Newsletter 14.09.2026 – St Nicholas Catholic High School

A prayer to share

Loving God,

We come to you at the start of this new year with all our mixed emotions and the people and friends we care about.

Bring courage and peace to everyone in our school community,

especially those who are feeling nervous or uncertain.

We pray for everyone involved;

school leaders, teachers, students, parents, grandparents, carers and all those who support our schools.

We pray especially for anyone who faces extra challenges today, for those who need extra support;

surround them with people and places where they feel accepted, safe, and understood.

Amen

A Message from our Chaplain, Katy

Introducing our new Chaplain

Hi , I am Katy and I am very excited to take over from Mairie Gelling as the new school chaplain for St Nicholas Catholic High school. It’s been a busy but exciting start to the term, getting to know as many of the staff and students here as possible, and I’ve had such a lovely welcome and it is a real privilege to be a part of this wonderful school community.

I could really relate to all the mixed feelings of the students starting for the first time this week and even those coming back after a six week break. I know for myself It can feel overwhelming at times getting to know so many new faces, routines and expectations (never mind getting to know your way around the school site!) but you can also sense the excitement for new experiences and hopes for the year ahead from pupils and staff. I will be holding us all in prayer as we settle into this new term and look forward to getting to know everyone better!

Open Evening at St Nicholas – Thursday 24th September

Music Success

Drumming Success

A huge well done to Aleks Wieckowski. Aleks’ latest Drum grade results came through this week and he has been awarded a Merit for his Grade 8 Rock and Pop Drums exam, which he sat for Trinity College London over the summer.

Amazing achievement!

Sporting Success

Swimming Success

Ava-Rose Lunt, Logan Buckley and Penelope Lee have all been announced as club captains for Winsford Swimming Club season 2026/27. This is recognition for their hard work and commitment including volunteering to coach the younger swimmers at the club and being roles models for them by regularly participating in group activities.

Football Success

Well done to Penny Rowling. After a successful season and a series of trials with Stoke City, she has been retained and offered a place in their ETC Player Pathway Programme for the 2026/27 season. This is an achievement she can rightfully be proud of!

Football Success

Congratulations to Alice Jordan who following successful trials, has been offered the Under 18s First Team goalkeeper position at Port Vale.
Alice will train with the Port Vale Ladies First Team and progress on the ladies pathway.
She will receive 1-2-1 training by UEFA academy coaches which is fantastic for her.

Library and Literacy

Year 7 library lessons are well an truly underway, with only two teaching groups still waiting for their library inductions. I’ll be popping a reminder on Teams tomorrow (Tuesday) for all year 7s to make sure they bring a book to read to their next library lesson (and every library lesson for the rest of the year). This can be a library book, or a book from home.

It’s been wonderful to see so many year 7 students making use of the library this week. The comic section has been ransacked and the shelves are looking increasingly depleted but we’ve just had a huge delivery of new books from the Educational Library Service in Winsford to remedy that situation.

It’s the last term of the National Year of Reading. Some parents will be aware that, sadly, children’s enthusiasm for reading can wane when they get to high school due to extra commitments and developing new interests. The GO ALL IN website has some great advice for parents who want to support reading in a way which fits around the busy lives of their teenagers. If you would like practical suggestions to help encourage your child to read, click on the link below:

https://goallin.org.uk/families-11-plus/

Year 10 Art Trip

GCSE Year 10 Art trip – Creativity in the woodland!

We visited Mount Pleasant Gardens and Sculpture trail in Kelsall with Year 10 Art pupils. The pupils enjoyed observing the sculptures and had a fantastic day walking around the trail. We enjoyed a morning of exploring the sculptures in the beautiful setting and then watched a stone carving workshop. Following lunch in the woodland, the pupils embraced their creative skills by drawing from the sculptures in the meadow.

PTFA News

Dear Parents and Carers,

Welcome back! We hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing summer break and that your children are settling smoothly into the new school year.

As we kick off this new school year, we would love to invite you to our first PTFA meeting. These meetings are a fantastic, informal way to hear about upcoming events, share your ideas, and find out how the funds we raise directly benefit our children. Everyone is welcome, and you can contribute as much or as little time as you like.

Here are the details for our next meeting:

Date: 21st September
Time: 5.15pm
Location: School meeting room

If you cannot make it but want to get involved, please reach out to us at the school office.

We look forward to seeing many new and familiar faces there.

Warm regards,

The PTFA Team

Your School Lottery

On Saturday 31 October, one lucky supporter will win 2026’s brand-new iPhone – revealed soon!

It’s one of the year’s most anticipated technology releases and a fantastic reason to remind parents, families and friends about your lottery.

Our latest jackpot winning numbers are:
167345, 617862, 167345, 617862, 962253,160745 & 088806

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

TA Vacancy at St Nicholas

Lunchtime and After School Activities

PE Co-Curricular

Fixtures week commencing 14/9
Tuesday
Year 7 Boys Football at Middlewich HS
Wednesday
Year 9 Boys’ Football @ HHS
Y5/6 Mixed Football @ SNCHS

After School Clubs

Tuesday
GCSE PE
Table Tennis (girls and boys all years)
Wednesday
Netball (girls and boys all years)
Rugby (girls and boys all years)
Thursday
Football (girls and boys all years)
Friday
Run Club (girls and boys all years)

Music – Co-curricular Clubs

Lunchtime:

Monday
GCSE/ALevel Composition
Wednesday
GCSE/ALevel Composition
Thursday
String Ensemble
Woodwind Ensemble

After School

Tuesday
School Production
Wednesday
Choir 3.15-5pm
Thursday
Orchestra 3.15-4.15
Friday
GCSE/ALevel Drop in

Lunchtime Clubs

Monday
Chess clubs in M5
Watch musicals in History – this term Billy Elliott for KS4 in H1

Tuesday
English Homework Club

Wedneday
Art club – all years in A2
English Homework Club
Writing Club

Thursday
Art club – KS4 and KS5 in A1.

After School Clubs

Art Club – Weds all years in A2, Thurs all years in A1.

Art Club Weds all years in A2, Thurs all years in A1.

Community News

Romeo and Juliet Performance
One adult and one student can attend Romeo & Juliet at The Grange Theatre for just £25. To book, simply select the Student ticket category when booking through our box office and enter the password: studentr&jGS26
https://www.thegrangetheatre.com/romeoandjuliet

Winsford Town Movie Night

Winsford Salt Fair

Open events at Priestley College

NWA Girls Open Trials on 16th September.

https://www.northwestacademyfc.co.uk/product-page/girls-academy-open-day

New Players wanted – U13 Boys

1874 Northwich team are looking for new players.

Adult Counselling service

Masking – Free online talk

Need Support with ADHD?

Please find below details of a free upcoming ADHD Q&A for Adults (including Parents) being delivered by ND Directed CIC. The session offers an open, science-informed discussion about ADHD, including practical support strategies and the opportunity to ask questions in a supportive environment.

This event is free for parents and may be of particular interest to families, carers and anyone supporting someone with ADHD.

Further information and booking details can be found here: ADHD Q & A for Adults (Parents, Carers, Spouses Welcome) – ND Directed CIC

Attendance

Everyone Matters – so Attendance Matters

Upcoming dates

Click here to download 2026-27 Holiday Dates