St Wulstan's - Newsletter 03/03/2023

3 March 2023

Dear Parents

We are sure you will have noticed the work taking place in the EYFS area this week. So much of the learning in Early Years is through play, exploration, physical and social development both inside and outside of the classroom. For many years our EYFS team have been creative in developing some wonderful outside learning experiences for the children but as ever funds are limited. We were absolutely overwhelmed last year to be told that a much loved recently deceased parishioner, Joan Barker, had bequeathed us a large sum of money. The monies were to be spent on our very youngest children to enhance their learning and enjoyment. After much research, planning and deliberation we have planned a new EYFS outdoor area to include all aspects of the children's learning. It will be completed over the next couple of weeks and we will have a ceremonial opening with the children. We are so grateful to Joan for her generosity and her legacy which will always be a part of St Wulstan's school.

Thank you to all parents and carers who attended Parents Evening either in person or remotely this week. We encourage you to look regularly at the school website and in particular under Class and Curriculum pages where you can see what your child is learning about this term with curriculum focus, Topic work and photographs of their experiences. Please remember if at any time you have concerns about any aspect of your child’s work, social or emotional issues please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher or myself.

As many of you will be aware traditionally Year 5 go to Manor Adventure every September for a weekend residential of outdoor activities. There will be an information meeting on Thursday 23 March at 3.35 pm for parents and carers of children presently in Year 4. This is always an exciting and memorable trip for the children and we look forward to seeing you at the meeting.A reminder will be sent but please make a note in your diaries.

On Wednesday the whole school participated in our termly 'Well Being' Day. Every child was able to participate in a carousel of activities which focused on relaxation through yoga, peer support, breathing techniques, reading for pleasure, exercise and mindfulness. It was an opportunity for the children to work with different teachers in a relaxed atmosphere and from the smiles and laughter it was clearly a very successful day! My thanks to Mrs Freitas and Mr Tasker for organizing the whole day for the children.

The children had great fun in school this week as we celebrated World Book Day, with everyone really getting into the spirit of the day! As World Book Day has grown and become more commercialized it would be very easy for this to become just a ‘Fancy Dress Day’ and lose the focus of the exploration and enjoyment of literature. However this was certainly not the case in school as the children delved deep into their class text. We hope you enjoy looking at the photographs of the day. My thanks to Mrs Tasker for again making this such a successful and funfilled day.

Last night, you will have received an email, inviting you to compete a survey on costumes for World Book Day. The survey is very short and should only take a minute to complete. It will be very valuable to us for planning next year’s event as we wish to take into consideration parent/carer views regarding the time, financial and environmental impact of costumes balanced with allowing creativity! Thank you for your support in this.

Today the under 9s and under 11s football team took part in the annual CTA Football Competition at Winterfold. The children enjoyed competing against other Catholic schools in Worcestershire and it gave them an opportunity to develop key skills in a competitive environment. The under 9s enjoyed experiencing their very first taste of representing the school at a competitive event and demonstrated fantastic energy and teamwork throughout. All this, while retaining a smile and enthusiastic approach for the whole morning, playing the game that they love. Our under 11s played brilliantly winning two matches and drawing another two against challenging competition. Mr Tasker, Mrs Mound and Mr Dudley all said it was noticeable how their drive to succeed, support for one another and fantastic sportsmanship allowed them to do so well. Well done to all. Thank you to all the parents and carers for your support.

After a busy day in school yesterday, Year 5 and Year 6 children also enjoyed playing football after school in friendly matches with three local school. Again, great teamwork, resilience and development in confidence was shown during the matches. Well done Everyone!

Year 2 launched their new topic this week and absolutely loved it. We had some 'visitors' join us all from different habitats as the children met a whole host of animals from chinchillas to snakes. The children held and petted them as they learnt about their diet, habitats, and lifespan.

This week has been very exciting for Reception/Year 1. The children settled in brilliantly after a week of rest. To launch our new topic 'animals' we had a visit from Animal Mania! The children adored the opportunity to hold the animals and learn lots of new facts. Our favourite was Charlie the Chinchilla. We also celebrated World Book Day this week dressed as animals. The children had a fantastic day where they really got to celebrate the joy of stories. In Year 1, our focus book was A Squash and a Squeeze by Julia Donaldson. The children learnt about the art of storytelling and took on this role to tell the story to Reception. There are lots more photos on our class page!