17 January 2020

Dear Parents

This week we have been looking forward to the Feast of St Wulstan this Sunday, 19 January. The children have researched St Wulstan and written beautiful prayers to him. In Assembly this morning we celebrated the children who had shown compassion, kindness and thoughtfulness to others in the Discipleship award, showing how they are following the work of our patron saint. We also celebrated with a whole school playtime and cake this afternoon. Look out for some pictures on our Facebook page. Well done children.

Please remember our Year 6 children in your prayers as they receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this coming Tuesday., 21 January. The children have worked extremely hard in their preparation, showing maturity and commitment to their faith. Mass will be celebrated by Canon David Evans at 7.00pm and all are welcome to come and support our young people. We especially welcome any of our children who would like to sing in the choir at this Mass.

Next Friday we welcome Mr Miastowski , Head of RE at Hagley, to work with Mrs Freitas and the Minnie Vinnies. They are doing some collaborative charity work with Hagley’s B’Attitudes, the older version of the Minnie Vinnies. We look forward to sharing more over the next couple of weeks.

Thank you to everyone who bought 'Kangaroo' biscuits sold by Year 2 and Year 4 last Friday. A tremendous £138.90 was raised by the children and sent to the World Wildlife Fund to directly assist in the care of injured and orphaned animals. A thank you from Mr and Mrs Tasker for such support.

Year 2 have started their new discovery topic, 'Tunnels, Turrets and Towers' with an exciting 'Castle Day'. The children spent the day preparing for a medieval banquet by making goblets and crowns, baking medieval gingerbread and learning a dance. The children then brought their learning together to celebrate at the end-of-day banquet. Year 2 can't wait to find out more about castle life in the past!

Year 1 have had a busy week building on their learning from last week's Planetarium visit. Jasmine wrote an lovely recount 'We went into the hall. There was a tent. There was a planetarium inside and we saw the solar system. I saw two planets near the earth and the Moon and the Sun. The sun makes it bright and the sun makes the moon bright too.' Well done Jasmine, we look forward to hearing more about your Space topic.

As we begin the new school year there have been further updates to the information on the school website class pages. This term’s curriculum letters and some new photographs of the children have been added so please log on and have a look. Dates for this term have also been updated. Please see the calendar tab on our website for further important dates this term.

Booking for Spring Parents Evening is now available via the school life app so please check your diaries. We look forward to seeing you.

A reminder that the postponed ‘On Line Safety’ presentation for parents is on Wednesday 29 January at 6.30pm in the school hall. Over the last year I have met with several parents over concerns about their children’s use of the Internet at home. Children can very easily access inappropriate sites and equally worrying it is just as easy for predatory adults to access them through games and You tube. Parents frequently say they didn’t realise the risks their children were exposed to when they thought they were watching Youtube clips or linking up with ’friends’ online. Whilst we teach E safety at school we have been asked to provide support for parents. Last July, PC Simon Gallagher came into school to speak to Year 6 and brought to light exactly what many children are exposed to not only on computers but obviously on their phones. I would ask as many parents as possible to attend this meeting which should last no more than an hour. Even our very youngest children are at risk in an electronic world that is changing so very quickly.  Thank you for your support.

The Year 5 Pyramid Concert is now less than a month away so please ensure you have purchased your tickets. This is a fabulous experience for the children and a great night out as a parent. We are all looking forward to it Year 5!

As we begin the new school year there have been further updates to the information on the school website class pages. This term’s curriculum letters and some new photographs of the children have been added so please log on and have a look. Dates for this term have also been updated. Please see the calendar tab on our website for further important dates this term.

Booking for Spring Parents Evening is now available via the school life app so please check your diaries. We look forward to seeing you.

If at any time you have a concern or need to speak to me or your class teacher please do not hesitate to contact us. Wishing you a happy St Wulstan's day on Sunday and a lovely weekend.

K E Savage