the schools are doing to live out Gospel Values and to help to make our world a better place.

New Archbishop of Westminster

During half-term, Richard Moth was solemnly installed as Archbishop of Westminster in a Mass at Westminster Cathedral today, taking over from Cardinal Vincent Nichols as leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales.

In the homily, Archbishop Moth said that God calls us to “go out into the world of our own age, carrying with us the message of the gospel of peace into the public square, where the “great questions of our time call for its light to be shone upon them. As your Year 8 retreat was titled – ‘Let your Light Shine’, it seems that we are already on that journey.

Celebrating 60 Years of St Nicholas Catholic High School –Jubilee Afternoon Tea on Thursday, 26th March at 4.30.

This year marks a wonderful milestone for our Catholic community as St Nicholas’ celebrates its 60th anniversary. For six decades, the school has been a place where young people have grown in faith, friendship, and learning—supported by dedicated staff, loving families, and the prayers of all our parishes. To mark this special occasion, we warmly invite past pupils, former staff, governors, and friends of the school to join us to come and see how the school has grown and changed over the years. There will be guided tours, displays of old photographs, and refreshments. It will be a wonderful chance to reminisce and reconnect.

We ask that people sign up so that we have an idea of numbers. Please email the address below.

We would also love to hear from past students and staff so we are also inviting people to write or email their memories of St Nicholas’ over the years.

Please email alumni@st-nicholas.cheshire.sch.uk to send your memories or book a place for Afternoon Tea.

Music Success

Music Recital Evening

Congratulations to these Year 11 and Year 12 students who performed at a Recital Evening at the end of last half term. It was a very varied and enjoyable selection of performances. Staff and parents were blown away by the talent on display and look forward to another recital in the summer term!

Battle of the Bands

Well done to Melvin Kimuli, Lena Morek, Francesca Walker and Kaitlin Marshall who competed for the first time in a Battle of the bands contest at the Hive in Winsford.

They performed brilliantly but sadly did not win.

School Performance

Wizard of Oz

Follow the Yellow Brick Road and prepare to be swept away to the merry old land of Oz! Based on the beloved classic, The Wizard of Oz is a spectacular adventure filled with heart, courage, brains… and plenty of sparkle!

Join Dorothy and her unforgettable friends as they journey through munchkin-filled meadows, enchanted forests and all the way to the dazzling Emerald City. With heel-clicking songs, colourful characters and a story that reminds us there’s truly no place like home, this is a show for the whole family.

With a fantastic cast of talented pupils from Years 7 to 13, a live orchestra, stunning technical effects, fabulous costumes, and a few theatrical twisters along the way, this promises to be a simply Oz-some evening of entertainment!

Our school hall will be magically transformed into the Land of Oz for three unforgettable nights — so grab your ruby slippers and join us somewhere over the rainbow!

Wednesday 11th March – Friday 13th March
Curtain up at 7.00pm each evening

Tickets

£7.00 for Students
£10.00 for Adults

Order your tickets now via ParentPay for your preferred performance night. Tickets will be sent home with students. Any tickets purchased after Thursday 5th March can be collected at the door on the night of the show.

Seats are limited to 200 per night, so don’t wait for a tornado warning – book early to avoid missing out!

Please note seating is unreserved, but if you require any access arrangements, please don’t hesitate to contact the school.

We can’t wait to welcome you somewhere over the rainbow for an evening full of heart, humour and musical magic.

See you on the Yellow Brick Road!

Year 12 Art for Charity

Our Year 12 Art students have created an inspiring artwork for a local charity that provides counselling and wellbeing services to children and adults in Northwich. The piece, symbolising growth and strength, will be displayed in the charity’s local office.

Pictured is the official handover of the artwork, received by Kirsty on behalf of the charity.

Mrs McKenna’s Fundraising for Macmillan

Mrs McKenna has been taking part in the 28 miles in 28 days challenge for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of Mrs McAleenan. She completed the full milage on Saturday and has far raised £1323!

If you would like to sponsor her here is the link:

Https://socialsync.app/fundraiser/cr-j0l87ry8oz740

Mathematics Success

UKMT Intermediate Maths Challenge

Students from Years 9–11 recently took part in the UKMT Intermediate Mathematical Challenge, a national competition designed to stretch and inspire young mathematicians through a series of thought‑provoking, non‑calculator problems. Aimed at students with a passion for problem‑solving, the challenge rewards creative thinking and perseverance rather than routine methods.

