"Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much."

Happy New Year. I truly hope that you have all had a special time with your friends and family this Christmas. The festive period is always so busy, with so much to do and so many people to see, it can be hard to keep up or remember the true meaning of Christmas - we certainly felt this in school at times. However, the moments of stillness or silence that we experienced enabled us to reflect and to be.

I cannot begin to tell you all how lovely it has been to reconnect with the school community this week - it feels like I have never been away. To have been appointed as head teacher at this wonderful school is such a great privilege. I have said this numerous times, but the community of Our Lady’s is an incredibly special one. The love and compassion that is evident in school is felt daily and is witnessed in lots of different ways. In assembly this week, we introduced our two new virtues for this half term: learned and wise. I have tasked the children to be learned in finding God in all things and to be wise in how we can use this learning for the common good. Ultimately we want to bring the Kingdom of God alive here on earth; alive in the community of Our Lady Star of the Sea.

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Today, the whole school visited 9.30am Mass to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. We talked about the meaning of the word epiphany and how the kings had this moment of realisation; they had to visit the baby Jesus lying in the manger. It was lovely that we were visited by our own three wise men who took part in the offertory procession and offered their gifts to the nativity in church. Father Peter reminded us to follow our own star, our own path to Jesus.

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Good News

After keeping her Mummy and Daddy waiting for 2 weeks past her due date, Miss Woodend’s little girl arrived just before the new year. I am sure you will join me in sending Miss Woodend, and her family, a huge congratulations. We cannot wait to meet Millie - I am sure the children in Year 2 will be beyond excited when they finally do.

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Looking forward

As we move towards half term, and beyond to Easter, please do have a look at the calendar on the front page of the website. There is lots of things that will be happening in school over the coming weeks - some that you will be able to come and spend time in school too.

We are planning to hold some drop in sessions around our curriculum. Time when you can come and understand further how to help your child at home and ask questions about things that you aren’t too sure about. We will let you know when they are coming up and how you can then book onto them.

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Office News

Thank you so much to all families for coming back to school so organised, remembering all the things needed for the day, no mean feat after 2 weeks holiday and having to meet those early starts! We’ve not needed to ring anyone for forgotten items which is brilliant!

Sorry to bang on about dinner money the first week back but we end it with 27 dinner accounts in debit, some from Autumn term. Dinners must be paid for in advance, unless there are exceptional circumstances and they have been communicated to Mrs Gregan or the Office. We would always deal discreetly with these. Please ensure that you are in credit for dinners by Monday morning. If any accounts are in arrears, we shall have to ask parents to provide a packed lunch until there is a credit balance showing. Please don’t let this happen - we really don’t like making those calls!

Dinners are still £2.40 each and will be £67.20 for the half-term.

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEPTION 2023

A note to all prospective parents: the closing date for primary school applications is 15th January 2023. Please ensure that if you are applying, and using faith as the basis for your application, that you have completed the supplementary form which can be found under admissions on the website and dropped it off into the school office, along with a copy of your child’s baptismal certificate. Please don’t delay bringing in the supplementary form if you have mislaid the baptismal certificate.

Finally, have a lovely weekend with your families. The weather seems to be so inconsistent at the moment, I hope that you find some sunshine.

God bless,

Mrs Gregan

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Have a Happy and Holy Christmas - one and all

We have made it to the end of a very busy term. We have welcomed new families and new staff to our school and we are all the richer for them! We have said our last goodbyes to Miss Brisco and Mrs Malley today - thank you to everyone who sent images of their pets - it made our assembly fun and personal! I know that both ladies would want to thank everyone for their kind words. I too leave this post as Acting Head teacher it has been a pleasure to serve and I can’t wait for Mrs Gregan to lead us in January!

We return on Wednesday 4th January.

Finally, I thought it would be perfect to share with you something that happened to our school choir on Monday! Miss Drummond took the choir to perform our concert songs at Stella Matutina in Lytham. To save money the group went on the bus. Once seated the children began to sing Silent Night. The whole bus joined in including the driver! Back at school Mrs Hodges received a phone call from two of the bus passengers who explained what had happened and that the sharing of this moment with the children had simply made their Christmas.

Let us all continue to spread the joy of this season. Let us never forget:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it
 with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.”  -Isaiah 9:6-7

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Final Office News for 2022

We can only start with our heartfelt thanks for all the kindness, patience and love we have received from you all this term. Our very best wishes to you all for a peaceful, happy and holy Christmas.

