If your child is due to start school in September 2025 (and was born between 1 September 2020-31 August 2021), you need to apply for a school place by 15 January 2025.  For more information and to apply, please visit: www.worcestershire.gov.uk/schooladmissions.

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

We hope you have all enjoyed a happy and relaxing Christmas and we 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.

On Monday the Feast of the Epiphany, we celebrated the visit of the Wise Men to the stable to honour Jesus during assembly with Mrs Warnett. The word epiphany means a 'sudden realisation' and in this event the Wise Men have a sudden realisation that Jesus is God in human form. This gave the children the opportunity to reflect on their own journey with Jesus and what gifts they can offer Him. 

As you are aware reading regularly is key to children's progress in all aspects of their learning. We have always been fortunate at St Wulstan's to have extra support from parent volunteers who come in one afternoon a week to listen to children read. We would very much like to re-introduce this support and appeal to anyone, parent, carer or grandparent who feel they could give a an hour or two a week to listen to children read. Support and guidance will be provided and any offers of help would be greatly appreciated. If you can support please speak to either myself, your child's teacher or the school office. Thank you.

Weekly Round Up From Mrs Warnett

Reception

Reception and Year 1 have settled into the new term well. They have begun gymnastics in PE and really enjoyed this. Reception have also been learning about hot and cold countries and have enjoyed learning about Emperor penguins this week, their book of the week is The Emperor’s Egg and the children have been fascinated by this, they have also begun reading the red ditties independently – well done Reception.

Year 1

This week in Year 1, the children have enjoyed retelling the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. They did a fantastic job of including questions in their writing to add intrigue. This definitely made their teachers want to read on to find out what happens next. The children have also enjoyed gymnastics this week in PE. They used their flexibility and phonics skills to make letters out of their bodies by positioning themselves in different poses. They created a three letter word in groups of three, choosing some brilliant words such as 'pin' and 'cat'. WELL DONE EVERYONE!

Year 2 and 3

Year 2 and 3 have had a wonderful week, welcoming Mr Dudley as one of their class teachers. They also welcome Mr Andrews, who will be supporting the class as a TA. The children have been keen to impress their new teachers and have been working very hard this week! The class have enjoyed starting a new class text, 'A Bear Called Paddington' by Michael Bond. The children have been working hard on their reading skills and have been especially interested to learn what a stowaway is! The children have learnt lots about Paddington already and have even tried a marmalade sandwich! As you can see from the photos, there were mixed reviews on the taste! In PE, the children have developed their skills in gymnastics, with a focus this week on rolls. The children listened and watched carefully to ensure that their techniques were correct and enjoyed improving throughout the week. It was especially impressive to see the bravery and enthusiasm that children showed when attempting tricky backwards rolls!

Year 4

We have had a really positive start to the new team and children in Year 4 have been focused and engaged in their learning this week. In French, the children started their new unit 'Les legumes', learning the name of five common vegetables (aubergines, corotts, epinards, courgetts and oignons) in French. The children have been working hard on their pronunciation of these vegetables and learning phrases to describe them. In PE this week, the children started their dance unit themed on the Romans. The children had to come up with different movements in a sequence to describe some of the key aspects of Roman life. This afternoon, the children completed their art unit by working collaboratively to develop drawing into prints. The children had to decide if their piece was going to be abstract or figurative, choose colours and use a variety of techniques used such as monoprint, to complete their compositions. On Monday, the children are looking forward to evaluating their final pieces and sharing what they have learnt. Well done, Year 4!

Year 5 

It has been such a wonderful first week back in Year 5 – but busy as ever! Year 5 have hit the ground running and have already started new topics in Geography (by beginning to look at mountains), History (ancient Greece) and PE, where they are started a really exciting dance unit and they focused on rolling in gymnastics. The Year 5 children were so confident in performing and Miss McGowan and Mrs Johnson were really impressed at their control and poise. Well done Year 5! Maths has been tricky this week as the children have been developing their multiplication skills, using an area method and then moving to the formal method. At the start of the week, the children were finding this rather tricky, but the progress that the children have made throughout the week is definitely something to be proud of! The children have also started to work hard on TT Rockstars to ‘go green’! Already Miss McGowan can see improvements in the children’s speed of recall. Well done Year 5, what a fabulous start back, the start to 2025 has definitely been a successful one! Keep it up!

Year 6

It has been a fantastic first week back in Year 6! The children have enthusiastically begun their Christmas unit, diving into the story of the birth of Christ. They compared and contrasted the accounts from the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke, examining the different details and perspectives each provides. In addition, they explored the Prologue of the Gospel of St. John, where they discovered various symbolic images of Christ, such as the Word and the Light, reflecting on their deeper meanings. They have also been introduced to tonnes as a measure of mass, which allowed them to apply their understanding to real-world contexts, such as weighing larger objects. In Science, the children built on their previous knowledge of Charles Darwin and evolution to explore who he was, what he did and why his work was important. A particular focus was on his studies in the Galapagos Islands, where he documented the fascinating variations in finch species, helping to shape his theory of natural selection. This not only gave the children an appreciation for Darwin’s scientific contributions but also highlighted the importance of careful observations. The children have come back to school with great enthusiasm. Keep up the good work, Year 6!

Parents' Evening - 12 February 2025 from 3.40pm - 5.00pm

Parents' Evening - 24 February 2025 from 4.30pm - 6.30pm

If you would like to make an appointment to meet with your child's teacher, please do so via your Arbor account.  If you would prefer a virtual appointment, please contact the school office.

Meet the Teacher

On Wednesday 22 January, there be an opportunity to meet with your child's new class teacher (Yr 1 and Yr 2/3) in the school hall at 2.45pm.   Mrs Gall (Yr 1 teacher) and Mr Dudley (teaches Yr 2/3 alongside Mrs Tasker).  Tea/coffee and refreshments will be served.  No booking is necessary.

Next Friday, there will be a whole school Mass to celebrate the feast day of St Wulstan, our patron saint.  Please join us in the school hall at 9.15am.  Everyone is very welcome to attend.  Refreshments will be served afterwards.

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.