Headteacher's Newsletter

Friday 22nd May 2026

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we come to the end of another wonderful half term at St Mary's Catholic Junior School, I want to take a moment to reflect on just how much our children continue to achieve and the joy they bring to our school community every single day. It has been a half term filled with faith, talent, determination and togetherness and I could not be prouder of every single child.

Last weekend, our football and netball teams represented the school brilliantly at the Catholic Schools Tournament. Their teamwork, sportsmanship and resilience were outstanding and they were a real credit to St Mary’s. A huge thank you must go to Mrs Ottlyk and Mr Chappell for giving up their time not only to take the children, but also for the hours spent training and preparing them. School sport does not happen without dedicated staff willing to go the extra mile which they certainly did.

We also had tremendous success at the Catholic Schools Swimming Gala, where Miss Aherne and the Swim Squad put on an incredible performance. Their commitment and hard work truly paid off as they returned with an abundance of medals. We are immensely proud of all they achieved and of the sporting talent that continues to flourish at St Mary’s.

On Tuesday, we were delighted to welcome Father Leszek and many of our Year 5 and Year 6 parents for another beautiful Hymn Practice. The children sang wonderfully and it was lovely to hear so many adults joining in too. Moments like these remind us that our school is much more than a building - it is a community of faith, love and shared purpose.

This week’s Gospel tells us how Jesus said to His disciples: “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you… receive the Holy Spirit.” The disciples were called to go out into the world with courage, kindness and faith. In so many ways, our children do exactly that every day. Whether representing the school in sport, singing together in worship, showing kindness in the playground or encouraging one another in class, they carry the spirit of St Mary’s with them wherever they go.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support this half term. I hope you all have a restful and joyful break with your families.

Dates for your Diary:

Monday 1^st June – Return to school

Friday 5^th June – Whole School Photo

Thursday 25^th June – Sports Day

Friday 26^th June – Summer Fair

Tuesday 7^th July – Year 3, 4 & 5 Disco

Monday 13^th July – Year 6 Production (Daytime)

Tuesday 14^th July - Year 6 Production (Daytime & Evening)

Wednesday 15^th July – Year 6 Prom

Thursday 16^th July – End of Term

Art on a Postcard

Please click the link to find out more information:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x3EveFX4u-vvaL-XLwI57PwH7ECczmuJ/view?usp=sharing

Achievement Certificates

The achievement certificates this week are awarded to:

Amanda in 3A
Isabella in 3E
Daniella in 4D
Michael in 4T
Riley in 5B
Whole Class in 5C
Serah in 6G
Ian in 6P

The Headteacher’s award goes to The Swim Squad, The Football Team and The Netball Team

The Kindness Award goes to Grady in 4D

Yours faithfully,

Sarah Fizul

Headteacher

This area will show all documents uploaded to the /docs/Junior_School_Friday_Newsletters folder.