With the new half term, sunshine has arrived and renewed hope for the remainder of the year ahead. Our new virtues for this half term is to be grateful and generous. Through myhappyMind, we are really challenging ourselves to have an attitude to gratitude; to really appreciate what we have and to say thank you - more times than we may want to complain about something, which is often really hard. We are also looking at how we can be generous, especially with our time. This week I have seen so many children be generous with their time in supporting our younger children (more about that later).
As we continue to journey through the Year of Hope for the jubilee, I have challenged each class to create their door of hope; a door in which when we pass through, we will see God on the other side in the faces and action of our community. They are absolutely beautiful, I am sure you will agree.
Next week, the journey to the cross will begin as we start Lent together. On Wednesday, we will be walking down to church for Ash Wednesday. It is one of the most important dates in the Catholic calendar; we would love for you to join us if you can. Don’t forget to make your lenten boxes and bring them into school next week.
“Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.”
I am really hoping that the children have come home from school this week telling you all about the changes that we have made to playtime at school this week. With the opening of the new kitchen, it gave us the opportunity to really think about how this would be integrated into school life. After the pandemic, we kept three break and lunchtimes operating, which took a large part of the day and meant the playground and hall was out of action for some time. It also meant that the children were sat in the hall eating their dinner longer than they needed to be; often for 10 minutes after they had finished. Play is so important and it is here that they learn a lot about problem-solving, creativity and negotiation. We have therefore increased playtimes to 20 minutes instead of 15, and made lunch into 50 minutes but giving the children flexibility to head outside to play as soon as they have finished their dinner, they no longer have to wait. Different classes are also sat together in the hall giving our older children real leadership experience. The children have been utterly amazing this week with it and lunch service has gone from 1 hour 20 minutes to 40 minutes; thus maximising play!
After a week of settling into our new kitchen, the team are ready to tweak the menu next week (still within the current electrical limitations that we have). Therefore there will be more hot elements; pasta is back!
Learner and Virtue award winners
Office News
Thank you to everyone who has settled their payments on Parent Pay for last half term. Please can you all make sure you regularly visit Parent Pay to keep on top of things that appear and then any errors can be sorted quickly. Mrs Nel and Mrs Howe work so hard in the office to ensure everything is as it should be; but if you have any questions at all, please just give them a ring. Dinner money for this half term is 34 x £2.50 = £85.00.
Upcoming School Events
Please do not forget the events that are coming up over the next half term. Next Thursday is World Book Day; one of our favourite days of the year. There are lots of ideas of what the children can come dressed as; not always in costume. Please just have fun and come in what the children are comfortable in. We will also be doing a book swap on that day. Each child needs to bring a book in from home that they would like to swap with a friend in their class. Sustainability is key!
On Friday 21st March - own clothes day and bring an Easter Egg for the Easter Raffle. Also on this day, Greg Anderson from Lytham Hall will be joining us in school to help the children make a ‘People we love’ planter. These are optional to be made and will cost £6 to cover the cost of the experience. Mrs Nel will pop it on Parent Pay and if you would like your child to be part of it, we will take payment as confirmation. Greg will talk the children through the different plants used and each child will make it for someone they love.
Finally…You may remember a couple of weeks ago I mentioned that we will be taking delivery of 180 saplings and hedge row to extend our Forest School area and to protect the canopy too. They have been dispatched and we are expecting delivery imminently. We would love for members of our community to join us to help us - if you can please do. Next Friday afternoon, there will be a planting session where the saplings will be placed. We need support for this and your help. If you can live out our virtue of generosity - being generous with your time - then please fill in the form below so we know how many to expect. Don’t forget 2ltr bottles too!
Thank you so much for the Food Bank donations for February, they have been blown away with our school’s contributions. The food is being collected on Tuesday ready for us to start collecting for March. In March, it is biscuits. Please can you buy an extra packet of biscuits with your weekly shop and send it in throughout the month of March.
I am beyond grateful for the generosity that is shown to our school by our community. There is an awful lot going on to create memories for the children. School life is buzzing. Please do keep an eye on the school calendar and weekly blogs to ensure you are all up to date.
God bless
Mrs Gregan