Catholic Enrichment

Team Lasalle

Team Lasalle is our Year 7 student leadership team, made up of pupils who are passionate about living out our Catholic and Lasallian values and making a positive difference within our school community. As young leaders, Team Lasalle play an important role in supporting and promoting Catholic Life and Chaplaincy across the school. They take part in a variety of acts of chaplaincy, helping to lead prayer, support liturgical celebrations, promote opportunities for reflection and encourage others to live out their faith in everyday life.

Team Lasalle also contributes to the wider life of our school through fundraising and charitable activities, helping to raise awareness of important causes and encouraging our school community to respond to the needs of others. Through their actions, they demonstrate our commitment to faith, service, community and care for those who are most in need.

As RE Ambassadors, members of Team Lasalle will also help to promote Religious Education across the school. They will encourage other pupils to engage positively with RE, share their experiences and help to celebrate the importance of learning about faith, religion and the world around us.

A key part of their leadership journey will be their involvement in the Beyond Borders Project. This project will encourage Team Lasalle to reach beyond their own experiences, discover different cultures and communities, and develop a deeper understanding of the wider world. Through this experience, they will have opportunities to build relationships, challenge themselves and put their Lasallian values into action.

Team Lasalle are more than simply a leadership group. They are young ambassadors for our school, our faith and our Lasallian identity, helping to build a community where everyone feels valued, included and inspired to make a difference.

Lasallian Ambassadors

Lasallian Ambassadors are our schools Chaplaincy team, helping organise, lead and evaluate the faith life of our Catholic school. The purpose of the Lasallian Ambassadors is to promote our Lasallian Values throughout the life of our School. They work alongside staff and students from across the year groups contributing to various things such as:

Liturgy and Worship: This includes praying for the school community as well as helping to organise Mass/Services and prayer times including in Fidei time. This could be through music, reading, altar serving and helping to plan opportunities for prayer, reflection and encounter with God.
Fundraising and Social outreach: There are lots of opportunities for fundraising to support the work of Charities, ensuring we are doing our bit to show love to our neighbours. Ensuring activities are varied, engaging and accessible for the whole school community.
Formation and Evangelisation: There are opportunities for students to be trained in leading different aspects of the school faith life, like planning and leading assemblies, facilitating small group discussion, running fundraising events, working with students from our feeder primary schools among other things. We also have the opportunity to share our faith with others.

The Lasallian Ambassadors come from all year groups and all Fidei groups are invited. We meet once a week for prayer, fun, planning and training in different aspects of the faith life of our Catholic school. There are also many opportunities to go on trips such as Retreats and Training Days specifically for Lasallian Ambassadors, as well as representing the school at Deanery events like the Combined Schools Mass and the Good Shepherd Mass.

1719 Society

The 1719 Society at St Margaret Ward Catholic Academy is the school’s student leadership body. It is closely connected to the school’s Lasallian Catholic identity and is intended to give students a meaningful role in serving and representing the school community.

Why is it called “1719”?

The name refers to 1719, the year associated with the death of St John Baptiste de La Salle, the founder of the De La Salle/Lasallian educational tradition. Following his death, leadership of the Brothers passed to others. The society takes inspiration from his legacy.

What do members do?

Meet fortnightly
Represent and serve the school community
Provide a student voice
Work together as a student leadership team

Help at school and external events
Work with pupils, teachers and the wider school community
Work with the Lasallian District
Help promote the school’s Lasallian values.

It is a senior student leadership/prefect programme with responsibility for helping to live out Lasallian values.

How do students join?

At St Margaret Ward, students can apply during the summer term of Year 10. Applications are followed by a formal interview process, and successful students become members of the 1719 Society. The society has also been associated with 1719 prefect badges and ties, which members wear as part of their leadership role.

Retreats

Students at St Margaret Ward have the opportunity to go on retreat at various times throughout their time at school. Typically, the annual retreat program involves Y7s spending a week at Castlerigg Manor, Y8 and 9 going to Soli House and Y10 and 11 going to our Lasallian Pastoral Centre, Kintbury.

Here’s what some of our students have said about going on retreat in the past:

‘The staff were so friendly and made us feel welcome’
‘I didn’t expect the views, they were beautiful, their garden was also amazing’
‘this retreat was AMAZING and I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get to know themselves or get to know god/your beliefs’
‘Kintbury 2024 was honestly one of the best school trips I have been on and I would highly recommend it to others.’
‘AMAZING STAFF, literally awesome as they helped us to reflect on how to be our best self’
“This trip was very spiritually uplifting and has given me amazing memories I’ll remember for the rest of my life”
“I became more confident and the staff there really made you feel welcome”.

Lourdes

Students from Year 12 are given the opportunity to go to Lourdes. Lourdes is in the South of France and is where St Bernadette experienced a vision of Our Lady, Mother of Jesus.

Today, pilgrims travel from all around the world to visit this very special place. Some go just out of curiosity, others on pilgrimage, and others to pray. However, for some it is a place for those who are sick, suffering or dying.

Our students join the Diocesan pilgrimage and go not only for their own personal reasons, but to help support those who are ill, have limited mobility or in need. It is a wonderful experience and many of our students have returned to carry on the work they began in year 12. For some of our students, it has led them into the caring professions.

Here’s what some of them have said about their experiences:

‘We had an amazing time in which we have developed our relationship with God and with ourselves.’
‘The overwhelming sense of community and presence of God was such a privileged thing to experience.’
‘To be able to see so many people from diverse backgrounds come together for the common goal of visiting such a holy place is a magical memory that we will carry with us for the rest of our life and will probably never witness elsewhere.’

Click to enlarge images.