Message from Mrs Brocklesby

Happy Mother’s Day!

On behalf of the entire school community, I would like to take a moment to wish all of the incredible mothers, grandmothers, and mother figures a very Happy Mother’s Day! Your love, support, and dedication does not go unnoticed. Thank you for everything you do to make our school and our world a better place. We hope you have a wonderful day filled with joy, love, and appreciation!

Thank you to Mrs Freitas and the Minnie Vinnies who organised the afternoon tea yesterday in the hall. It was lovely to see our incredible mothers enjoying some quality time with their children. 

Today it was wonderful to meet existing families and new families that will be joining us in September. The "stay and play" session was a great way for the children starting reception to get to know their new environment. The children enjoyed meeting staff and expressing their creativity by painting some very colourful pictures.

If you know a family who has a son or daughter due to start school in September 2025, please recommend us. We would love to welcome the family into our school community.

Next Tuesday, we have a visit from a best selling children's author and story teller.  Cat Weatherill will be talking to the children about her books in workshops specific to the different age groups.    She will be bringing a selection of books, which the children can purchase on the day, details below.  If your child would like to buy a book, please send money in on the day, in a labelled envelope with their name and which book they would like to purchase.

Big Blue Shark - Bear & raccoon learn their colours in this lively picture book (age 3+) - £4

Jack's Diamond - eight magical short stories about pirates, princesses, dragons etc (age 5+) - £5

Barkbelly - a wooden boy goes in search of his real family in a best selling magical fantasy adventure (age 8+) - £7

Where Magic Hides - seven stories set in Wales about finding magic close to home; whether it's trolls, ponies, rainbows or fearsome water leapers (age 8+) - £5

Wild Magic - fantasy adventure about the children who follow the Pied Piper (age 9+) - £7

Dream Adventures - non fiction book about explorers, adventurers and travel,from ancient Egypt to the Amazon rainforest (age 8+) - £7

Famous Me - funny fantasy about a girl who becomes a celebrity for a very strange reason! (age 10+) - £7

This year, we will once again be hosting the very popular 'Decorate an Egg Competition'.  Please bring  your creations into school on Friday 11 April.  All entries will be displayed in the school library.  One entry per child.  Please make sure that your child's name and class are clearly marked on their entry.    Prizes to be won.   Good luck!

On Tuesday 8 April, the School Council will be running an Easter Egg hunt to raise money for a reading shed for the playground. Please bring in 50p by Friday 4th April to sign up for the hunt.

Message from Mrs Warnett

Reception and Year 1

Reception and Year 1 have had a fantastic week full of exciting learning! They have enjoyed starting their new Design Technology topic on wheels and axles, exploring how they work. In Science, they have been learning about the importance of recycling. Reception have been thinking about how they can use their talents to help others in RE, while Year 1 have reflected on Jesus' teachings and how they can apply them in their own lives. In Geography, they have continued their work on farms, discovering how the seasons affect farming. Maths has been all about mass and capacity, with lots of hands-on learning. The children are also enjoying watching their caterpillars grow and are hopeful they will soon become chrysalises!

Year 2 and 3

Year 2 and 3 have started a new unit of work on traditional tales, sometimes known as fairy tales. The children have been exploring the features of traditional tales and enjoying reading lots of stories! Working on conjunctions, the class have been re-telling sections of 'Sleeping Beauty' this week and have written some beautiful pieces that also included inverted commas for speech, a range of openers and expanded noun phrases. In maths, the children have been developing their understanding of units of measure for length. They have become more accurate in their measurements and recording of length. In science this week, the children enjoyed an investigation on magnetic materials and impressed us with their prior knowledge on the subject. Well done! The children have been enjoying doing their music lessons in the hall over the last few weeks and have created some big movements to go with the musical pieces that they have been exploring. See the lovely photos below of the fun they have been having! Finally, the children tried hard to create some beautiful Mothers' Day cards. They can't wait to share them on Sunday!

