Displaying Lasallian values at Cardinal Langley

Students at Cardinal Langley RC High School have been very active over recent weeks as they have taken part in a retreat in St Cassian’s Kintbury, while also displaying their Lasallian Values through a variety of charitable initiatives.

Kintbury retreat

In March, a small group of students attended Kintbury 2023 a retreat at St Cassian’s Centre in Kintbury.

It is run by the De La Salle Brothers and offers experiences to young people from across the UK. The retreat aimed to provide students with space to breathe, identify what really matters to them, and to encounter God.

The retreat was a journey with its own theme encouraging students to develop their self-awareness, experience reconciliation, and discover the Good News.

One of the students who took part in the Lasallian retreat reflects on the experience below.

"Our Kintbury experience has taught us to be more confident and to speak to new people. We spent time with new people in small groups and got to know others we hadn’t spoken to before. We walked into the town and spent time with our new friends.
We enjoyed the art workshops and doing creative activities. The outdoor areas were great to explore in our breaks and there was lots of things to do. The staff there were very welcoming and helped us to enjoy our time there. We had a great time at Kintbury and would recommend it to others.

‘EggcelLENT’ Easter Fundraising

Lent is the period of time when we prepare ourselves spiritually for the events of Holy Week and Easter. During Lent we are called to Fast, Pray & Give. Giving isn’t just about money, it can be our time, our thoughts and prayers, and our effort – giving of ourselves.

However, sharing some of what we have with the poor and those in need is an important part of living our faith. In the past this would have been called Almsgiving.

This Lent, the whole school community has been involved in fundraising for Caritas and St Joseph’s Penny. We have seen a variety of fundraising, including: quizzes, chocolate hamper raffles, cake sales, and virtual football tournaments. Students and staff have fully embraced our fundraising and our total so far is £716.79.

As in previous years, we collected Easter eggs with the aim of ensuring every child in Middleton receives one this Easter. Thank you to everyone who has donated an Easter egg (520 in total), raised money with their form, or organised a fundraising event. Your efforts are truly appreciated and help to make a real difference in the community.

Other Charities during Lent included:

Missionary Brothers of Charity £60.00 Raised by Genesis year 9.

Lenterprise whole school effort during the season of Lent £2,000.00 donated to Caritas Salford

Cinema Evening for Year 7 £60.00 Genesis year 8

Alternative Soup lunches during Lent £60.00 Brothers of Charity.

Youth Festival

On the 21st March, Cardinal Langley RC High School's Vocal group performed at Rochdale Youth Festival. They performed Coldplay's Fix You and Viva La Vida. The choir scored 95/100 with the adjudicator remarking 'what a privilege it has been to hear this lovely choir!' Well done to the choir and to our Year 10 and 11 soloists, who performed in the individual categories.

Tree Planting with Coed Caerdydd

Coed Caerdydd is a ten-year programme to increase the number of trees in Cardiff, supporting the city’s One Planet climate change strategy.

The project aims to:

· Protect our current and new trees against climate impacts and diseases

· Plant new trees in the right places for nature and communities

· Raise awareness about the importance of trees

· Provide opportunities for everyone to help make Cardiff a greener and healthier place to live.

· Train and work with communities

St Illtyd’s is currently working with Coed Caerdydd to plant new trees on the school grounds. At the beginning of December, Chloe Jenkins and the team from Coed Caerdydd came to the school and led a tree planting session for our Eco Club members. Under the guidance and expertise of Chloe and her team, five fruit trees- two plum and three cherry, were planted in our school orchard. The trees were provided by Coed Caerdydd. Our Eco Club members learnt about what is involved in tree planting whilst having a fun time. We would like to say a big thank you to all the team from Coed Caerdydd and we look forward to continuing to work with them in 2023.