Day 35...

Hello everyone, 

35 days in...literally in. We are in to deeply unusual territory with this whole 'lock-down' thing and many of you will be finding it more challenging than ever. If so, let us (me/the pastoral team) know. We certainly won't have all the answers - and we won't always be able to take all the pressure off or make the problems go away - but you might find sharing therapeutic in itself.

You might have been encouraged by some of the news reports emerging in the last few days about the end of these measures coming relatively soon. I certainly hope to see you before the end of the school year - and have everything crossed to be able to hurl a pineapple directly at some of you and organise a school trip to start the healing process!

You should expect to hear from your wonderful tutors this week (if not another member of staff). It's so important that you stay in touch with the school and that we regularly check in with you. Here are the Y12 team in a Zoom meeting talking about you good people!

You will also notice that lessons and online learning opportunities are becoming more engaging. I joined in Mr Harrison's literature lesson last week - with Alice and George rocking quietly in the background!

A couple of things that some of us are a bit concerned about are: you working (for money), and you avoiding contact from teachers. You will have seen this year that predicted grades are more important than ever. If yours are going to be ambitious and as great as you want them to be, you need to be completing the work set by your teachers and staying in regular contact with them. I also think it's quite important that you prioritise schoolwork over any other paid work you might have. You will thank me later if you adhere to this.

You can also now access a weekly assembly. This week's can be found on the school youtube account here: Assembly!

UCAS

Mrs Elmer has updated the UCAS blog - with a focus on your personal statement. You can view it here:

https://salesianucas.blogspot.com/

The latest from Chateaux Matthews

You might have noticed on some of the school's social media channels that we have launched the  'Salesian 7 challenge.' https://salesian.surrey.sch.uk/salesian-7-challenge/

Some members of staff are getting involved with this initiative by modelling what we would like students to do! See the photo below for details of how to get involved. I have completed a some of them throughout my earlier blog posts: I have baked, done some DIY, attempted a TikTok dance...and my latest effort was the 'Skills Challenge.' You can view my efforts along with other members of staff here: https://www.facebook.com/salesianschoolchertsey/

If I do say so myself, I was quite successful eventually and I have to thank Mrs M for her Champions League music editing skills - you can see the finished video on the school Facebook and Instagram pages. On my first attempt at the video, however, I succeeded in hoofing the loo-roll over the garden fence in to our neighbour's garden! I attach the blooper below. It was all very nostalgic and reminded me of being a 10 year-old boy in the back garden constantly losing tennis/cricket/footballs, shuttlecocks, frisbees etc. and having to knock on the door and ask for it to be returned! If you can go one better than me (I'm sure you can), email the Salesian 7 challenge link and copy me in for some pineapply credit!

In another nostalgic moment, Mrs Matthews' banana-bread making was an unparalleled success. It was agreed that if I behaved myself (took the bins out, mowed the lawn, watered the garden...) I could have the cake-making spoon before it was consigned to the dishwasher. I think the last time I was given access to a bowl of left-over cake mixture...I was preparing for my year 6 SATS!

Greedy...greedy man...

Among the early entrants to the Salesian 7 challenge you will find phenomenal efforts from some familiar faces...a special mention to Mr McDowell...who is a press up machine! Our very own Mrs Bullock also is a lady of many, many talents. She smashes the 'bring Sally up' press-up challenge and even has time to make scrubs for health-care workers!

Mrs Matthews and I have been enjoying the good weather by going on regular walks - at a safe distance from others. We particularly enjoy going to the river and giving ourselves a taste of nature (from suburbia!). I find that regular daily exercise helps in so many ways - not least in helping you to sleep at a normal time and therefore keep on top of things more effectively.

We are also a big fan of one of the houses we regularly pass on our walks who post a new joke every day in their front window for passers-by to enjoy.

Today's effort is photographed above...'I had a job drilling holes for water...well-boring.' I love this community-spirited stuff and hope you have some moments of levity when you are out enjoying the world.

If you have been making fun in a creative/original way OR eating something very healthy and appetising, ping me a photo and I'll gladly give you a shout out and a virtual pineapple!

Pineapple Time...

A staff pineapple must go to Mr Browne who organised the Salesian Challenge staff relay. As you will see...we have collectively ran/cycled/walked or rowed from Salesian to Turin...and are now well on our way to Kolkata. We might make it around the world eventually. 

Follow the Bosco!

Also receiving a spiky, virtual reward is: Erica (for her phenomenal artwork pictured below), Kelsey, Fleur, Lucia, Annalise (for their wonderful email manner!).

pop art queen - Erica DiG

As ever, very good health and happiness to you and your families. Don't be strangers.