On the news front, lovely Pam our St Alban’s Rd /St Patrick’s Rd crossing lady has now retired after many years seeing our children and St Thomas’ children across the junction. We all got to say goodbye to Pam - she’s advised us that there is a vacant position, should anyone have an interest, do contact School Crossing Patrol office on 01772 646 810 (Geoff Purcell).

It would not be the Office if we didn’t mention dinner money! We’ll have your up to date balance on Parent Pay by the end of the afternoon. Please settle if you are in debit - let’s go into the New Year and a new term with everyone in credit! Next half term is 28 days long, from 4th January to 10th February and dinners for the half-term, still at £2.40 per day, will be £67.20.

Look forward to seeing everyone in the New Year!

Star of Wonder Star of Night Guide us to your Perfect Light

What joy has filled our school this week as Year 1 and Year 2 children performed their beautiful nativity! Every song was sung with love and every word spoken with meaning. It was so heart-warming to see the children helping one another throughout. A special thank you too to the wonderful audiences - it was a beautiful community occasion.

Following these wonderful performances, on Thursday our Key Stage 2 children filled the altar at church with song, celebration and words of comfort. There really is nothing like the voices of children at Christmas. The whole event felt like the star being placed on the top of the Christmas tree and we are all ready for the Big Day!

The children have found themselves on “ice play”! We regularly have “wet play” when the rain comes, but I can’t remember a time when the ice on the playground was so bad! Luckily on Wednesday and Thursday, the sun came out and eventually the ice melted away from the concrete. The field, on the other hand, remained a beautiful festive white.

Even though we have celebrated a great deal this week, the children have continued with their learning. Year 4 took a trip to the university in Preston to explore their new science topic - “materials” and Reception have been recounting the story of the nativity for their beautiful RE floor book. I have also spotted the writing of reports in Year 3 and lots of maths in Years 5 and 6.

Finally, There was a real buzz of excitement as our legendary Key Stage 2 Christmas Party took place back in the hall!! All the juniors were together to party for the first time since 2019!! We played party games and danced the morning away! What a great end to the week! Key Stage 1 will have their Christmas Party on Monday and I’m hopeful that a very special guest may come!

Our Lady Stars!

Our lady Stars

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Office News

NATIVITY DVD’s

If you would like to download the Foundation Nativity or the Key Stage 1 Nativity and keep it digitally for ever, please pay on Parent Pay:

Foundation £10

Year 1 and Year 2 £12

Following payment, Mrs Hodges will receive the codes that final Monday, 19th December, from Ed Greenberg our film maker and will send you an envelope containing what you need to download over the internet.

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEPTION 2023

A note to all prospective parents: the closing date for primary school applications is 15th January 2023. Please ensure that if you are applying, and using faith as the basis for your application, that you have completed the supplementary form which can be found under admissions on the website and dropped it off into the school office, along with a copy of your child’s baptismal certificate. Please don’t delay bringing in the supplementary form if you have mislaid the baptismal certificate.

Dinner Money - The Dinner Money is £67.20 for our next half -term. Please can we ensure that anyone taking dinners in January is in credit as we start the term and that payment is made in advance. Thank you so much - so many of you do this already and it is appreciated.

Gifts for Staff

Please note that every year we remind parents that there is never an expectation that gifts are given at Christmas in school. This is very pertinent this year, many of us find ourselves financially stretched and it can be hard for children to see gifts being given when their family is struggling. Making a teacher a card or hand made gift that costs nothing - is magical.

School and Nursery close on Tuesday 20th December - Please note that school and nursery close at 2pm and 2:10pm on our final day.

Housepoint Winners!

HARCOURT have won after a close fought race!

That means Harcourt can come to school on Tuesday in their house colours! Well done!!

Attendance:

Attendance

Well done Year 3 and Year 5!

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Important Reminder

Earlier this term we notified you of changes to our Food Management Policy. We understand that we can never guarantee a nut free school but we are managing this with a policy that asks all community member not to bring nut snacks, this includes peanut butter. I have attached the Food Management Policy here and the schools snack list as a reminder for the new year.

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Keeping Christ at the centre of our Christmas celebration

As we approach the end of term on Tuesday - there will be many plans a-foot. We have placed the Mass times here for you too. It would be lovely to fill the church with our families on Christmas Eve at 4pm (family mass).

