The greatest commandment of all; Love one another as I have loved you. Our Year 6 children started our assemblies this week by telling us all about heroes. There have been lots of leaders throughout the world; some good, some bad, but all who we can learn from. The hero that we look to is Jesus Christ. A key message that was delivered as part of the assembly was that we can all be heroes - every single one of us. Our strengths and talents need to be shared with others for the greater good. Every day I see hero behaviour from pupils in our school; they are our greatest teachers. Below is an image of our whole school display in our Worship Area. Every child in the school has been created in the image of God. Together, they make our school family. Thank you to our nursery children who have also been talking about the gifts of Creation - your sunshine, rainbow and flowers are the perfect addition to our display.
In assembly today, we have spoken about another group of heroes. During the month of October, we will be recognising the many black men and women who have been a hero to their community and our world. Black History Month aims to make us all aware of the trailblazers who shown leadership, talent and impact. This year, in particular, we will be highlighting pioneering women. Each class in school will be focusing on one individual. Keep an eye on homework and blogs for more information.
On Thursday 12th October, we will be attending mass for our Harvest Festival. This year, we have decided to collect food donations for our local community and Fylde Foodbank. Don’t forget that we also have our school foodbank too for any donations; just inside the main office area. Over the next few weeks, please can the following items be brought into class.
Nursery - tinned beans
Reception - tinned or packet soup
Year 1 - tinned fruit or vegetables
Year 2 - tinned tuna
Year 3 - tea bags
Year 4 - biscuits
Year 5 - cereal
Year 6 - long life milk/juice
Thank you for your generosity.
Learning beyond the curriculum
The curriculum is an exciting and intertwining web of knowledge that the children have to know before they leave primary school. It is the core of their education. However, there is so much more to learning than this. There are other skills that the children have and do beyond school that add to their knowledge and life experiences. Next Wednesday afternoon, the children will all be swapping teachers and spaces in school to take part in enrichment. This is an opportunity to form relationships with the many other staff that they will come to know during their time at Our Ladys, as well as experiencing something new. Throughout the year, the children will visit each class teacher - I am really excited about this. From learning German, to ballroom dancing, and some gardening too, the children will learn some skills that they may choose to develop further.
I have loved seeing just how many of our pupils have been getting involved with the extra-curricular opportunities that are on offer. Many pupils have represented the school in football and netball this week - see next week’s newsletter for our football teams.
Please do not forget our Proud Cloud too. If your child has done anything outside of school that they are proud of, please send us a photograph so that we can add it to the display and celebrate their talents. Whether it is football, dancing, swimming, musical instruments, brownie badges or cubs, judo - whatever it is we would love to see what you have been up to and to celebrate your achievements.
“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.”
It may seem a few months too early, but we have started to think about remembrance in school. When the castle arrived, I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we used it as the basis for Remembrance Day. A space where we could display some community work.’ Therefore we have a community challenge. We want to make as many poppies as possible that can be attached to netting from the castle. These poppies will need to be suitable to be left outdoors so could be knitted or made out of a plastic bottle. The more poppies the better. So…get your family and friends to start making, ready for our community art installation.
Parents’s Meetings
In a few weeks, there will be the opportunity to speak to your child’s class teacher and find out how they have settled into school this year. Again, we are taking a hybrid approach to hopefully include everyone - a mixture of in school and virtually. You have already been into school as part of induction night to meet your child’s teaching team and see their learning environment.
There is now an opportunity for parents to meet virtually with your child’s teacher. We would like to invite you to a virtual parents’ meeting to discuss your child and to celebrate their achievements. We will be using the same system we used in the past, called SchoolCloud. This will allow you to access the meeting from where ever you are, with no need to wait in school. This can always be tricky, especially if you have multiple children, or have planned October half term holidays. We have found in the past year that parent attendance has been higher virtually, than it was in person. I even had the pleasure of conducting a parents’ meeting whilst the family was on a beach in Mexico!
This platform has no app for you to install, you simply use your web browser, and you will be automatically connected with the teacher at the time you have booked in the appointment schedule. Each appointment will last ten minutes and start at the allotted time. You will then see the time and count down on the screen. Please note: when the countdown ends, the meeting is automatically closed and the next appointment is started, we have no control over this. Please log in and check the audio and visual before your appointment starts.
Within the program there is a facility to add a note when you book. If there is something specific which you would like to discuss, this will enable you to communicate it to the teacher before the meeting.
The available appointments will be on Friday 20th October from 8.30am - 5.30pm. Appointments can be booked from 4pm today by clicking on this link:
When booking, it is crucial that you use your child’s legal forename and surname – those recorded on our school management system. If any part of your child’s name is hyphenated, again it needs to be so when typing in their name. Your own name on Sims is now recorded with one of the following titles Miss, Mrs, Mr or Dr. The system will also ask for an email address so that a reminder can be sent out.
There are two links below which provide support on booking an appointment and how to access the virtual meeting. Please click to find out more.
A GUIDE TO BOOKING APPOINTMENTS
If you are struggling, please contact the school office asap and we can help.
Following this meeting, we will provide opportunities in the Spring term to visit school and sit with your child to look through their wonderful work. The teachers all have an email address too. If you have any worries or concerns, please do email them at the earliest opportunity for it to be discussed.
Learning Role Models of the Week
Learning awards!
Demonstrating our virtues - curious & active!
Our Weekly Attendance
We are incredibly proud, and blessed, to have such a wonderful team of individuals who work at Our Ladys. They love the children unconditionally and strive to ensure that they experience the very best that we can offer them. A key member of our team is Mr Nay. For those of you who know him, and the work he does both in and out of school, you will appreciate just how much of his time he gives to the children - not just at Our Ladys but across the Fylde Coast. His dedication and enthusiasm is palpable. I know that we could not deliver the same quality of physical education that we do without him.
Last night he attended the Best of Lancashire Awards in Burnley where he was awarded the Grass Roots Sports Award for the work that he does. On behalf of the whole school community, thank you and congratulations. We are beyond proud of you and know how much of your own time you give, often when that family time is calling you.
Have a lovely weekend with your family.
God bless
Mrs Gregan