Friday 20 November 2020

Dear Parents

There is so much talk in the media at the moment about Christmas ‘happening’ and many of the children are already asking if Christmas will be ‘happen’ at school. We are reassuring them that Christmas will always happen as we celebrate the birth of Jesus but they understandably love their annual celebrations.  Obviously we cannot come together to produce our Nativity and our Advent Service but every class will produce a short but lovely class Christmas celebration film which parents will be able to see on the class web page at the end of term. A letter will sent out shortly requesting permission for photographs and outlining the secure access of the recording. Christmas Jumper Day will take place on Friday 11 December with our usual request for a donation towards our local food bank. Our Christmas Party Day will take place on Thursday 17 December- sausage and chips are already ordered!  Father Richard will live stream our end of term Mass on the last day of term and after this the children can enjoy their customary Toy Day. We will add further details and reminders in the next few weeks but it is so important in a year of so much uncertainty the children know Christmas at St Wulstan’s is as near to normal as we can possibly make it.

 

Last Friday, your child took home their Home Learning exercise books. These are to be used if your child needs to isolate, or their class bubble closes. Your child's work will be provided via our new Seesaw Learning Platform. Your child's login is in the inside cover of their writing book. Work will not need to be printed, as your child can record their work using the app as well as in their Home Learning book.

Please ensure that:

  • The Home Learning books are kept safely at home until needed
  • Work is recorded neatly in books
  • Home Learning books are returned to school when your child returns to school
  • You remind your child of e-safety rules and expectations when working online

Please contact your child's class teacher if you have any questions regarding Home Learning.

Prior to the March lockdown, some library books were able to be returned to school before closure. Unfortunately, we are still unable to use the library due to Covid restrictions. If your child has their library book at home, we would appreciate it if it could be returned as soon as possible. Mrs Tasker will send out reminder slips as children may be unsure whether or not they had a library book at the time. Please note that the reminders are auto-generated and you do not need to worry about the number of days that the book is overdue! 

This week in the children’s PSHE work they have taken part in Anti Bullying Week. It is so important that the children understand what bullying actually is and also the devastating impact it has on other people. The children were extremely sensible and reflective in their work. However one area that did flag up was their understanding of online bullying . In this digital age and possibly as a result of more time spent interacting with their peers online due to Lockdowns this is causing some concerns for the children. We have encouraged the children to speak to their parents or school staff if they have any worrying text or emails.

An example of the day's work can be illustrated by Year 5. They watched the school assembly produced by the Diana Award and made their own pledge to stop bullying. They thought about who they would talk to if they had a worry or concern and wrote the name of each person on the finger of a hand. The children then discussed and thought about the quote: "In a world where you can be anything: be kind." The children thought of wonderful ideas of how they could show this in their everyday lives and how important it was to show kindness to everyone ( in real-life and online). The children then made friendship bracelets to remind them that they will always have a friend to talk to and to remind them to always be kind to others.

On Tuesday the whole school enjoyed our annual Retreat Day with OneLife music with Dan and Emily. This was a virtual Retreat with specific focus for each class centred on the theme of ‘Unique and Valuable’. This built beautifully on our PSHE and RE teaching that we are all made in the image and likeness of Christ with our own gifts, uniqueness and purpose. We hope you enjoy the photographs of the children’s work as much as everyone enjoyed the afternoon. There are also a couple of video clips on our Facebook page.

We hope soon to move to provision of hot lunches and are awaiting confirmation of arrangements from our caterers. We will update you as soon as possible.

 

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 contact me. Applications for Reception Class 2020 must be completed online by 15 January 2020. If you require any assistance please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Brown in the office.

I have been contacted this week yet again by a local resident who has not been able to access or exit their own driveway because a parent has parked inconsiderately. Please park sensibly and safely as I cannot dismiss the children safely and be out on the road managing parking. For everyone's safety please approach and exit school as quickly as possible with no waiting or lingering on the pavement or road outside. We will continue to do everything we can to keep our school COVID safe and thank you for your support with these requests.

Wulstan’s Lodge are holding three days of Holiday Club, Monday 21st December – Wednesday 23rd December 2020 for children aged 2 – 11 years 08:00 - 17:00 £25.00 per day with 10% sibling discount. The children will enjoy Festive fun, activities & Christmas crafts. For further details or to book a place contact Sally Bache on  01299 829032

We are very pleased to say that Father Richard is now live streaming Sunday 10 am Mass. To access please visit the Parish website and follow the link on the home page at  stwulstanstourport.org.uk

Can I please remind parents that if your child or a member of your household tests COVID positive that you contact school immediately so we can put procedures in place for the safety of everyone. This is especially important over a Saturday and Sunday so please email the school office as we check the emails regularly on a weekend for COVID concerns. Please email during school hours for any other issues or concerns. Thank you

We hope you have a lovely weekend and keep safe.

KE Savage

Emmaus CMAC
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