Participants can earn Bronze, Silver, or Gold certificates depending on their score, with only the top proportion of entrants nationally achieving each level. Higher‑scoring students may also be invited to take part in follow‑on rounds such as the Kangaroo or Olympiad papers.

This year, nearly 200 students across Years 9–11 sat the challenge, and a large proportion achieved certificates — a testament to their hard work and enthusiasm for mathematics. A particular shout-out to the year 9 certificate winners, who sat the same paper as year 10 and 11. Also huge congratulations to Ka-Lai Fong, Macey Randall, Charlie Yarwood and James Lewis who automatically qualified for the next round, the Pink Kangaroo!

Full list of certificate winners is below.

Would you like to have a go? Here are three questions from the beginning, middle and end of this year’s paper.

Library and Literacy

WORLD BOOK DAY Thursday 5^th March.

World Book Day has arrived and we’ll be celebrating with a week’s worth of activities. Students will be given their Book Token’s this week so keep an eye out for the FREE WBD books in participating shops. If students lose their tokens, digital versions are available here:

https://www.worldbookday.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-digital-token-UK.pdf

Monday

Design a National Book Token Competition. Entry forms and colouring implements will be provided in the library at break and lunchtime. This year’s theme, in line with the year of reading, is “GO ALL IN”. Students are encouraged to think about their interests and how reading can help them to go all in.

Six winning entrants will bag HUNDREDS of pounds for their schools and themselves so they can choose all the books they need during the National Year of Reading and beyond. Plus, one overall winner will see their design turned into a real National Book Token for every child in their class – and enjoy a visit to a bookshop to spend them!

Tuesday

We will be turning the library into a cinema and screening Authorfy videos by our favourite authors.

Wednesday

During Wednesday break and lunchtime we will be making Book Rec Fortune Tellers to share with friends. Paper and guides will be provided. Students just need to think of eight books worthy of recommendation.

Thursday

On world Book day itself we’ll be taking part in The Great Big Footy and Booky Quiz with a lucky group of year 7 students in the morning. The quiz will feature famous authors and footballers and we’ll be competing live with schools across the country.

And, of course, we’ll be holding our annual treasure hunt as St Nicholas staff members transform into a host of book characters… but who could they be? It’s the students’ job to find out. Treasure hunt forms are available from the library. Completed forms will win a Freddo. The students with the most correct answers will be in the running to win an Easter egg.

Friday

Bookclub! We’ll continue reading and discussing the Cheshire Schools’ Book Award Books.

Parking near Manor Gardens

Please be mindful when parking in and around the neighbouring area to school when dropping off or collecting your child. Please note the roads at Manor Gardens are private and should not be used for parking at any time for non-residents.

Sporting Success

The PE department would like to share some sporting successes from the week before half term.

Monday:

Our Y11 boys beat Hartford High School 2-1 in a competitive local derby.

Tuesday:

The U15 Mixed Indoor Cricket team became Mid-Cheshire champions, ending the competition undefeated and outscoring all opposing teams combined scores! They will represent the district in the Cheshire finals next month.

We also had 11 Sports Leaders and 14 Y7 and Y8 students in the SEND Cheshire Cricket Skills Festival earlier in the day.

Wednesday:

Our Y8 Boys and Y8 Girls became Mid-Cheshire champions at the Sportshall Athletics Championships. They will go on to represent the district in the Cheshire finals next month.

Thursday:

St Nicholas girls were crowned U14 Girls’ Mid-Cheshire champions and will represent the district in the county finals.

Friday:

We hosted the SEND Boccia and New Age Kurling event with four teams entered and 20 Sports Leaders involved.

On top of this, we have also been able to continue running our extensive co-curricular programme with great numbers each night. We are so proud of all our athletes and really pleased with the commitment you are all showing.

Last weekend Martha in Year 10 and her trio have competed in the Spelthorne Cup which is an international competition held in London. They came away with a bronze medal coming 3rd out of a very competitive 35 partnerships.

Fantastic achievement.

On Saturday 21st February, Deacon Kay took part in the NWGA Regional 2 Qualifier at Robin Park, Wigan.

Deacon placed a very close 2nd in the Trampoline Level 2 Men’s 13-14 Category.

Jamie Kay also took part in the NWGA Regional 2 Qualifier at Robin Park, Wigan and placed 1st in the Trampoline Level 1 Women’s 13-17 Category.

Well done!

PTFA News

Dear Parents & Carers,

We hope you had a wonderful half term.

Our next meeting will be held in school on 9^th March in school at 5.15 pm. Please consider coming along.

Thank you very much.