Mr M

Saint John Bosco...

Day 28...

Hello everyone, 

I expect you feel strange about 'returning' to school today. When the lines between holiday and school are blurred (as they are now), it can feel a bit odd. I recommend: a good shower, and dressing for business to snap you out of the chocolatey malaise that you might be wallowing in. There are some exciting things in the pipeline for you guys this half term and  some things I'm very much looking forward to sharing with you. First of which, is online assemblies. In the near future, you will be receiving a recorded video assembly from a member of staff - make sure you access it and enjoy it as best you can! We only had 2 or 3 Masses as a year group this year before a pandemic took them away from us. I did say after the Mass we shared with Y13 that these occasions are quite special - and that you would miss them when you had left. I hate to say I told you so...but I was right. How fitting that the most recent feast day Mass we had as a College was so well observed, with singing from some of our very own Y12 impresarios! When school does return, I can't wait for that first assembly...and the first opportunity to send a physical, spikey, pineapple hurtling towards a deserving student!

This week, if you're considering an apprenticeship rather than a university degree, you should certainly read on to an interview with my brother, Mr Matthews (senior), at the end of the blog. As ever, any further questions on any of the careers detailed and explained to-date, if you have any questions for the people who have agreed to share their experience with you, send me an email and I'll ask for you!

Hopefully, you will have all logged in to SMHW this morning and seen work from teachers. We only had two weeks of this new, alien, home-learning before the Easter holidays - and there were some inevitable teething problems and changing expectations. I think (and hope) that you will find this becomes a bit smoother now. I know that many departments are looking in to other ways of teaching you - using different technology - so keep your school email close at hand for any updates!

UCAS

Mrs Elmer has set up the UCAS guidance as a separate blog. You can (and should) access it via the link below!

https://salesianucas.blogspot.com/

The latest from Chateaux Matthews

We have enjoyed watching the twins develop and grow at home over Easter. Pee-po has finaly become a game they can play and enjoy without just thinking we have abandoned them as soon as we cover their eyes. It doesn't quite translate as a photo rather than a video...but here is George enjoying a game for the first time!

Pee-po!

I've also been trying to stick to 3 runs a week since being inspired by Mr Browne to get some form of cardio fitness back. The times are moving in the right direction...although Mr McDowell sets a genuinely frightening pace! As you can see, the staff are trying to relay run/cycle from Salesian - Turin! Just in the last few days, staff have managed over 800km and raised nearly £1700!

Slow and steady wins the race...

 

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/salesian-staff?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=salesian-staff&utm_campaign=pfp-whatsapp&utm_term=d25722d31dda43aaa4c6ba58259ce505

In other news, (senior) Mrs Matthews (my mum) put her sewing skills to good use. Knowing that me and Mrs Matthews (wife) wanted a game of scrabble but didn't own a board or want to spend the extortionate prices of board games online (the inflation is terrifying!), she stitched us a board and made, by hand, the letter tiles. We absolutely love it...and the twins even slept for long enough to have out first match - a two-hour epic!

The smug winner of the Matthews Scrabble Champions League...

In other news, we were slightly fed up by our weekly food shop of dried goods and unhealthy snacks...so we sorted our act out and made the most of a greengrocer who was doing online deliveries from Covent Garden Market...we got our first delivery this morning!

A slightly healthier set of supplies from the Easter batch of 29 eggs (this is just an estimated total)

If you have been making fun in a creative/original way OR eating something very healthy and appetising, ping me a photo and I'll gladly give you a shout out and a virtual pineapple!

Pineapple Time...

This week - a couple of very well-earned pineapples. Annabel H very kindly sent me some recommendations for Easter listening with a very kind email. One whole crate of pixel pineapples is reserved, however, for our very own Mr Thomas. What a man! Mr Thomas has been using his technical product design skills to create masks for local health-care professionals to use. How amazing is this? He has used some of the Salesian skills and equipment to, ultimately, help save lives. You'll have seen in the news lots of criticism about lack of emergency equipment in hospitals - and clearly all countries will be desperately trying to stock up in the current climate. To think that you attend a school where members of staff will create this in the country's hour of need should make you super proud. You might have seen in the newsletter the fact that the science goggles were donated to St Peter's Hospital in the first week of the lockdown. Please please please never forget how lucky you are to attend a school like Salesian! I know Mrs M and I feel lucky to work there.