Year 4

The Year 4 children have had a week full of curiosity and questions as they have taken a greater look at the world that they live in. In science, the children researched the impact of using fossil fuels has on the planet and were shocked by some of the issues that occur from using these. They also researched renewable energy sources and showed an awareness of the technology and were keen to promote its usage. In geography, the children developed their understanding of longitude and latitude lines and how these can be used to locate things. They are looking forward to finding countries and cities using these lines in their next lesson. In art, the children started to develop their painting techniques by using dabbing, stippling and pointillism to add texture and tones to their artwork to make an object appear three-dimensional. Finally, in maths the children have been working hard to develop their understanding of fractions and have recognised how their times table knowledge has allowed to them to complete problems more quickly. Keep up the great work!

Year 5

This week in Year 5, the children have been looking at area and perimeter in maths and consider how we can estimate area as well as calculate and discussed how important it is to be able to do both! The children have also continued to develop their leadership and hockey skills in PE. The children have found leadership in PE very interesting and have sometimes found it challenging. Especially when trying to find the best way to explain tasks or rules to others and manage team dynamics, but Miss McGowan reports that she can see progress in how the children are doing this and that we will have some very good sports leaders next year. In art, the children have started to explore the choices that artists make, thinking about materials, colour and composition. The children have then started to make their own artistic decisions and have explore how they can recrate the same art in a number of different ways and then evaluate the effect this has. Science has also been exciting in Year 5 this week as the children were investigating reversible and irreversible changes. The children observed what happens when vinegar and bicarbonate of soda are combined and what happens when warm milk and vinegar are mixed. It was all very exciting and at times the children thought it all looked rather disgusting! Next week, the children should look forward to further developing our drawing skills in art, looking at the results of our saltwater investigation and also looking back at our learning about the Ancient Greeks and consider what lasting impacts the Greek Empire has had on society today. Not only this, the children will also be lucky enough to meet a visiting author, Cat Weatherill, whose short story, Clever Cal, the children read this week too! 

Year 6

The Year 6 children attended the retreat at Alton Castle, which became an exciting and enriching experience, filled with a variety of outdoor activities that challenged their physical and mental abilities. They participated in biking, survival skills, trekking, low ropes, and climbing, which encouraged teamwork, perseverance and personal growth. Alongside these activities, the children engaged in Mass and liturgies, which provided spiritual nourishment and a deeper connection to God during the season of Lent. These moments of prayer and reflection helped them grow in faith, strengthening their relationship with God while they embraced the spirit of renewal that Lent calls for. Also, the children worked exceptionally well together, demonstrating kindness, cooperation, and support for one another throughout the retreat. Their positive attitude and respectful behaviour were a true credit to their families and school, reflecting the strong values instilled in them. It is heart-warming to witness the compassionate young people they are growing into and Mrs. Freitas couldn’t be prouder of them.

Thank you for your kind donations on Wednesday.   We raised £78.17 in support of Epilepsy Awareness Day.

At St Wulstan's, we are committed to minimising missed educational opportunities. We firmly believe that a strong community is one where all our children are present in school, on time, every day unless they are too unwell to do so. By adhering to this principle, we not only impart valuable life skills and help to foster enduring friendships, but we also prepare your child for future success. We will be launching a new reward in school called 'Attendance Achievers' - a scheme where at the end of each month, we will celebrate pupils who are showing an achievement within attendance such as improved attendance, improved punctuality, sustained excellent attendance etc. The children who receive an 'Attendance Achiever' reward will receive a certificate and will be able to choose a prize from the prize box!

If your child is due to start school in September 2025 (and was born between 1 September 2020-31 August 2021) the closing date for applying for a place was 15 January.  However, you can still apply for a late application by visiting www.worcestershire.gov.uk/schooladmissions.

If you require assistance, please contact Mrs Brown in the school office.

St Wulstan's has signed up to the Asda Cashpot - a scheme where Asda will donate a percentage of your shop to your chosen school. If you would like to choose St Wulstan's as your school to donate to, click on the link below to find out more.

Cashpot for schools (asda.com)

All children in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 receive universal free school meals.  However, based on your income, you may be eligible to a different free school meal type. This can be applied for even when your child is still in Reception, Years 1 & 2.  This entitles you to a free school meal voucher during the holidays and also continued free school meals until the end of Year 6. If you think you may qualify for these, please contact Mrs Brown in the school office for a form or visit www.worcestershire.gov.uk or contact the team on 01905 845280.  They will require your date of birth and national insurance number to check whether you are eligible.

Dates for your Diary