CHRISTMAS EVE Masses at 4.00pm (Family Mass) & 8.00pm

CHRISTMAS DAY Masses at 9.30am (Family Mass) & 11.00am There will be carols sung at all Masses.

There will be Children’s Liturgy at 9.30am on Christmas Day and the 4.00pm Mass on Christmas Eve will be a Family Mass.

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"You have filled my heart with greater Joy" Psalm 4:7

As the third week of Advent begins, we reflect on the joy Jesus’ birth brings into the world and there was no better word than JOY to describe our Foundation nativity performances this week. It was simply magical to watch the children. I have never had the privilege of watching alongside parents and grandparents and what a joy it was - the highlight of my Christmas so far! Thank you for being a wonderful audience and for all your kind words!

Joy to the world!

On a number of occasions this week the school has been half empty! Key Stage 2 have been practising their concert in church and on Wednesday -Years 5, 3 and 1 walked to Mass together. Year 5 looked after the younger children so attentively - thank you Year 5. Today half of Year 1 disappeared for their Geography fieldtrip and Year 2 are buzzing with excitement - they can’t wait to perform their play next week!

Assembly today was a riot of colour as we all came to school in Christmas colours! We have so far raised £178 just short of our total - with a few pounds coming in a little later. Thank you so much children- Mrs Shields will order the animals on Tuesday!

Next week we have our Year 1 and 2 Nativity on Tuesday and Wednesday morning at 9:30am. All tickets have been sent out with the children - please check school bags. On Thursday the whole of Key Stage 2 will be performing at church at 2pm and 7pm. After this on the Friday, the Key Stage 2 children will have their Christmas party! Please check your child’s class blog as there is a lot more going on!

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Christmas Dinner Monday 19th December

Our annual Christmas dinner fast approaches. All the staff join the children in a festive feast! It is important that we know the precise numbers for Jacqui, our wonderful chef! Could you please take a few seconds to complete the form below for your child- please click on the correct class. The meal is free for Key Stage 1 and those children on free school meals. For Key Stage 2 the meal is £2:40 - this can be paid in advance on ParentPay.

Please complete the form whether it is a yes for a meal or a no -

that would really help us!

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Office News

DVD’s

If you would like to download the Foundation Nativity or the Key Stage 1 Nativity and keep it digitally for ever, please pay on Parent Pay:

Foundation £10

Year 1 and Year 2 £12

Following payment, Mrs Hodges will receive the codes that final Monday, 19th December, from Ed Greenberg our film maker and will send you an envelope containing what you need to download over the internet.

CLOSING DATE FOR RECEPTION 2023

A note to all prospective parents: the closing date for primary school applications is 15th January 2023. Please ensure that if you are applying, and using faith as the basis for your application, that you have completed the supplementary form which can be found under admissions on the website and dropped it off into the school office, along with a copy of your child’s baptismal certificate. Please don’t delay bringing in the supplementary form if you have mislaid the baptismal certificate.

Gifts for Staff

Please note that every year we remind parents that there is never an expectation that gifts are given at Christmas in school. This is very pertinent this year, many of us find ourselves financially stretched and it can be hard for children to see gifts being given when their family is not able. Making a teacher a card or hand made gift that cost nothing - is magical. Every year when I decorate my tree I take out of the decorations box, a small stocking a child sewed for me years and years ago - I love that little stocking!

Staff changes for Year 2 and 3 - Dear Year 2 and 3 Parents - please read your class blog as there is important information in relation to who will be teaching your child in the new year.

School closes - Please note that school and nursery close at 2pm and 2:10pm on the last Day, Tuesday 20th December

Attendance

We have had some sickness this week - but we are all soldiering on!

Attendance

Well done Year 3!

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News Beyond the School

Parish Events

Saying Goodbye

Our Deacon Bill is relocating to be near his growing family. Bill and his lovely wife Julie are having a leaving party on 10th December from 6 to 9pm in the Parish Centre. The whole family is welcome and a free buffet will be provided along with music from Bill’s band ‘The Jags’. Please do come along to meet other parishioners at this special time of the year.

Food Bank

Thank you for your generous donations which were extremely appreciated by the Wesley’s Larder at the Methodist Church, please keep donating items shown on the list by the boxes. Wesley’s Larder is open to local people to collect food Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays from 11.30am to 1.30pm while the associated community café is open every Tuesday and Thursday from 9.30am to 1.00pm to feed the community for free. Everyone’s welcome and one of the Café’s aims is to combat loneliness. More details on the Parish website.

