10 January 2020

Dear Parents

I hope you have all enjoyed a happy and relaxing Christmas and I would like to start this newsletter by wishing you, on behalf of all the staff at St Wulstan's, a very happy new year! We would also like to thank you once again for the Christmas gifts so many children gave to staff at the end of last term. Your generosity is very much appreciated as are the many kind comments and expressions of thanks for all the hard work that the staff do throughout the year. Thank you again.

Through the parish newsletter Mr Greg Kelly has asked to pass on his gratitude for all your generous donations to our local foodbank on ‘Christmas Jumper Day’.

‘Once more a very big thank you to parishioners, and particularly to the parents of children at St. Wulstans Catholic Primary School, for the great quantity of foodstuffs and toiletries they have donated.Greg Kelly, SVP.'

Although it seems a long time ago now, we do know how very busy and family orientated the Christmas holiday is and understand how normal routines just vanish. When discussing reading this week it became apparent that many children didn’t read their school book at all over the break. It is vital that children read every night in order to practise their reading skills and develop their comprehension through discussion about the story. A few pages every night makes such a difference to a child’s progress. If anyone has worries or concerns about managing home reading or a child reluctant to read at home please contact their class teacher or Mrs Tasker, English lead, who will support you with strategies or speak with you and your child to overcome any issues. We are always grateful to mums, dads, grandparents who offer to come into school and hear readers. If you feel you could offer a short amount of time please speak to Mrs Tasker. Many thanks in anticipation.

Events for this term have been updated so please see the calendar tab on our website. The calendar is frequently updated so please check regularly.

On Thursday 13 February our Year 5 children will be performing at Birmingham Town Hall along with children from Hagley Catholic High School and its feeder schools. This annual concert at the Town Hall has been absolutely fantastic in previous years and this year's concert I am sure will be equally good. Tickets for this concert are now available and an order form has been sent to Year 5 parents. There is no limit to the number of tickets you can buy so please encourage family and friends to attend. Further details regarding a coach will follow shortly.

This week has been an exciting start already for many of the classes. On Tuesday I was delighted to be able to accompany Year 6 on their trip to launch their new topic 'Arctic Quest'.  British champion sled dog racer, Vicky Pullin introduced the children to some of her twenty seven husky dogs. Vicky is the leading female sled dog racer in the UK, holding multiple top 15 World Rankings. She competes sprint in 4 dog rig/ sled, 2 dog scooter and 1 dog bike. She is the only British racer to achieve a sprint World Cup standing on the sled. She aims to become World Champion. As well as learning so much about how the dogs have evolved and adapted to their natural habitat in the Arctic we were also witness to an inspirational person. By her own admittance Vicky struggled academically at school but has persevered with her dream and vocation to become not only highly successful but a fulfilled and happy person dedicated to the well being of her animals. A thrilling start to the Year 6 Topic. Look out for further pictures on our Facebook page.

Jenny, one of our Year 6 children has written: At first, I didn’t know if I should go or not but once I got there, I had the most unforgettable experience. The woman, who we met was called Vickie Pullin and is the British Champion in dog-sledding, we also met all of her dogs. But there is one thing that came to me she said, “Never give up and dream big because if you carry on working hard you can succeed at anything.” That made me think that I can do anything no matter if I am the only one who thinks I can.

Year 1 and Year 5 have also had an exciting launch to this term’s topics on space and the moon with a visit from the planetarium today. Year 5 have written some feedback and look forward to sharing more from Year 1 as well next week.

Wow! What a great opportunity to have the planetarium at school. We loved learning all about the different planets and we even discussed Pluto (that was demoted to a dwarf planet in 2006). We feel very sorry for it. Seeing different constellations was our favourite part of the session. We learnt all about how groups of stars form recognisable patterns and then these have been named after its apparent form or identified with a mythological figure. Our favourite constellation was the ‘bear’. A wonderful end to the week and now we look forward to sharing our knowledge with everyone. Year 5 children

Year 2 and Year 4 have taken this term’s Virtues and Values of Compassion and Loving, to reflect on the terrible devastation to homes and animal life in the Australian bushfires. Today they have made and sold kangaroo shaped biscuits to the children and staff to raise money . This they will donate to help ease the pain and suffering being experienced by both people and animals in Australia. Tnak you all children.

As we move into mid winter we are mindful of the prospect of bad weather. Should there be significant amounts of snow making it necessary to close the school, all families will be informed via the school life app. The information will also be posted on our website and the Worcestershire County Council website. I know how difficult school closures can be for parents so I would like to reassure you that we never take this decision lightly and the school would only be closed if the children’s safety and wellbeing might be compromised by remaining open.

We look forward to another exciting and busy term, please remember if you ever have any concerns regarding your child, academic, social or emotional please speak to me or any member of the teaching staff so we can work together to solve them.

Wishing you a lovely weekend.

KE Savage