I cannot believe we have now reached the final week of the spring term, it has gone so quickly. Long may the sun shine on us all. Next term is already looking very busy, we are putting a lot into the last 14 weeks of the school year-Lenten walks, Sports days, class assemblies, trips and so much more learning!

With that in mind Mr McDonald and myself have made the decision to close a little earlier next Friday, so that you can begin your Easter Holidays a little earlier.

Our last day of term will be on Friday 4^th April and the school will be closing at 2.15pm. There will be no after school club on that day so please be prompt in collecting your child. We will return to school on Tuesday 22^nd April at the usual time. 

St George Liturgy 

St George class and their parents came together on Wednesday morning for their Growing Liturgy.

It was a wonderful spiritual way to start the day. The children sang and prayed beautifully and showed how far they have come in living with their Faith since September. They talked about how we all need to grow to be more like Jesus during this special time of lent. I was sorry to have missed this act of collective worship but Mr Francois Williams said it was a  lovely way to start a Wednesday as a St George class family

If you have bought a ticket for your child to attend the Disco, they are able to come dressed in their own party clothes on the day of their Disco, so they are disco ready for after school.

You will need to pick your child up at 4.30pm once the disco has finished.

The £5 ticket includes a drink, a hot dog and some popcorn (vegetarian options available)

Monday 31^st March Year 2 Disco 3.30pm-4.30pm

Wednesday 2^nd April Year 1 Disco 3.30pm-4.30pm

Thursday 3rs April Reception Disco 3.30pm-4.30pm

Tickets are still available at the school office.

 

 Golden Table

I had the pleasure of having lunch with another 6 children with wonderful table manners.

              Hadassah-Ava   in St George

  Hayden in St Andrew

 Richard  in St Bernadette

Chimere in St Therese

Antonio   in  St Martin

   Ire in St Francis

It was clear that these six children have good table manners- they were telling me what they like to eat at home & who does all the cooking in the house.

 

A word from Pope Francis

“May each family rediscover family prayer, which helps to bring about forgiveness ”

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil

Amen

RECYCLING AT ST MARY’S

 

From 31^st March, Government rules will change for small business organisations with regard to how some different kinds of materials, including foods, are recycled.

If you would like to read further about this, you can view the government guidance from DEFRA here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/simpler-recycling-workplace-recycling-in-england

What does it mean for my child?

From next week, all children who bring packed lunches to school will be asked to take all their wrappers and containers home with them. There will be no opportunity to put these into a bin at school.

This has the added advantage of giving parents a clearer picture of what children are eating.

Children who eat a cooked dinner from the kitchen will be asked to be careful about wasted food, and all food products will be recycled separately in marked bags.

What does it mean for me?

We are also asking that you do not send your child in with a single use plastic water bottle. If your child does not have a water bottle we can give them a cup of water to have throughout the day.

You will be asked to remind children about food waste, and not to take food that they cannot or will not eat.

You are also asked to make sure that if you prefer to send your children with a packed lunch from home, all the wrappers and containers are brought home every day.

 

We hope that everyone in our school community will be supportive of these changes. We have a shared responsibility for our common home, as Pope Francis guided us in his letter Laudato Si.

Take 10 to Read

It is coming up to that time in the term when we organise our Take 10 to Read.

The date for our next Take 10 to Read – where you can come into your child’s class and share a book with them, will be on:

Tuesday  2^nd April 2025

I am sorry I have had to change the date – it is because we have the Year 1 disco on the 2^nd April.

If you were unable to attend this take 10 to read you may be able to attend the next one in May.

Others dates in the year for Take 10 to read are:

Wednesday 21^st May 2025

Wednesday 9^th July

Wrap around Care

If your child attends our Breakfast or afterschool clubs you will now be required to sign them in and out at the beginning and end of their day. This is to ensure we are following the updated Trust Policy and to ensure the safety of your child.

For Breakfast Club please ensure you bring them into the Family Learning Centre and sign them in.

For Afterschool club please, ensure you sign them out before they leave the premises.

Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring your child is kept safe at all times.

School Uniform

I would like to send another reminder about school uniform and the importance of following the school’s rules for appropriate uniform.

Tracksuit bottoms should only be worn on the days your child does PE or Swimming. On all the other days they should be in the correct trousers, dresses or skirts.

Anything in your child’s hair needs to be BLUE or WHITE. I am seeing more and more pink and other colours coming into school, this is not part of the uniform.

While a appreciate many of you and your children like to have beads in your hair, could you please be mindful that when children are running around at play time and during PE these can be dangerous as they flick into the children’s eyes and could cause a lot of damage.

I would also like to remind you that school coats need to be navy, blue or black – again I am seeing some coats that are not the school colours.

I know how proud the children and their families are at being part of the St Mary’s family, so let’s make sure we are working as a school community to ensure we are all following the rules for correct school uniform