Affordable Warmth Grant
 A new scheme to help vulnerable residents in Fylde keep their homes warm is now available.
The Affordable Warmth Grant allows qualifying residents to apply for up to £2,000 per household. 

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Advent - Wednesday word

Take a moment away from the crowds, the parties and the stresses of Christmas and listen to his word.

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Finally, there have been many moments this term when as an Acting Head teacher I have needed time to stop and think before making decisions- I was not expecting to have to deal with a wayward swan! I just want to say a massive thank to Mr Couch for keeping us and the swan safe. We returned this morning and he had flown.

Have a wonderful weekend.

God Bless - only 7 more school days.

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"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase".

As we enter the second week of advent, the anticipation grows here in school. The hall is filled with nativity songs and the lights are twinkling. Miss Neves has creatively displayed the printed hands and artwork families produced at our “grateful and generous” station on curriculum evening. I have include pictures below. I know many of you will be able to see the display when you come to watch the nativities over the next fortnight - you are in for a real treat!

This week has seen classes disappearing on trips. On Monday Year 5 went outward bound at Lytham Hall and as I write, Year 3 and Year 4 are walking down to the parish centre to watch the pantomime- “Oh no they’re not!!!” “Oh yes they are!!!”

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Teachers Retiring

There comes a time in everyone’s career when it is time to say goodbye to school. Teaching is a joyous job one full of unexpected moments, magical memories and much loved children. This Christmas, both Miss Brisco and Mrs Malley have decided to retire. These decisions have been taken with heavy hearts. In assembly today we shared the news. The children have experienced a lot of change in school recently, but every new arrival has been welcomed with open arms and each cherished member leaving has left a little piece of themselves with us. Once a member of the Our Lady’s family always a member. The children in Year 3 have received a special letter, this explains that our new teacher Mrs Marham will be teaching in Year 3 alongside Miss Bassett.

I’m sure you will want to wish Miss Brisco and Mrs Malley all the very best.

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CAFOD AT ADVENT

We had a very exciting and enthusiastic school council meeting today. The children would like the 9th of December (next Friday) to be a special day - a day when we think of those less fortunate than ourselves at Christmas. We would like every member of the school community to come dressed in Christmas colours. In return for this festive fun we like you to bring a donation of £1. We will pool all this money together to buy a CAFOD World Gift. The school council would like to buy the following: A cow, a goat, a chicken and a queen bee. There was much excitement as these gifts reminded the children of the animals in the stable.

Can you dress in Christmas colours and help?

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Office News

Tickets for the Foundation Nativity (Nursery and Reception) plays have now been organised into small brown envelopes. Mrs Hodges and Mrs Shields have been checking and double checking to ensure everyone has the correct allocation. The children have been given the tickets to hand over to you - please check school bags! If you would like tickets for the Key Stage 1 Nativity on Tuesday 13th December or Wednesday the 14th December please click on the button below.

Attendance

Well done Year 1!

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News Beyond the School

Parish Event: If you are free tomorrow why not pop along to the parish pantomime Sleeping Beauty. It is the final performance day tomorrow: a matinee 2.00pm and evening performance at 7:00pm Tickets £8. Tickets are available from Jeanette 07742590265 or from Storytellers on the Crescent.

Fylde Rugby have a Christmas rugby & multi-sport camp coming up on the dates of the 20th/21st and 22nd of December. Please press here for more details

Warm Spaces
There are lots of warm spaces around Fylde this winter . Why not visit one with friends, have a brew, play a game, or have a chat? All the while saving money on heating your home and it's completely free! Click here for a list of local warm spaces!

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Do you need help with the cost of living?

We are aware that times are changing and we each find ourselves facing new challenges everyday. Here at school we are always here ready to listen and help. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need to. Last week we were contacted by the St Vincent de Paul Society. This charity is able to help anyone in need. If you require support with a bill or essential item they may be able to help. All they need is your name and the “purpose” of the grant. There is no requirement to pay anything back. If you need this help please ring Peter on 01253 721 481. If anyone is a little hesitant about this them do ring the office and speak to Mrs Hodges, as we have a good working relationship with the SVP and can hopefully reassure you. As you know everything is completely confidential within school, and we simply want to help if we can.

