11 February 2022

Dear Parents and Carers

It has been a really lovely week in school but the highlight was definitely yesterday's Well Being walk down along the river. A massive thank you to all the parents and carers (and babies) who accompanied us. It was such a beautiful morning to walk and everyone returned rosy cheeked and refreshed. The older children were thrilled to see how well our trees, planted two years ago, are growing. We hope our photographs convey the atmosphere !

On Tuesday, we celebrated 'Safer Internet Day - the theme this year being All Fun and Games? We started with a Key Stage assembly and then each class focussed on the importance of keeping themselves safe whilst using the internet, particularly with regards to gaming. It is apparent through teaching and discussions that some children are accessing inappropriate games and apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook (for which you need to be aged 13 and over) and are also spending time on YouTube unsupervised. Key Stage 2 were particularly good at recognising the dangers and are aware that people are not always exactly who they say they are and ways in which they can report online abuse. There are many websites offering guidance for parents which you may find helpful. Thank you for your support in keeping your children safe.

The long awaited and much prepared for Emmaus Pyramid Concert has finally arrived! We look forward to a lovely day and evening with Year 5 next Thursday, starting with afternoon rehearsals before the evening concert. The children have worked exceptionally hard for this event under the guidance of Mr Mallinson and Miss McGowan. Please remember to collect your booked tickets from the school office  The staff are all attending and I am sure will be glowing with pride!We look forward to sharing the photographs and details of the day next week.

Next Friday we break up for half term. It is hard to believe we will have passed the half way point of the school year. Wulstan's Lodge is now taking bookings for Holiday Club. Please contact Sally Bache at Nursery for further information or telephone 01299 829032.

Spring Term Parents' Evening. Meetings will be held both virtually via School Cloud and in person at school. Face to face appointments will be available on Tuesday 8 March from 4:00pm to 7:00pm. Virtual appointments will be available on Wednesday 9 March from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. School Cloud is the website that we used to hold our Autumn parents meetings and the booking process remains the same for both virtual and face to face appointments. The booking form for appointments can be found via the following link: https://stwulstans.schoolcloud.co.uk. Appointments are available to book until Friday 4 March. Please note that we will not accept any bookings made after this date in order to give staff time to prepare. 

Next Friday as a treat for the children we will have a non uniform Day when the children can choose their own clothes for school in exchange for a donation towards school funds. We do rely heavily on PTA events throughout the year to provide the children with ‘extras’ eg the Christmas/St Wulstan’s Day party. However, due to the restrictions on social mixing over the last two years we have not been able to fundraise or enjoy these community events. Hopefully going forward now we can restart our PTA and plan for discos, cake sales Summer Fayre etc. They are lovely family events as well as raising much needed funds. We would ask for a £1 donation but if you are able to make a larger donation that would be very gratefully received. Thank you.

If you know of any families who are looking for a Reception Class place for September 2022, please encourage them to contact me and arrange a visit to the school. There is a commonly mistaken belief that non catholic families cannot apply to St Wulstan's. Please help us advertise our school locally and share the information that we accept children of all faiths or no faith .There are also places available in some other year groups. If you know of any parent who is interested in such a place for their child please encourage them to contact me. Thank you.

Finally, it is with sadness that I write to inform you that Mrs James will be leaving St Wulstans at February Half Term to take up a new career path at Worcester library. Mrs James has taught at St Wulstan’s for 16 years and will be greatly missed by our children, families and all the staff. I would personally like to thank her for her dedication and the invaluable contribution she has made to our school. We all wish her well in her new career and continued happiness in her life.

If you have any queries or concerns regarding your child’s academic, social or emotional needs please do not hesitate to contact me or their class teacher. We wish you all an enjoyable weekend

KE Savage

Principal