Stay home - protect the NHS - be a hero like Mr Thomas

As if all this heroic mask manufacturing wasn't enough...he even had time to send his tutees an email with a devilishly difficult film emoji quiz...

Looking to the Future

Mr Matthews (left) and Mr Matthews (the clever one - right)

This week I interviewed my brother, who is a civil servant. He has an interesting link to Salesian as he was taught Maths by a very young Mr Kibble when he was in year 8, 22 years ago!
This Mr Matthews works for the Institute of Apprenticeships. This is the team responsible for encouraging businesses to create apprenticeships to get young people in to work and maintaining the standards of these new apprenticeship and technical qualifications. He completed a history degree, and masters, about 15 years ago - and became a civil servant through the 'Civil Service Fast Stream' which is a graduate recruitment process.

He says...

Applying to apprenticeships is separate to UCAS and university degree admissions process. There are a couple of ways, if you are interested in pursuing an apprenticeship and 'earning while you learn' of applying. You can apply direct to employers - usually through company websites or through some of the following websites. You might also like to know that some apprenticeships now come with an integrated degree - so you also get a degree with the job that you train to do.

Firstly, there is a massively diverse range of things you can do – some examples of apprenticeships are listed below:

-          Advanced carpentry and joinery (takes 12 months)-          Advanced Butcher (18 months)-          Associate Ambulance practitioner (18 months). Recently approved. At end of this you are part of an ambulance crew, responding directly to 999 calls and administering emergency care. There are also apprenticeship qualifications with embedded degrees in subjects and professions that you might be surprised to find on a list of potential apprenticeships. Some of those which come with a degree are listed below:

-          Advanced clinical practitioner (3 years). Quite topical. Advanced Clinical Practitioners manage defined episodes of clinical care independently, from beginning to end, providing care and treatment. Come out of it with a Master’s degree in Advanced Clinical Practice.-          Aerospace Engineer (4 years). Creating aircraft components and equipment, specialising in a specific engineering discipline (for example - airframe, design and stress, systems integration, support engineering or manufacturing engineering). Again, this has a degree embedded as part of the training (BEng, bachelor of engineering).
-          Chartered surveyor (5 years). With degree embedded.-          Civil Engineer (5 years). With degree.-          Cyber security technical professional (4 years). With a degree.-          Solicitor (5 years). Again, get a degree. All of the approved apprenticeships are listed here:https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/?includeApprovedForDelivery=true Where to go if you want to find an apprenticeship:https://www.gov.uk/apprenticeships-guide (home page with basic info)https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch (search for an apprenticeship near you).

 Employers may also advertise directly on their own sites.

https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ (advice on writing applications and for interviews) Some videos/ interviews:https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/about/showcasing-apprenticeships/

Good luck, Mr Matthews (senior).

Thanks bruv!

As I said, if you are considering an apprenticeship instead of a university degree - and you have some questions or would like to speak with someone who is already on the path that you would like to pursue...let me know via email!

As ever, very good health and happiness to you and your families. Don't be strangers.

Mr M

Saint John Bosco...

Day 21...

Hello everyone, 

I very much hope you have enjoyed peaceful Easter weekends with your families - even if that meant slightly grainy Skype calls with far-away family members struggling with poor internet connections. If you're anything like me, you'd have found the whole thing deeply odd. Mrs M and I would, ordinarily, have celebrated Easter at one of our parents' houses for a roast dinner. This year, however, we had to make a new tradition and make the most of the good weather in our own (newly-upgraded) garden. 

We are certainly very grateful to Miss Moore who dropped off some chocolate eggs in one of the least threatening 'drive-bys' you will ever witness [observing all social distancing guidelines]. Normal social expectation would be that we would hug, invite a guest in for a coffee/tea/wine and catch up. It made me wonder when this kind of social interaction will be normal again. 

This week I was struck by something my parents said during a video-call over the weekend. They admitted to (secretly) slightly enjoying elements of the lockdown. As usual, there was some truth to what they said. In particular, two things stood out to them: 

1. Accepting a much slower pace of life. Just noticing little dramas unfold at the bird feeder can be (genuinely) so satisfying. Not relying too much on technology or rushed conversations about work is also a guilty pleasure of theirs and mine.

2. Traffic. In many ways, we have returned to a more innocent way of life. Mrs M and I live in the flight path of Heathrow airport, in Twickenham. We have noticed far fewer planes overhead and have tuned in to the noises of the garden much more keenly. At my parents house, my dad said the level of road traffic was more like when we moved there 27 years ago. 

