Friday 17 September 2021

Dear Parents

Having finished our second week at school, it is lovely to see how quickly the children have settled in to school life again. Reception Class have made an excellent start to their time at St Wulstan’s and they should be very proud of the way they have come into school confidently and happily. I am sure though, they will sleep well this weekend!

Again thank you for your adherence to drop off and collection routines. Can I please remind everyone though to exit using the one way system and leave via the school drive gate at all times.

 As we said in earlier newsletters we will review our procedures regularly so next week, we will be holding our annual ’Open classroom’ session after school from 3.40-4.10 pm. This is an opportunity for you to come into school at the end of the day to visit your child’s new classroom so they can show you where they sit and meet their new teacher. To manage numbers in the school building we have split the sessions into Tuesday 21 September for Years  2 Year 5 and Year 6 and Thursday 23 September for Year 1 Year 3 and Year4. Mrs Portman and Mrs Harris will speak directly to our Reception parents. We would ask that parents wear face masks and use hand gel when in the school, thank you. We are looking forward to seeing you.

Parents’ Evening will take place on Tuesday 2 and Wednesday 3 November and will provide an opportunity for parents to have a discussion with their child’s teacher about progress and attainment. As a result of your feedback last term we will have a blended approach of one evening traditional face to face meeting in school and one evening of an online remote meeting as we used in March. Parents can then make the decision to book which ever system they personally prefer. Booking details will be published in the next few weeks but please see the school website calendar for dates and times.

On Thursday 30 September at 3.40pm we will be holding a Year 6 information evening at school. At this meeting Mrs Freitas will explain the aims and expectations for our Year 6 children, SATs assessment, preparation for High school, attendance etc and how through school and family we can support our children as they move onto the next stage of their lives. It is very important that every effort is made to attend this meeting. The children will be supervised by staff .I am delighted to say Mr James Hodgson, Principal of Hagley Catholic High School will join us for this meeting. Mr Hodgson will give a short presentation on Hagley Catholic High School and answer any questions you may have . I am sure your children have spoken of his visit to them this week. Mr Hodgson commented to me afterwards of both their enthusiasm and good manners. Well done Year 6!

We will be holding our ‘Open Afternoon’ on Saturday 9 October from 2pm-4pm and all current parents and prospective parents are invited to visit, chat to staff and look around the school. There will be art and craft activities for the children and afternoon tea for adults providing an opportunity for prospective parents to chat more informally with myself and our staff. Please feel free to come along and take advantage of this opportunity and encourage any friends or neighbours with school age children to come along too. As I have said before there can be a misconception that only Catholic children can apply to our school. We welcome applications from all families of all or no faith. If you know of any families who are presently applying for a school place please encourage them to attend the Open afternoon or contact me to arrange a visit and tour of the school. Applications for Reception Class 2022 must be completed online by 15 January 2022.

Hagley Catholic High School will be holding their annual Open Morning on Saturday 9 October from 9.00am to 12.00pm. If you have a child in Key Stage 2, it is never too early to start thinking about High Schools. The vast majority of our children transfer to Hagley at the end of Year 6, so do take this opportunity to take a look at the school. Our Year 6 children have now received their High School transfer forms.  If you have any queries regarding transfer please do not hesitate to speak to us.

We are always pleased to hear of the children’s achievements and lives outside of school. We are particularly pleased to share this news of Annabelle in Year 5. During the summer, she had 14 inches of hair cut and donated it to the Little Princess Trust who make wigs for children with cancer. This was after Annabelle’s own health concerns earlier this year and her operations, and also having a little girl she knew go through chemotherapy. Not only did she donate the hair, she also raised £335 for the charity through donations from friends and family. We are all so proud of you Annabelle!

Every September a key school event, especially for Year 6, is the election of our House and Sports captains. Yesterday, presentations and voting were held as an outdoor gathering in the sunshine. The younger children were all able to sit within their House groups in the playground as the Year 6 candidates presented their speeches from the  bank. The speeches were possibly the best we had ever heard and there was great camaraderie and support from all the Year 6 children. Voting and presentations were then made to excited applause from all the younger children. Congratulations to all our Year 6 children who wrote such excellent speeches.

Next Saturday, 25 September, our Year 4 children will receive their First Holy Communion at St Wulstan’s church. The children are very excited about this and again are showing such commitment in their preparation. Please remember all our children in your prayers as they take these important steps in their journey of faith. My thanks to Fr Richard, Mr Tasker, Mrs James and Mrs Freitas for ensuring the preparation and celebrations are wonderful memories for the children. On Monday, at school , Fr Richard will hear the children’s First Reconciliation, another important step in their preparation.

Everyone will have received an envelope containing data collection forms via your child’s book bag. If you have not yet returned your forms please do by Monday. It is vital that we have up to date and correct medical and contact details on file for your child’s well being and safety.

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. Many thanks for your continued support and we hope you enjoy your weekend.                               

K E Savage

This week the new Reception class have been in school everyday. They have been enjoying getting to know their new friends and exploring the classroom. It has been such a busy week and we are very proud of how the children have settled so well into school!

Congratulations Year 6 on such wonderful speeches. We are so proud of you all!