Your PTFA

The Your School Lottery Golden Draw is coming BACK this Summer – and Early Bird entries are now OPEN! That’s right, EVEN MORE chances to win a £10,000 cash bonanza – £5k for the winner, and £5k for their school!

PTFA Lottery

Our latest jackpot winning numbers are:
086527 – 461873 – 216789 – 641964 – 231954

Our supporters won £11.75, £15.50, £11.00 in the draw!

Please consider joining our school lottery if you’ve not already done so as it helps raise funds for school. Thank you for your support as always.

www.your.schoollottery.co.uk

Careers

University Of Oxford: Stem Opportunity

17th March – click here for further information

Chester University – Residential Summer School

Click here for details and to sign up

AmazingApprenticeships.com

A good place to start for all kinds of apprenticeships

Lloyds Banking Group National Careers Week Virtual Event
Real Career Journeys from Apprentices
Tuesday 3rd March – 5pm -6pm

Click here

Community Notices

Let’s Play

Sunday 8th March – Hartford

Art club for 11 – 16 year olds

Tuesdays from 4 – 5pm at Hartford Village Hall.

Bedding Plant Sale

Hartford Scouts

Mental Health and Parent courses

Co-curricular Activities

PE Co-Curricular

Week commencing 2nd March

Clubs:

Monday
Lunch (12:45 – 1:05pm):Year 7

After school (3:15 – 4:15pm): Meetings
Tuesday
Lunch: Year 8

After school: No Clubs – due to fixtures taking place

Wednesday
Lunch: Years 9 & 10

Thursday
Lunch: Year 11
After school: Football (Girls & Boys, All Years) (4pm finish)
Friday
After school: Ski Fit

Music Co-Curricular

Monday
Lunch GCSE Catch up
Lunch Keyboard Club 2M
Tuesday
Lunch : Wizard of Oz
After School: Wizard of Oz
Wednesday
Lunch GCSE catch up 1M
After School: Choir 3.15-4.15pm
Thursday
Lunch: String and Woodwind Ensembles 1M
Lunch: Wizard of Oz
After School: Wizard of Oz Rehearsals: No Orchestra.

Lunchtime Clubs

Monday lunchtime : Musical Mondays – watch musicals in H1 – bring your lunch

Tuesday lunchtime Chess Club in M5 – all years
Tuesday lunchtime Mass/Prayer in the Chapel – all years
Wednesday lunchtime Writing and Poetry Club E1
Wednesday lunchtime Beyblading – Bring your own BeyBlades – in R1

Friday lunchtime – Dance Club DS1 – 12.35 – 1.10 – Lunch passes available – bring lunch with you.

Friday lunchtime – Year 11 GCSE Computer Science revision in C2.

After School Clubs

Tuesday After School – Performing Arts Club DS1 3.15 – 4.30

Tuesday After School – GCSE DT ‘catch up’ session on Tuesdays 3.15 – 4.15 in T3

Wednesdays after school – Dungeons & Dragons – 3.15 to 4.30pm (Open to all year groups) In the Library.

Attendance

Everyone matters – so attendance matters

Upcoming dates

March 2026

Monday 2nd March English & Maths Mocks/ PTFA meeting 5.15
Thursday 5th March Year 10 Parents Evening
Tuesday 10th March Year 11 GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Practical Exam
Wednesday 11th March Year 11 GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Practical Exam / School Production
Thursday 12th March Year 11 GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Practical Exam / School Production
Friday 13th March Year 12 Reports to Parents / School Production
Thursday 19th March Year 9 Exams commence/ Storyhouse trip to see Macbeth
Thursday 26th March Year 4 Activities Day (St Bede’s, St Luke’s & St Vincent’s)
Friday 27th March Year 4 Activities Day (St Mary’s, St Joseph’s & St Wilfrid’s) / D of E Silver & Gold Training Expedition 27th–29th March
Monday 30th March Year 9 Exams / GCSE Drama Practical Exam / Year 8 Parents’ Evening 4.15–7.30pm
Tuesday 31st March Year 9 Exams / Whole School Mass

April 2026

Wednesday 1st April Year 9 Exams finish / Stanley Igoe Cup (Year 11 afternoon) / Year 7 Reports to Parents /SCHOOL CLOSES
Monday 20th April SCHOOL REOPENS
Monday 4th May BANK HOLIDAY
Friday 22nd May SCHOOL CLOSES
Monday 1st June SCHOOL REOPENS
Friday 19th June INSET Day
Wednesday 22nd July SCHOOL CLOSES

Click here for future dates

Click here to download 2025-26 Holiday Dates

Click here to download 2026-27 Holiday Dates