Just before Christmas, the SEND hub organised its annual Christmas fair with the aim of raising money for charity. The public were invited to enjoy our variety of stalls and activities. It proved to be an extremely successful and enjoyable event for all.

This year, the Christmas fair was the culmination of the children’s project based learning on Charity. We had several speakers from different charities visiting the students throughout the term and sharing the different ways in which they help the community. With the money raised from the Christmas fair, we were able to present our four chosen charities with donations. 

Pictured are: 

Scott Buckley-Ford (Year 7) presenting our donation to Meningitis Research.

Amanah Santiago (Year 8) presenting our donation to GibSams. 

Dilan Hernandez (Year 9) presenting our donation to RICC.

Dario Vassallo (Year 11) presenting our donation to the Gibraltar Cardiac Association.

As has now become traditional, the Spinathon took place from Monday 15 December to Thursday 18 December. This year, we were delighted to see a wide range of individuals and groups supporting the event.

On Monday, Mr Sebtaoui and Mr Warwick cycled an impressive 132 km, a challenge that lasted practically the entire school day. We also welcomed government and opposition ministers, each group cycling for an hour. Their participation was greatly appreciated and demonstrated how strongly our school is embedded within the wider community.

On Wednesday, five Year 13 students took part by cycling throughout the whole school day. Not only was this great fun, but it also helped us raise a significant amount of money for our school charity, Students4Students.

The Spinathon also became a real focal point at a whole-school level. Students gathered to support the cyclists by cheering, dancing, and singing, creating a fantastic atmosphere. The Music Department played a key role, with both junior and senior bands performing during every break, at lunchtime, and at the end of the school day. This added a lively, concert-style vibe and contributed beautifully to the festive Christmas atmosphere.

As has become customary, hamper packing was another major highlight. Bayside staff and Year 12 students, joined by several ex-Bayside students and, as always, NatWest Bank, packed an incredible 360 hampers in just 53 minutes on Tuesday. The hampers were completed with fresh vegetables the following day and are now ready to be delivered. 

Pool tournament for Year 12 and 13 students, later joined by students from other year groups. All proceeds went to charity, and congratulations go Jaydan Barrera, this year’s winner. 

The Christmas Concert brought the week to a joyful close. While it looked slightly different this year, with the band performing outside on the podium rather than indoors, it allowed us to showcase the excellent work of our newly formed Year 7 and 8 choir, who performed superbly. Once again, our Dance and Drama Club students entertained the audience with great skill and enthusiasm. Helping bring our week to the close and providing a vibrant, festive, and highly enjoyable performance. 

Once again Bayside staff assisted Bishop Charlie by baking the pan dulces which are gifted to a number of people including those who frequent Nazareth House. 

Year 10 COPE students made the Christmas boxes for Nazareth House. They were excellent in procuring and packing the boxes, ably helped by Natalie Howard from year 11 who volunteers her time to help those in need. 

As has now become customary, students and staff run Santa's Grotto in the run up to Christmas to raise money for charity and add Christmas cheer to our school. Well done! 

Lovely to see the choir having a second outing this week. They performed beautifully in Ocean Village despite the weather! 

This year marked the 13th edition of the Bayside Diaz Cup, an annual football tournament established in memory of former student Philip Diaz. Philip is remembered for his great courage during his illness, as well as for his love of football. In his honour, his friends created a yearly charity football tournament that brings together students and staff from across the school community. This year’s highlights included the participation of a female team for the first time, who performed extremely well, and another win for the teachers’ team. The teachers’ success has continued since the arrival of Mr. Casciaro, Mr. Garcia, and Mr. Warwick, who were friends of Philip and attended school with him. Once again, the event ran smoothly and served as a fitting tribute to Philip’s legacy. 

The Christmas Carol Concert was held at the marquee erected for Bishop Charlie's ordination. Our Bayside choir was absolutely fabulous! Well done! 

During November, Richie Parral and Jonhenry Mauro organised a range of activities to raise money and awareness for Prostate Cancer, including growing impressive moustaches, hosting a football tournament, and running a bake sale. Their enthusiasm and dedication inspired great participation across the community, resulting in an excellent total of £240 raised. A fantastic effort for an important cause.

Mrs Lester and deputy head students James Vinet and Jaylen Davies attended a public lecture on the theme ‘Supporting Boys and Rethinking Masculinities’ . It was very interesting and some great discussions took place. Beyond Equality gave us some very useful strategies and ideas as to how to deal with such issues. 

Congratulations to Alysia Thompson for winning Best Logo for our new sustainability project. At Bayside, we have begun a new initiative called Wear & Share, where members can support the environment by giving clothes a second chance. A big thank you to all the other Year 7 participants for their efforts! 

We had our yearly visit from the Friends of Gibraltar on Thursday 12th June for our assembly in which we gave the following awards:

● Lee Figueras Award for the most improved student

● Jenise Payas Maths Award for the best mathematician

● Alistair Beanland Award for the best geographer in Year 8

● Mario Mosquera Science Award for the best scientist

● Max Santos’ Award for the student who has given the greatest contribution to the creative arts