I just wanted to take this opportunity to tell you about the role of PARENT governor at our school. It is the Local Governing Body who are responsible for ensuring that the children at Saint Wulstan's receive the best possible quality of education and care.  Local Governing Body members do this through meeting regularly and visiting the school, in order to gain an understanding of how the school operates, what its strengths are and the challenges that the school faces. 

We have a dedicated team of Local Governing Body members who represent both the Parish and the families here at school. We meet as a Local Governing Body once every half-term – the maximum number of meetings is 6 per year and these can take place either virtually or in person and we aim that they last for no more than 2 hours each.  Governors are also encouraged to visit the school during the day to gain more of an insight of how things work and to carry out specific monitoring.  The term of office for this role is usually a commitment for 4 years.

Being a Governor is a valuable role that enables not just the chance to make a difference to the lives of our children but also a valuable personal development opportunity.  Training and development opportunities are provided for governors and these enable governors to develop the skills required to deliver effective governance.

Next week I will send out details about how you can apply for the role of parent governor. Please consider this role as it is a great way to make a difference.

This half term during PE, Reception Class have been building their fine and gross motor skills. This week in particular the children have been playing games to support their ability to negotiate space successfully. They have been thinking about what space means and using this knowledge to avoid obstacles and each other in order to use their space well. The class have also enjoyed practising moving in different ways by looking at jumping and leaping to make their way across the hall. We have been very impressed by the children's motivation to slow down their actions to be able to really focus on and practise the skill. Well done Reception Class!

This week Key Stage 1 have been learning about the importance of using a key when producing a map in Geography. In Science, they have been looking at identifying mammals. In Maths they have been using part whole models to support with their addition and subtraction. In English they have been continuing to build up their writing skills based around the book Supertato. We are very proud of the progress that the children have made with their writing.

This week in Year 3 the children have been learning about the Palaeolithic era of the Stone Age in history. They have been using pictures of artefacts found in caves to infer what life might have been like during this period of history. The children were also able to apply some of their knowledge that they have learnt from reading Stone Age Boy in English and worked out immediately that flint could be used to make tools. In Science the children were excited to continue learning about skeletons. This week they looked at different joints of the body and were able to identify whether a joint is a hinge or ball and socket joint and what both of these do. They were all really looking forward to telling you where these joints are on the human body and all of the other information that they have learnt about skeletons.

Year 4 have started their new RE unit this week, with the focus being on prayer. They have enjoyed improving their understanding of the Our Father and learning some Jewish prayers linked to Jesus's childhood. In French, they had their first lesson on 'Pets' and have shown real focus and interest in developing their French vocabulary. In PE, the children are developing some effective social and teamwork skills which they are now transferring into other areas of their school life. The children have also enjoyed learning about classification keys in Science and how scientists use these to identify and group living things.

This week, Year 5 have started studying miracles in their RE sessions. They first studied the Calming of the Storm and then retold this using drama. Miss McGowan said that she was very impressed with the performances. In PE, the children have been continuing to practise their passing skills in netball and then also had a go at shooting. In Art, the children built upon their continuous line drawings and began to trace over their images by writing words that described themselves. These drawings will eventually form a mixed media portrait, using line drawing, watercolour and they may even experiment with forms of printing!

Year 6 started the week with two training sessions. Eleven pupils became Wellbeing Champions. They aim to promote positive mental health by providing peer-to-peer support, being good role models and listeners and building awareness of where to go for support. The Wellbeing Champions will be presenting an assembly to the rest of the school and explaining their approach to supporting wellbeing. The remaining 12 pupils have become The Sports Crew. They will be supporting events such as sports day, inter house competitions and any other sporting events. They will plan events, put out equipment, encourage all participants and will be excellent role models. Well done to all the Year 6 pupils on their training.

Reminders

October is Dwarfism Awareness Month and this year, in order to raise awareness and raise money for charity, we will be having a non-uniform day on Wednesday 25 October. Children will be invited to come to school in either their own clothes or wear green clothes/accessories (green is the official colour for this event) in return for donating £1. We will begin the week by having a whole school assembly on Monday 23 October and also come together on Wednesday 25 October in the hall for a further opportunity to learn and educate ourselves. For further information and resources, please visit the Little People UK website at https://littlepeopleuk.org/

Parent Evening booking slots are open - the link for booking is below. If you have any difficulties in booking a meeting, please contact the school office.

October - Month of the Holy Rosary
The month of October is dedicated to the holy Rosary as the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary falls on the 7th October. At Saint Wulstan's we believe that the best way to celebrate the month is, of course, to pray the Rosary. Every Tuesday, KS2 children have gathered together to pray a decade of the Rosary.

Macmillan Coffee Afternoon
The Mini Vinnies would like to say a huge 'Thank you!' to everyone who supported our MacMillan coffee afternoon this year, either by baking, donating or coming to enjoy coffee and cake with us in school. This year the Mini Vinnies raised £100 and they are grateful that so many families set aside the time to attend - the atmosphere in school was lovely!

Harvest Mass
Year 6 led our whole school Harvest Mass where we gave thanks for all the wonderful food that we have been given. During our Mass, the children prayed for all those people who work hard to provide us with the food and water that we need. We were reminded that we should live simply and in solidarity to look after God's creation so that no one goes hungry. Fr Richard reminded us about all the things in our lives that we should be thankful for and that everything that we have is a gift from God. Thank you to all our families for attending Mass and for the kind donations.

Have a great weekend

Mrs Brocklesby and Mrs Warnett