9 June 2023

Dear Parents and Carers

Thank you to everyone that joined us for Non Fiction and Nibbles yesterday. There was a lovely atmosphere in the school and the children clearly loved sharing their reading with their families.

On Monday 19 June we are holding our annual New Intake Evening for parents of children starting at St Wulstan’s in September. Even if you already have a child in school it is important that you attend this meeting as this will be an opportunity to give you information and for you to ask any questions you may have. We look forward to seeing many of you then. We do presently still have a limited number of places available for Reception Class in September. If you know of anyone who may be interested in a place at our lovely school please ask them to contact me. Thank you.

Our Summer Fayre will be held on Friday 30 June 3.45 pm-5.45 pm in the school grounds. There will be hot dogs , tea and cakes and a bar so no need to cook tea that evening! Stalls will include tombola, bottle stall, hook a duck, football shootout and lots more for a lovely family evening. If you feel you could help in any way we would be very grateful for all support. Please speak to Mrs Roden, Mrs Collins or contact Mrs Warnett or myself. 

 An appeal goes out today for filled jam jars and chocolate bar donations.  A reminder that the Jam Jars can be filled with for example sweets, hair accessories, coins etc  The chocolate bars will be used as prizes in the chocolate tombola. As a thank you, next Thursday will be a ’ Non-uniform Day’ when the children can wear their own choice of clothes in return for a filled jam jar and a bar of chocolate. These two stalls are always popular with the children and through your generosity well stocked, so thank you in advance.

We will also have a toy and book stall. If you have any pre loved books or toys that are in good condition we would be thrilled to receive them. Please send any donations in the week commencing 26 June . Many thanks.

As we are all aware the cost of living is a real concern for many at the moment and we wish to highlight one form of support in free school lunches. As well as supporting families , school too can benefit .If your child is eligible for ‘free school meals’ and you register them for this, we’ll receive extra funding called ‘pupil premium’. We use this extra money to improve the educational provision and resources at the school.
What is pupil premium funding?
Pupil premium funding from the government is given to schools to help pupils reach their full potential, regardless of their background or financial situation. It’s provided for pupils who:
• Are registered for free school meals
• Have been registered for free school meals at any point in the past 6 years
• Are, or have been, in care
• Have parents in the armed forces at St Wulstan's Catholic Primary School,
We get an extra £1,385 these figures are for the 2022/2023 financial year for every eligible pupil who is registered for free school meals. This extra money could make a real difference to the quality of education we offer.For example, we’ve previously used pupil premium funding for:
• Educational provision/resources
• Academic interventions
• Wellbeing and self-esteem building interventions
Is my child eligible for free school meals?
Your child might be eligible if you access:
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guaranteed element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual
gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on
• Universal Credit, provided you have an annual net earned income not exceeding £7,400
(£616.67 per month)
Universal infant free school meals
Currently, pupils in Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are entitled to a free school meal thanks to a different government funding scheme known as universal infant free school meals (UIFSM). You shouldn’t confuse UIFSM with free schools meals and the pupil premium.
If your child is in Reception, Year 1 or Year 2 and is eligible for free school meals according to the criteria above, you should still register because we’ll receive the extra pupil premium funding.
Does my child have to eat the free school meals?
No. Pupils who are registered for free school meals don’t have to eat them. If you’re eligible but you want your child to have packed lunches you should still register because the school will receive the funding which can support your child in other ways.
How do I register?
You only ever need to register once at the school.
To register, please go to www.worcestershire.gov.uk/schools-education-and-learning/free-school-meals
If you need further information, you can contact our school office and speak to Mrs Brown.

At Sunday Mass on 11 June, nine of our Year 3 children will receive their First Holy Communion. This as you know is such an important day in the spiritual life of the children so please remember them in your prayers. This is also our termly school Mass at church and we ask that they are supported by their school friends with a strong choir and school attendance. There will be plenty of space in the church as they are a small group and it is a lovely opportunity for the parish and school to celebrate together as a community. The Mass will start at 10am and will last approximately one hour if you wish to drop your child off and collect at 11.00am. Thank you for your support.

Next Friday, 16 June, is our long awaited trip to Warwick Castle. Yesterday, a letter was sent out in the children's book bags with important reminders for the day please check their bags if you have not yet seen it. We will be leaving as soon as possible after registration so please ensure your child arrives on time. Thank you to all our family helpers who have so generously offered to accompany us, it is greatly appreciated.

Yesterday our Year 6 pupils spent the morning taking part in the Young Citizen’s Challenge. As in previous years the children were taken through a number of scenarios and had to make decisions that would keep them safe. This was a very enjoyable and worthwhile morning and I am sure our Year 6 children are now better informed and more able to deal with the many challenges they face as they leave the security of our Primary School and move on to High School.

This week Reception Class were delighted to arrive at school to see that a duck and her six ducklings had come to visit their outdoor area. The duck was very happy to have the children sit watching them and they stayed for most of the morning. They were very calm and clearly enjoyed their time in school! Everybody was very disappointed when they decided to go home

At Non-Fiction and Nibbles yesterday Year 4 explored some non-fiction texts with friends and family. They were encouraged to bring in their own favourite books or share some class texts about the Romans and Rivers, which both link to our topics. Thank you to all our families who attended.

This week Year 5 have been continuing to develop their tennis skills, ready to put them into action in matches in their PE lesson next week. It has been wonderful to see everyone gain confidence and apply all that they have been taught, the matches will be very exciting! It was also lovely to see Year 5 enjoy their non-fiction and nibbles this morning. We discovered many new facts about a range of topics from animals and trains, to planets and Vikings! Spending time reading our books is always enjoyable and it was lovely to see everyone so engaged and excited to find out new information!

In Year 3, we have just begun our final PE topic, which is athletics. The children enjoyed using the agility ladder and using the correct technique to start a sprinting race. In science, we have been learning about the benefits and dangers of the sun and how we can best protect ourselves. We have just begun a new topic in maths on shape and this week our focus has been turns, angles and drawing lines accurately. During our topic work, the children have worked well in small groups to consider how Egypt has changed over time. They then presented their findings to the rest of the class. The children have also been busy preparing for their First Holy Communion and are very excited for the big day ahead. Well done Year 3!

Year 2 are very lucky to be able to have cricket coaching as part of their PE this half term. The children really enjoyed learning new skills.

This week, the children of Reception and Year 1 had their first cricket session. They listened carefully to our coach and had great fun bowling and batting. We can't wait for our next session! After this we had our Fitness session with a Kidderminster Harriers coach. We also have been busy as scientists this week where we created and erupted volcanoes. It has been a very busy but enjoyable week back! 

A reminder that Friday 23 June is an INSET day for all staff and school will be closed to pupils. 

We wish you all an enjoyable weekend and look forward to seeing you on Monday.

KE Savage