I'd urge you, this week, to embrace this new, slower, pace. Try to put your phone down for a few hours at a time. I know I'm ashamed of the amount I use mine - and it's a good target to set yourself.

The latest from Chateaux Matthews

Spending so much time at home recently has made us realise how significant some of the things in our house/garden are in helping us to embrace our 'lockdown lives' as a family.  I'll mention them here and encourage you to let me know what you have found indispensable. 

1. Coffee machine. When you're a new parent, going for a coffee is about as exciting as a 'date' gets. Since the option of a nice cafe has been denied us, we really have been milking (pardon the pun) the option of the home-made latte.  Could you set the table differently at home and create a DIY restaurant? 

If the teaching career fails...I've potentially got 'barista' lined up! 

2.  Baby papooses. It's not an object I could have imagined being massively excited about 2 or 3 years ago...but things change very quickly when you have children (especially 172 of the little nippers!) The papooses are more manoeuvrable than our slightly bus-like pram. This has given us more confidence when walking locally. Now we can dodge socially irresponsible joggers (you know the sort who just get a bit too close?) much more nimbly and make the most of our one walk a day. 

Alice and George strapped in for a walk!

3. A tee-pee. I am not much of a camper - and that has not changed. But one thing I am, particularly in summer, is a burner. When I'm sun-burnt, I am horrendous company. I am, consequently, terrified of the twins suffering sunburn given their tender skin. So Mrs Matthews picked up a very affordable garden tent which has made the garden even safer for them! Here they are enjoying the sun safely over the Easter weekend!

The pyramid stage at Matthewsbury 2020!

Of course, I would give all of these items up - and everything else- to have the thing that money can't buy and that we aren't allowed to have at the moment: the company of people you love and the good health and happiness of your nearest and dearest.

I imagine you all feel the same.

One other thing I have missed (partly deliberately) is proper exercise. There is only so much calorie burning that can be achieved with a walk or a star jump (sorry Joe Wicks). With this in mind, I got behind Mr Browne's and the PE Department's initiative to run/cycle from Salesian to Liverpool as a staff. This is with a view to raising money for the essential emergency services at this difficult time. You can donate here if you'd like to:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/salesian-staff?utm_source=whatsapp&utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=salesian-staff&utm_campaign=pfp-whatsapp&utm_term=d25722d31dda43aaa4c6ba58259ce505

I got off to a slow but steady start - running 5km for the first time since June 2019. *hangs head in shame*

Remember...the tortoise beat the hare...

Pineapple Time...

This week - some of you have surpassed all my expectations of your kindness and warmth. Special mentions for Amelia C, Sofia A, Yelena J, Alys D and Kimberley P. Alys sent me some wonderful music - recorded at home - which was an absolute joy to hear. The captions explain why the other wonderful people are this week's heroes!  

Amelia C rediscovered her voracious love of reading! 

Yelena (Armani) put together this impressive tartan ensemble!

Kim got ahead of the game with some legal literature!

Happy Easter Monday (what's left of it). Stay safe, and look after each other. 

Don't be strangers.

Mr M

Saint John Bosco...

Day 20...

Good afternoon all,

As ever, I hope you and the families are keeping well.

This week feels particularly strange, the build up to Easter being so quiet and socially empty. Ordinarily, if we were in school, we would have had some milestones last week to build up towards the Easter holidays: a mass, a half-day, possibly an egg-hunt - you get the idea. Is it just me who feels slightly like we haven't earned the right to a holiday? I hope not. Most of you have been working really hard - on school work and, for some of you with jobs, at 'work work.' Either way, I hope you get the chance to mark Easter as 'properly' as you can. This won't be easy. The news doesn't seem to be getting any better. I hope you took my earlier advice to only access the news a couple of times a day (from trusted sources).

For Mrs Matthews and I, quality time over Easter will be helped by our outstanding performance in the 'Zoom pub quiz' last night. With my knowledge of Scottish idiolect, and Mrs Matthews' photographic memory for obscure 90s pop music, we have scooped £40 worth of Deliveroo vouchers which we fully intend to spend on something unhealthy.

No googling allowed...but I'll give a shout out to whoever can answer these questions which we were faced with last night:

1. In Scotland, what is a bothy? (clue - you might find it in the highlands)
2. Which artist was responsible for 'pretty fly for a white guy'?

I have been listening to re-reading...

