18 November 2022

Dear Parents and Carers

We hope everyone has had a good week. 

A reminder this next Sunday 20 November is our school Mass at church at 10.00am. We are very much looking forward to leading the singing . It would be lovely to see as many children as possible at this Mass. We look forward to seeing many families, Catholic and non Catholic, as we celebrate our faith together.

We are now preparing our St Wulstan’s ‘trolley’ float which will lead our school in the ‘Three King’s Parade’ on the evening of Friday 25 November. With evergreen, lights, candles and vast amounts of imagination and enthusiasm it will be transformed into a glorious work of art representing the Christmas season. Please come and join us to walk through Stourport and watch as the town’s Christmas lights are turned on. . We will be meeting at 5.30pm outside the Civic Hall carpark . The parade starts at 6.00pm and ends by 7.00pm. All the staff will be there but children must be accompanied by an adult. This is a lovely traditional community event for all ages and we would love to see you there. 

We are delighted to announce that our school library is now able to reopen. As pupils have been unable to return since last term, all books on loan are now unavoidably overdue. Please reassure your child that this is not a problem. Reminder slips to return books will be distributed this week. The wording is auto-generated by the system so please disregard the number of days overdue and any mention of a fine! If you have any trouble locating your child’s library book, please contact your child’s class teacher. Thank you for your support.

We were so proud of Year 2 as they celebrated their first Class Mass this morning. The children read their readings and prayers so clearly and confidently and showed how they have grown so much already this year. Well done Year 2!

Christmas preparations are now under way and the sound of carol singing will soon resound through the school!  Just so you can put dates and times in your diaries, the Reception and KS1 Nativity play will be performed on Monday 12 December at 2.15 pm and again that evening at 6.30pm. The performances will last approximately 35 minutes. Costumes need to be in school by Friday 9 December at the latest. Could the children please return to school at 6.00pm on the evening of the 12 December for the performance to start at 6.30pm. 

The KS2 Christmas Carol Service will take place on Tuesday 6 December at 6.30pm at St Wulstan’s Church. The children will need to wear full winter uniform and be dropped off at the church between 6.10 and 6.20 pm. The staff will then take responsibility for the children so that you can take your place in the church. On Friday 2 December Years 3,4,5 and 6 will walk down to church to practice. 

This week, Reception and Year 1 had some special visitors! We had some real life superheroes come to talk to us about how the Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers keep us safe. The children gave some wonderful answers and were so engaged. The children learnt that we only call 999 when we are in an emergency and we now have a special challenge to wave at Police Officers and PCSO’s whenever we see them in our local community. To end this amazing enrichment opportunity, the children were able to sit in the police car. Some children opted for the back seats and some decided they wanted to pretend to drive! It didn’t take the children in the front of the car long at all to find the buttons to turn on the blue lights and sirens! Well done children.

This week is National Anti Bullying Week and the children in Year 3 have been taking part in several Anti-bullying activities. During one afternoon, the children enjoyed creating their own anti-bullying lyrics to a popular reggae song, which they then performed to their peers. In Science, we have been finding out about different bones and muscles in our body and why they are so important.

Year 2 have had an exciting week starting our new book The Tin Forest, the children have loved the start of the story and are eager each day to find out what is happening next.

We have been contacted by Wyre Forest District Council and specifically their Financial Inclusion Team. Many people in the Wyre Forest District are currently struggling with the cost of living crisis. They are a team that can offer support, advice and signposting to services that are available. They can also check if people are in receipt of the correct benefits and help with Council Tax arrears. They would like to reach as many families who maybe in need of support. Please see the leaflet below for further information.

This week Year 5 have been investigating the different types of reproduction in plants, researching the importance and significance of Lourdes within the Catholic faith and have had focus on Anti-Bullying. We watched the brilliant animation, Lou, and thought about what this taught us about bullying. We then wrote a letter in role to the main character thanking them for helping us to change our behaviour and for helping us to see how our actions can affect others negatively. Year 5 did a wonderful job of this and it was lovely to see them show their empathy and understanding for others.

We are holding our annual Advent Calendar raffle next week with the first prize of a 'Smiggle' calendar worth £35 and two smaller prizes of chocolate calendars. Tickets are 50p and will be available for the children to buy every day next week. 

We look forward to seeing many of you at Mass on Sunday morning.

KE Savage

Principal