In this Sunday’s Gospel, we will hear about The Good Shepherd; someone who knows their sheep and their sheep know them. Someone who will always seek out the sheep who need their support and love the most; someone who will go out of their way to ensure that their sheep return. This is what Jesus does to us.
It seems fitting that this Sunday in church, Father Peter will be sharing this Gospel message with us on the week of his 50th anniversary of ordination, 10 of which have been spent at our parish. Father Peter does not like fuss, or any form of compliment; he simply sees himself as a servant of our faith and that it has been his vocation in life to act on the will of Christ. I cannot think of someone more who deserves the celebrations and gratitude that will be coming his way this week. On Thursday morning, we will be walking down to church to celebrate the start of his jubilee, just in the way that he will want it; through prayer, scripture and song. It would be wonderful if as many as our school community that we can fit inside the church came - please do join us if you are able to. The children will be walking down at 9.05am from school, we will desperately need walkers to support us. These events happen very rarely in anyone’s life or the life of a priest. Let’s make it a true celebration for someone who gives us so much of himself.
There is an event in the Parish Centre for Father Peter next Sunday afternoon. I know that many of you will already be going. Please see the parish newsletter for more information.
Learning Role Models of the Week
Virtue Butterflies - Children being Learned and Wise
Learning Role Models
There has been so much learning taking place in school this week. I have loved popping in and out of classes; hearing all of the wonderful experiences and opportunities that are coming the children’s way. I walked into the Year 1 classroom the other day to see the table tops full of different types of food. The children were having to work out, through scientific clues, if the food was a fruit or a vegetable. Year 5 are fully involved in their crime and punishment unit of work, exploring the laws of our country and making some discoveries of their own. They have also walked down to Hope Street Park today to see the bulbs that were planted by their hands last year. Year 6 are working so very hard preparing for their end of year assessments - I have had the pleasure of teaching them this week and will do next week. Year 2 children have got an exciting week planned next week as they take on Shakespeare. Please have a look at the website blogs that the teachers have written to share your child’s learning with you.
With the arrival of the sunshine (we hope) comes the start of the gardening club again in school. Mrs Mather and her little helpers have been busy preparing the ground, moving soil and planting potatoes this week. We are really hoping that we can update the outside grounds further this summer and may need a team of able parent helpers to support and project manage. Watch this space for how you can get involved!
Our Weekly Attendance
Attendance Update…
My attendance officer came to see me this week for my termly update and check in. He is always happy with our attendance figures and how we work together as a community to ensure that any leave of absence is reduced to a minimum.
Whilst he was here, we looked at the new attendance guidance that will become statutory in September. These are some of the main points to be mindful of:
A child’s attendance will be analysed every 10 weeks to ensure that they meet level of attendance that is required in school.
Holiday requests will be on a rolling analysis for 3 years. For example, if you ask for a holiday out of school, in the 1st year, there will be a penalty notice. If this is repeated, in the 2nd year, the penalty notice will be issued but it will be at the highest amount. In the 3rd year, it will be legal action.
The government are really promoting high attendance and trying to crack down on term time holidays. The guidance will be really clear. I will share this in more detail as we approach the summer holidays. I am planning on developing a termly newsletter with key information for you going forward.
We are still urging people to park safely around the school perimeter and to monitor their speed on their approach to the school. Being in a residential area means the roads are narrow and often congested. Please be mindful of this in the coming weeks.
The school calendar for this term is now populated on the main page. There is lots of opportunites for the children and events taking place. I am currently working on the calendar for 2024/2025 with the hope of releasing all of the important dates and events for the year in September. You will also receive the holiday list for the following academic year, giving you plenty of time to get your diaries organised for the year ahead. Hopefully the more notice we can give you on things, the more available that you will be.
Have a lovely weekend with your families.
God bless
Mrs Gregan