I'm very pleased that some of my music recommendations have gone down well. That said, as an English teacher as well as a Head of Year, it's high time I recommended some reading. Why not get the same book as some friends and starting an impromptu 'Lockdown Book Club'? It's very difficult to read for pleasure in a house with two babies - trust me. I did pick up a book I have not read for a good few years, The Catcher in the Rye. This is a classic bildungsroman (coming-of-age novel) about an American teenager who is struggling for direction in life. You might find elements of it really resonate with you (especially as you're not in school right now). 

Here's the first couple of sentences to whet your appetite:

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. 

The latest from Chateaux Matthews

This week I cracked. I simply couldn't handle it any more. Before you become unduly concerned about my safety/well-being, I'm referring to my hair. It had become tufty around the ears and was bordering on a 'mullet.' In a moment of madness, I trusted Mrs Matthews with the clippers and the kitchen scissors and told her to 'go mad.' While I don't think Vidal Sassoon has anything to worry about - I was actually not unhappy with the result.

Aside from a haircut, we have made the most of Mrs Rawlins' Bananagrams gift and squeezed in a couple of games either side of changing nappies...we are currently 1-1, honours even, all square. 

The only other thing to report from Chateaux Matthews is my new baking prowess. I've baked two white loaves this week...the first was a dense, under-proved disaster. The second was a triumph! That said, I did get in quite a bit of trouble for leaving the kitchen in a bit of a state...

Pineapple Time...

This week - some more superb emails from some of you. I honestly won't get bored of repeating how great these make me feel - and how well they reflect on you. Thank you. Special mentions for Ruairidh, Ella G, Annalise and Lana-Hope. Also, big thanks to Ellie M for updating me with all that she's been doing to stay busy. Here, she is reading Pride and Prejudice (I think to her sleeping dog...but I can't be sure).

To earn a pineapple next week you could: email me with an update of something constructive you have been doing, a book/music recommendation, an example of creative ways to spend quality time over Easter, answers to the quiz questions from earlier in the blog!

Looking to the Future

Below you will find the result of my interview with Caroline, who is my future sister-in-law. She is an Art Director who works in advertising. As ever, if you have any questions for her about her route in to the industry/ anything else, do email them through to me and I will pass them on. As with all of our guest interviewees, Caroline is willing to answer any questions you might have.

As an art director in advertising, it's my job to come up with creative ideas for a number of clients who might want to advertise products, services, or to run public information campaigns. I tend to work for London advertising agencies, who typically have a number of corporate or public-sector clients. I have created campaigns and adverts for: cars, alcohol brands, pharmaceutical companies, retail, broadcasting, insurers and others. I am a freelancer, which means I work for myself (with a creative-partner). In our business, I tend to focus on the artistic side of things, and my creative partner works on the communication. Usually, a client has a target audience, a key message, and a budget - we then work with their demands to come up with an advert that meets this brief.

                                

I grew up in Edinburgh and studied Art, English, Media Studies and History at A-Level. I then studied Graphic Design at the Glasgow School of Art. If I was to have my time again, and wanted to get in to the same job, there probably are courses at other universities that lead more directly to jobs in advertising, but I think it was really valuable to have a strong and versatile arts degree from Glasgow.

This was a 4 year course. There was a foundation year in art and photography and sculpture. A week at university tended to be dominated by time in the studio working on projects. An example of a brief I might have been given for a project is: Explore the notion of domesticity through a book you find in a charity shop.

As part of the course, students were placed with design agencies in Glasgow. I happened to be placed in an advertising agency in the 4th year of the course - which is where my interest in advertisement design really took off. London is the home of some of the most reputable advertising agencies (alongside Amsterdam and New York). After spells working in Glasgow and some years in Manchester, I moved to London to be at the cutting-edge of the industry and make the best use of the potential clients. I moved to London 6 years ago.

Increasingly, advertising campaigns have become multi-media, with cinema, television, print, billboard and social media all requiring a coherent message. We were asked to design an advert for Direct Line insurers which encouraged younger people to take a greater interest in car insurance, as it's just as important to them as everyone else. Here is the advert. As you'll see, we created a spoof horror movie to get this message across in a creative an engaging way (the campaign was released just before halloween). You can find other work I have done at my website: https://www.carolineandbrochan.com/

Advertising and product/graphic design courses and careers would appeal to you if: you are interested in communicating ideas with pictures and art as well as words, you are artistic, you are interested in film/media/popular culture.

What have you done to cope with lockdown?

I'm quite used to using Skype/Zoom to catch up with family back home - so I feel quite well-prepared! I've been doing a lot of quizzing with different friendship groups and (occasionally) working on some projects for companies still advertising during these slightly quieter and stranger times.

Thank you Caroline!

