Last week we welcomed most of the school community back after a great break to refresh and relax (I hope!). The children this week have been in excellent form, ready to learn, good behaviour in classes and happy to be back. We hope any children new to our school have enjoyed the start of their journey. This week in classes we have had a focus on our school Mission, 'We learn and grow with Jesus to love, inspire and serve others.' We have considered how we are part of shaping God’s plan for us in our first Gospel assembly of the school year and we hope that with hard work, prayer, good choices we will reach all our goals! It is lovely meeting so many new people and I would just like to say thank you for your friendly and warm welcome.

Last weekend, Year 5 had a wonderful time away at Manor Adventure. They enjoyed activities such kayaking, canoeing, climbing, underground maze exploration, obstacle courses, zip wire and abseiling. They also walked to the top of the Long Mynd in Cardingmill Valley - not an easy feat as it was a rather warm morning! All of the children impressed the Manor Adventure staff with their politeness, teamwork and willingness to challenge themselves. They were a credit to their families and to the school - thank you Year 5! I have included a few photographs below - please check the Year 5 class page for more.

Miss McGowan says that Year 5 have had another busy week! Following their fabulous trip to Manor Adventure, the children have been getting back to life in the classroom. In science, they have begun to learn about forces starting with friction. They looked at what factors affect friction and considered how friction can be helpful and not so helpful in real life situations. In PE, they have been further developing their team building skills and had to find ways, other than talking, to communicate! It was a challenge, but the children had fun and managed to work well as teams.

Mr Tasker says Year 4 have settled really well into the new school year and have impressed him with their hard work, kindness and respectfulness in class. They have enjoyed familiarising themselves with new routines and particularly enjoyed setting up their profiles and avatars on programmes that will be used in lessons this year. 

Year 3 have made a wonderful start to the new school year. The children are looking to forward to learning their new topics. In Geography their topic is Extreme Earth, their History topic is Stone Age to Iron Age and in Science they are learning about skeletons. The children have already learnt the scientific names of some of the bones in the human body and keen to learn more!  It has been an impressive start to the year and as a new teacher to St Wulstan’s Mr Whitcombe says that the children have made him feel very welcome and both he and the class have enjoyed spending time getting to know each other and look forward to all of the exciting things they have ahead. Well done year 3 for such an amazing start!

KS1 have had a fantastic start to their history topic, Now and Then.  This week the children have been finding out about childhood in the past.  We enjoyed playing with some of the old toys such as a spinning top and a wooden boat. We talked about the materials they are made of and compared them to the toys we have today. I can see we have some fantastic historians in the making! 

It has been another busy week in Reception. The children have been building their fine motor skills, showing their skills in the craft area and trying hard to work together and share. Well done Reception!

Next week will see the announcement of our new Mini Vinnies. The Mini Vinnies are the youngest members of the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP), an international Christian voluntary organisation dedicated to tackling poverty in all its forms by providing practical assistance to people in need. The Mini Vinnies get together to live out their mission of see, think, do, supporting their school community and beyond. At St Wulstan's, our team of Mini Vinnies help to organise a wide range of events in order to raise money for a variety of charities - we look forward to seeing what the new team will come up with this year! The first event of the year will be a Pyjama Day on Friday 29 September. All children will be able to attend school in their pyjamas in exchange for a £1 donation. Children are welcome to wear their slippers while in school that day but will need shoes for play times.

Also on Friday 29 September, we will be holding a Macmillan Coffee afternoon at 2:45pm - all of our families are invited to attend in the school hall and we would be grateful for any donations in exchange for a cup of tea or coffee and a slice of cake!

Father Richard will be visiting school every Friday to celebrate Mass. When Mass is taking place in a particular class, parents and carers will receive an invite - please look out for these in your children's book bags and check the school calendar or newsletter for upcoming Mass dates.

Have a great weekend

Mrs Brocklesby and Mrs Warnett