St Wulstan's - Newsletter 20/01/2023

20 January 2023

Dear Parents and Carers

A slightly belated Happy St Wulstan's Day to you all. We had a lovely celebratory day yesterday which concluded with Mass this morning. Thank you to everyone who joined us both for Mass and coffee afterwards. As ever the children read and sang beautifully, they are a credit to you all.

The children had a lovely afternoon of art and an extra playtime and cake to celebrate, Thank you for your generous donations for non uniform day which raised £130 for a charity which the children will choose.

On Sunday 5 February the children will be leading the singing at 10.00 am Mass. All our families are welcome to attend and we would be grateful if you could return the slip confirming your child/children can join us either in the choir at the front or sitting with you as part of the congregation.

Sacramental Preparation for our Year 3 will commence this term with Mrs Warnett. Mrs Warnett will be holding two parents meetings, the first this coming Wednesday 25 January at 4.00pm in the Year 3 classroom and on Wedenesday 26 April also at 4.00pm. It is important that at least one parent attends these two meetings. The children will receive both the Sacraments of Reconciliation and First Holy Communion this year. First Reconciliation will take place on Saturday 4 March at 10.45am and First Holy Communion will be on Sunday11 June at 10.00am Mass.

Mrs Freitas will prepare our Year 6 Confirmandi for their Confirmation by Bishop David on Tuesday 27 June at 7.00pm. Further information will be shared at a meeting on Wednesday 19 April at 4.00pm in the Year 6 classroom. Again , it is important that at least one parent attends this meeting. Thank you for your support and if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact either myself, Mrs Warnett or Mrs Freitas.

As many of our families know pre COVID our PTA worked tirelessly to organise lovely community events for our children and families eg discos, quizzes, fayres etc. This was a vital part of school life both in terms of community and fundraising. Due to restrictions it needed to be 'rested'.

We wish now to relaunch our PTA and bring back those events as well as new ideas and opportunities. We totally understand people's lives are busy and there is concern over committing to a role. Initially we would just like to host a coffee and cake meeting to talk through what a renewed PTA/Friends of St Wulstan's could look like. What do parents and carers want from this ? What can be offered ? Do we rename? etc. It would initially be more of a fact finding and sharing of ideas opportunity with a coffee and chat. As such Mrs Warnett and I would like to host a meeting this Thursday 26 January at 9.15am in school straight after drop off. Please be assured no pressure will be put on anyone to commit to anything, its for your ideas and support. Please come even if you have no ideas but just want to be part !!! If you are working or unable to attend just please let me know and we can ensure you are updated. It is a real opportunity to create something new and exciting.

A reminder to all Year 5 families that tickets for the Emmaus Pyramid Concert in February are now on sale. The concert, this year held at Birmingham Symphony Hall, is a fabulous very memorable event. The Year 5 children are working so hard with Mr Mallinson from Hagley High School to ensure they perform to the very best of their ability. Tickets can be purchased via ParentPay at £5.00 per ticket. There will also be a DVD of the evening , again to order on ParentPay at £5.00. Any queries please do not hesitate to contact either Miss Mc Gowan or the school office.

The calendar on our school website has been updated. Please check regularly as dates and times of events are added periodically. Thank you

As artists, Reception and Year 1 used clay and natural resources to make faces this week. During their Outdoor Learning session ,the children went on the hunt for twigs, stones and moss to press into their clay to add facial features. The children loved pressing the 'squishy' clay onto the trees before adding natural resources. They had a lovely forest of tree people by the end of our session.

This morning, some of our younger children took part in the ‘Celebration of Sport Festival’ at Baxter College in connection with our Sports Partnership. With support from young leaders, our children had the opportunity to develop their movement, thinking and communication skills by taking part in several multi-skills stations and finishing with some parachute games. The children had a lovely morning and it was wonderful to see them taking part in physical activities with such enthusiasm and enjoyment. Well done!

As part of their celebrations for St Wulstan's Feast Day, the Year 4 children created a piece of art that changes depending on the angle that you look at it. One angle shows the child's face and the other shows St Wulstan. The children are really pleased with the outcome and are looking forward to taking them home and sharing them next week.

This week Reception Class have been learning about Chinese New Year through their story of the week ‘Dragons in the city’. They have written their own wishes for the wishing tree, had a go at lots of different crafts and have enjoyed using chopsticks for mark making and to develop fine motor skills. The home corner has even become a busy Chinese restaurant for the week!

Year 3 have continued to enjoy creating sequences during their gymnastic lessons and this week focused on improving their forward roll. In maths, the children have begun dividing 2-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers using flexible partitioning. They are doing a great job, as this is quite tricky! During St Wulstans’ Feast Day, Year 3 created some super pieces of artwork, showing Saint Wulstan in a stained-glass window. Well done Year 3!

As a school we are committed to safeguarding and meeting the needs of all children. Our children's wellbeing is of paramount importance. If you have any concerns regarding any of our children, then please do not hesitate to contact the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) - for our school this is Mrs Savage. Mrs Warnett is the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead (DDSL) and can also be contacted in Mrs Savage's absence.

Celebrating St Wulstan's Day