Please do be in touch as I've asked earlier in the blog. Take care.

As ever, good health to you and your families - Happy Easter!

Mr M

Saint John Bosco...

Day 17...

Is it just me or does 17 feel more like 70? You could be forgiven for having that 'in-between-Christmas-and-new-year' feeling...when you've completed Netflix, you're not quite sure what day it is, and your dressing gown has suddenly become regular day-wear.

At the end of last week the staff had one enormous Zoom meeting and just checked in with each other. I have told you countless times this year that you are lucky to attend a school like Salesian. I hope you are missing it. I bet you are, even if you're not quite prepared to admit it yet. There were over 75 staff faces on the video conference call. It reminded me of a few things that you (and I) should be grateful for. Not every school has teachers who love their job, and the students, like Salesian. Staff are working hard to make sure you have the best possible chance of staying ahead of the game when(ever) we return. Mr Kibble asked us to lay off the Easter homework where possible - to give you a chance to get a proper break. Please take it easy for the next two weeks. I know the world has become a bit weird and the difference between school and holiday has become a bit blurred - but try to get some quality time with family (in your household) and try to take stock.

You have to be careful at this stage. With beautiful weather - and the folly of youth making you feel indestructible - the temptation is to go out somewhere and meet up with others. It's very important that you resist this temptation. I'd urge you to have another look at Doctor Charlotte's advice from last week. As I write, our Prime Minister is in hospital and the future King is recovering at home. The virus clearly doesn't care who you are. You might have seen (for the first time in your lifetime) the Queen's televised address to the country. She reserved praise for and belief in the young generation. I don't think her reference to a Vera Lynn lyric was by any means a coincidence either. So when the sun is out, and the temptation to socialise becomes stronger, remember: 'we will meet again.'

It's very important to look to future milestones in order to motivate yourself. In our first ever assembly I used the metaphor of the rear-view mirror, the bonnet and the end of the road. On that occasion the 'end of the road' was university, or a dream career. That should still be something you think about. It's difficult when the news is so immediate, so upsetting and easy to dwell on. I wanted to point out a few encouraging signposts on the way to the 'end-of-the-road' which might keep you positive.

Some of you would have seen a note I left you in green marker pen on the white-board at the top of the stairs of the LRC. It said something like 'when this is over, I hereby promise to take you on a fun trip.' I'd welcome any suggestions for what this might look like...something affordable, inclusive and silly would be ideal - something that brings 170 people back together and reminds them why they chose Salesian College. It will be my pleasure to organise this for you when the time comes. 

Pineapple Time...

I've had some wonderful emails from you this week - so I have a few VR pineapples to dish out. First up, however, is 12.1's own Mrs Rawlins. Today, Mrs R drove over (unannounced) to drop off a care package and a few gifts for the twins. I cannot tell you how moved Mrs M and I were by the gesture. She had embroidered personalised baby-grows for Alice and George, and even included a game of Bananagrams for two 'word-nerds' in me and Mrs M.

A surprise visit from Rawlins!

Superb work from Mrs R!

Student pineapples are for the following: Megan B, you sent a very kind message - these go such a long way at times like these. It gave me a huge lift. Kimberley, Sasha, Sofia, Erica, Ollie J and Evan sent such wonderful and thoughtful messages too...all showing a maturity and sensitivity I have been really impressed by. Thank you. 

Why not write a postcard to a relative who might be less confident with the online video apps?

I have been reading listening to...

Frankly, if you haven't listened to this album...you don't deserve to have an opinion on popular music. Many of you will have parents who will have tried (and probably failed) to convince you that Paul Simon is a genius. Those who occasionally stray from Capital, Kiss and Radio 1 and flirt with Radio Jackie, Radio 2 or Heart will have heard many of the songs from it. If you do nothing else this Easter - listen to this album and try not to fall in love with it...I dare you. This is the Graceland album...for my money...the best album ever made.

Graceland - listen to it...now!

The latest from Chateaux Matthews

I cashed in on some good weather over the weekend and finished the garden project. I've put the first photo I took of the garden: a bemused looking George observing his useless dad. It's been a labour of love but I'm very chuffed with the result. Mrs M and I even managed to take the twins out and have a coffee and a hot-cross bun while they bounced to sleep. Get yourself a project at home - this might be a spring-clean, a room rearranging, a wardrobe over-haul...anything to keep you active and improve your living space. 

Reminder...

