St Mary’s Catholic Primary, A Voluntary Academy

October Newsletter

Our Mission Statement

“To walk hand in hand with God, loving Him, loving each other and loving ourselves, doing our best with the gifts he gave us to make the world a richer place.”

Dear Parents/Carers,

This has been a very busy and enjoyable term with so many good things happening in school. Some of the term’s highlights so far include:

  • Year 6 workshop at Safety Zone
  • Year 3/4 Partake theatre visit
  • Year 5 Music Residential at Ilam Hall
  • Harvest Celebrations
  • Black History week

School Leadership Changes

Ms O’Neill is due to go on maternity leave on Friday. We wish her a well-deserved rest before the baby arrives. We will let the children know as soon as we have any exciting news!

During this period Miss O’Sullivan will be taking on the role as Deputy Headteacher and Mrs Thurman will take on the role of SENCO, working alongside Miss O’Sullivan.

Sainsbury’s School Games Award

We are pleased to announce that we have been awarded the Sainsbury’s School Games Gold Award which is the government recognised kitemark for excellence in PE and competitive school sport. Out of 33 schools in Nottingham who achieved the award, St Mary’s was one of only five schools that achieved the Gold Mark.

‘This is a tremendous achievement by our schools and is a reflection of the outstanding provision and participation in PE and school sport that is on offer to young people in Nottingham’.(Nick Robb – School Sport Nottingham)

Thank you to Mrs North for her continued hard work and commitment in achieving this wonderful award.

Primary Goals

Children in Year 5 are currently taking part in a 10 week intervention programme called Primary Goals which is led by coaches from Notts County Football in the Community. The programme aims to have a positive impact on primary aged children by providing a range of engaging activities promoting physical, mental and social well-being.

Children are participating in multi-sport activities and interactive workshops using a ‘Think-Play-Think’ technique. Outcomes of the project aim to build self-esteem and confidence, and provide children with a range of new skills, putting an emphasis on healthy relationships and the positive impact of teamwork.

Black History Week

To begin this week we were joined by a professional artist (Stickman) who helped us to explore Black History through poetry. Throughout the day children from Years 1-6 took part in workshops to create their own poems with a focus on equal rights. Throughout the week classes had the opportunity to learn about significant people within Black History and explore equality and rights in greater depth.

Retreat Days

The Catholic life, ethos and spirit of the school has been greatly nurtured by Frances, our school chaplain. Each Monday, since the beginning of this term, Frances facilitates a retreat day in different classes, linked to the Come and See topics. Although it is early days, the classes who have experienced these sessions have thoroughly enjoyed their special day where they have embraced their topic through reflections and liturgies.

Harvest Assembly

The Harvest Assembly on 6th October was wonderful. On behalf of the Soup Kitchen, at St. Paul’s, I would like to thank you for your generosity. The produce will help them prepare hot meals for local homeless people and is a small expression of our attempt to bring the goodness of the harvest to everyone. Thanks to your generosity on our Brighten Up and Build a Brighter World day, the fantastic sum of £221was sent to CAFOD to help their Hungry for Change Campaign.

Online Payments

Don’t forget we are using Schoolcomms to offer you an online payment method which puts you in control. You can access it at any time for payments for dinners or school trips for your child. Please see Mrs Carnell for details.

Christmas Performance Dates

Tues 13th Dec Foundation 1/2 Nativity - 10am and 2pm

Wed 14th Dec KS2 Carol Service - 1:30pm at St Mary’s Church

Thurs 15th Dec Y1 & Y2 Nativity - 2pm

Dates for the Diary

October 2016

Fri 21st Inset Day – school closed for children

November 2016

Tues1stAll Saints Day

Wed2nd All Souls Day

Mon14thAnti- Bullying week/E-Safety week

Mon 21st Judaism week

Mon 28thAdvent Reflection Day

December 2016

Mon 12th Christmas performances throughout this week

Friday 16th Inset day

Tues 20thBreak up for Christmas

January 2017

Wed 4thSchool re-opens

Yours sincerely

Mrs G Kelly

Head Teacher

Under the Trust name of St Barnabas Catholic Academy Trust

Designated Senior Persons for Safeguarding

Mrs G Kelly – Head Teacher, Ms K O’Neill – Deputy Head, Miss L O’Sullivan – SENCO, Mrs U Lilley – Governor

All persons can be contacted at school on telephone number 0115 9151799