Check my email of Mrs Elmer's UCAS notices from last week. Also, any of you who are considering chemical engineering/medicine and have some questions for Chris or Charlotte - do email me with them and I will do my best to get them answered. I am lining up a creative for the next career interview. I hope to include it in a blog on Thursday, if not next week. 

Good health to you and your families,

Take care, 

Mr M

Saint John Bosco...

Day 13...

Hello all,

A while since I checked in...apologies for the blog hiaitus. Things have been a little chaotic in the Matthews household this week - our little Alice was admitted to hospital for 4 nights (not with coronavirus - before you ask) where she was looked after by Mrs M. The current situation meant that there could be no visitors (including me). This lead to a daunting 4 nights of 'daddy-day-care' looking after George (also with no visitors). It certainly taught me a few harsh lessons:

1. Don't take family time for granted
2. Be grateful for the work of the doctors/nurses/support staff in the NHS and other key services
3. Parenting - especially by yourself - is very, very, very hard work

Here is a well-protected George and Alice en-route to the Evelina Hospital

Mrs Matthews had some 'fearless feedback' for me when the four of us were reunited - it included not mixing colours with whites in the washing machine...and avoid balancing George on your belly while watching repeats of Euro 96 on Sky Sports.

Pineapple Time...

Thank you to those of you who accepted my 'Day 6...' challenge of finding beauty in unlikely places. 

VR Pineapples are heading to: Erica D-G, Emma H and Natasha D-P for some very clever interpretations of the brief. Natasha's disturbing garden artwork is attached, Erica's vibrant portrait and as for Emma, phenomenal effort. Emma took a literal pineapple on a one-hour walk to her athletics track (which she no-doubt misses terribly) just to take a sunset pic! A virtual pineapple, also, to any one who has just sent a kind message about the blog - including parents. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy communicating with you all and the messages are genuinely making the school absence infinitely more bearable for me. 

Beautiful work Erica!

Natasha - this looks like me after 4 nights of single-parenthood...

Superb commitment Emma!

Latest

You will have noticed, this week, that members of staff have been contacting you at home - and touching base with your parents to make sure you are ok and finding the workload manageable. As ever, if you are struggling for whatever reason or just need an outlet for a conversation both the change4me email and staff emails are ideal first steps. You may have also noticed that Mrs Elmer, who recently returned from maternity leave, has also reached out to you on the subject of UCAS. Read her blog post on the subject through the email I sent you today.

What I have been reading listening to

Many of you listen to music - and I'm very aware that you have varied and eclectic taste. I'm also acutely aware that, as a 16-17 year old, there are few things more annoying than an old person like me recommending music. But, being a dad gives you free license to be annoying like this - so I'm going to do it anyway. You're often described (unfairly) as 'snowflakes' and as members of the 'now now now' generation. This is, perhaps, why music like drum n' bass and dubstep so appeals to young people: the drop comes quickly, you listen to singles rather than albums, you stick to what you know, and everything is online. Here is some recommended listening from an old man (me). Try listening to a whole album for a change. This is how music is 'supposed' to be enjoyed...as a body of work...

Alarum, by Johnny Flynn, is an alternative folk album. It has, among other things, great lyrics, clever musicality and a 'feel good,' 'festivally' feel. Mrs Matthews actually walked down the aisle at our wedding to a Johnny Flynn song...so I'm biased towards him.

Low Brow Fun - the latest from Chateaux Matthews

This week, instead of artistic photos of 'beauty in unlikely places,' I want something silly and creative. As if recommending folk music wasn't tragic enough...here is Mrs M and I attempting the 'footshake.' I'm ashamed...and I can only apologise...but when the news is so heavy and heartbreaking, I thought you might need and want to laugh at my expense. By popular demand, I might even promise to learn another...'Every day's a school day' after all. I'd love to see some (appropriate) silliness from you - please send me an example of good, old fashioned, Covid-avoiding fun and I'll give you a shout-out.

Mrs Matthews is also quite proud of her new 'memory wall.' We all take thousands of photos print so few...so she bought some cheap frames, even cheaper mirrors, printed some family photos and is very happy with the result!

Looking to the Future

Here is the result of my interview with my good friend Charlotte, a palliative registrar with 11 years' experience. I asked her about: A-levels, applying to study medicine, top-tips, a career in medicine, enrichment, coronavirus, living abroad...and more. She is (obviously) very, very busy at the moment - so it was kind of her to agree to this. She also wanted me to pass on to you that if you have any questions for her - she'd be very happy to try to answer them for you. Email me if you'd like to ask anything/ thank Charlotte and I will be certain to pass it on.

 It would be strange if I interviewed a doctor and I didn't ask about the global pandemic that sees you all working from home. All I'll do, though, is say that Charlotte was keen to repeat the government advice. It's so important that you stay home (apart from your safe-distance daily exercise). It makes a dangerous job harder when people don't do this. So do it.

Doctor Charlotte

I qualified as a junior doctor 11 years ago, after graduating in 2009 from the University of Birmingham. I cannot stress enough how much I love my job. It is a career that brings life-long learning and is immensely rewarding. Lots of people who study medicine have dreamed of being a doctor since a very young age. This wasn't true for me. At school, I'd always been pretty good at science, and very inquisitive, but I loved languages as much as any other subject. It was my dad who convinced me that I could always study a language 'on the side' but could never study medicine in that way. That said, I took French at A-level (as well as Biology and Chemistry) and I also speak Spanish. As a doctor, I have been keen to keep practising speaking a different language, so I also joined an app called the 'conversation exchange' - before social distancing I would regularly meet with a Spanish speaker who wanted to learn English - and we would practise each other's languages over drinks. Medicine should appeal to you if you genuinely love learning. 

If you are considering applying, you should research the different university's approaches to the teaching of medicine very carefully. While all graduates end up with the same qualifications, the routes taken can vary quite widely. I chose Birmingham because the course there meant we had the opportunity to deal with patients and shadow more-qualified doctors very early in the course (in the first year). Some universities will teach medicine almost exclusively in lecture theatres and classrooms until 2nd year. You need to think carefully about what style would suit you before applying - it will make a big difference to your university experience. 

It is a different university experience to many of my friends studying other subjects. Even after graduating, a career in medicine is a career for life. Like I have said, a very rewarding one. If you study medicine, you should be prepared to be patient (no pun intended). Even if your life as a junior doctor seems impossibly high-pressure and all-consuming, you are in a career for life where your specialism can dictate your later work-life balance. All graduates who immediately work in hospitals, as I did, become 'junior doctors.' As a junior doctor, there are then a number of stages on the way to becoming a consultant - if that is something that you want to pursue. These include 'foundation training,' 'core training.' and 'higher specialism.' I am currently in my final year of 'higher specialism training' as a palliative care doctor. Palliative care is a phrase which often scares people. It is the care for people with life-threatening conditions. I was attracted to working in this sector because we can make a real difference to patients and their families at a time when they feel most anxious and unwell. In palliative medicine, we also have to oversee patients' physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs - making my work challenging and varied. 

It wasn't until four years ago that I began to explore a specialism in palliative care - I have taken quite a circuitous route here. After graduating, I worked in a Birmingham hospital for two years before moving to Perth, in Western Australia. One of the great things about a medical degree is that it affords you the opportunity to live and work all over the world. I then returned to the UK to work in a West London hospital. I have since moved north to Northumberland, where I really enjoy the lifestyle - particularly the beautiful landscape. I also completed a Darzi Fellowship qualification in clinical leadership in order to develop as a leader, as well as a doctor.
You should consider applying to study medicine if:

• You are good at science

• You are committed to learning - and will be as an adult

•  You are prepared to be competitive*

• You want to be extremely proud of what you do

• You want to make a big difference to people's lives   

*Lots of people who apply to study medicine, who you will meet at university interviews, seem to have lots of strings to their bow. Many were 'head boy or head girl' at their school. With this in mind, you should think about work experience carefully and consider creative ways to get 'an edge' over other applicants. You might want to interview a doctor - to show how committed and interested you are in the profession. If you can get work experience - this will massively help. At interview, you should certainly show that you have researched the course. If you are able to say 'I am particularly looking forward to the opportunity to shadow a community GP in second year - observing how they prioritise cases and adapt their communication to deal with different patients' needs will be...blah blah blah.' then the university should be impressed by your preparation and research.

If you have any questions - I'd be very happy to answer them. Feel free to send Mr Matthews an email and I'll do my best to answer them. 

Good luck,

Charlotte

Thanks to Charlotte on your behalf - there cannot have been a busier time for frontline doctors in decades - so it was particularly kind to give up some of her time to be interviewed (kinder still to agree to answer any questions!).

I will try to keep to two blogs a week (even over Easter) - but life as an anxious parent has made it a touch more challenging. Remember to thank your tutors/ members of staff who make contact with you this week - they will be experiencing very similar feelings as you at this odd and challenging time. They are contacting you because, ultimately, they love you - and they want you and your family to be well and to still feel connected to the school.

Best to you and yours,

Mr M

Saint John Bosco