In relation to any financial worry we have created a link here we hope it is useful.

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This Gospel - Second Week of Advent.

If you have a moment to stop and reflect here is this weeks Gospel to guide and support

Dear all have a wonderful weekend with family and friends.

Advent - HOPE, PEACE and JOY

I cannot believe that I’m writing about Advent already! Today, after school, magical little elves visited the hall - one carrying a rather large tree! When the children return on Monday the office area and hall will have been transformed! At the heart of these decorations are the children’s Advent Promises. We have all had time this week to think about Advent- the season of reflective preparation. We may all be busy getting Christmas decorations and gifts ready - but we must never forget to be ready - to prepare our hearts for the overwhelming gift of God himself.

Last week was so very busy and inevitably we have followed it by fewer staged or external happenings this week but it would be a mistake to imagine that it has been anything less than extremely busy. All around school there are hives of activity from classes enjoying exciting learning to sounds of beautiful singing as our Nativities and Christmas concerts slowly start to take shape and a small amount of practising has begun. We never spend too long on this as we want the children to love what they do, sing with joy and enthusiasm as they celebrate the birth of that very special baby and communicate their delight with their families during the performances!

Mrs Nel has been very busy counting the money which you raised through your sponsors for our Sporting event with Stuart Robinson. How kind and generous everyone has been. Once the final amount has been made known, we will share it with you. Sport and the resilience children develop through playing, and through trying their best can make such a positive difference to their lives. We have inevitably been talking to the children about football this week as the World Cup started in Qatar – teachers have been talking to older children about different human rights issues and they have been so impressed with the children’s interest, understanding, and maturity – Mr Cornwell had some very rewarding discussions in Year 5.

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OFFICE NEWS

We’ve been checking forms from the link attached to last week’s newsletter, for our Foundation Stage Nativity Play which is taking place on Wednesday 7th December and Thursday 8th December at 9:30. Well done, so far we have 21 responses from Nursery and 24 from Reception so we’re nearly there with ticket orders. We are putting the payment for tickets onto ParentPay today and parents are asked for a donation of £2 per ticket. You should only make payment when you have booked your tickets through last week’s newsletter form. You will need to use your ParentPay logins sent last week – if you already use ParentPay for a sibling, instructions are there, on the log in, to help you link accounts. Nursery parents are sending in cash, in named envelopes to Barbara and her team. We are preparing tickets to be sent out, in envelopes, via Reception and Nursery next week.

Re Key Stage 1 Nativity, it’s now time to request tickets for our 2 performances on Tuesday 13th December and Wednesday 14th December at 9:30. Each Y1 and Y2 family may have up to 4 tickets at £2 each across 2 performances (no more than 2 tickets per performance). We need the form—link attached—to be completed by you no later than Friday 2nd December. Payment can be made on ParentPay and tickets will then be sent out to those who’ve made payment and completed the form. We’ll send tickets out in envelopes via classes, the week beginning Monday 5th December.

We’d just like to remind everyone again that we have a maximum capacity of 120 ticketholders and with the stage plus 60 children, staff and then our audience, the Hall will inevitably be hot and somewhat crowded. We know how much everyone loves seeing their

little ones but advise you, particularly if there are any vulnerable family members, to be aware that this is a confined space. We shall of course be arranging a professional digital film to be made of the play, details will be sent later.

Attendance

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Do you need help with the cost of living?

We are aware that times are changing and we each find ourselves facing new challenges everyday. Here at school we are always here ready to listen and help. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need to. Last week we were contacted by the St Vincent de Paul Society. This charity is able to help anyone in need. If you require support with a bill or essential item they may be able to help. All they need is your name and the “purpose” of the grant. There is no requirement to pay anything back. If you need this help please ring Peter on 01253 721 481. If anyone is a little hesitant about this them do ring the office and speak to Mrs Hodges, as we have a good working relationship with the SVP and can hopefully reassure you. As you know everything is completely confidential within school, and we simply want to help if we can.

In relation to any financial worry we have created a link here we hope it is useful.

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Curriculum Evening

Please enjoy this video that has been put together to celebrate our wonderful curriculum evening.

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News Beyond the School

OLSS Panto – 1st to 3rd December This year the panto at OLSS Parish Centre is Sleeping Beauty It runs from 1st to 3rd December 2022. Performances are 7.30pm each evening with a matinee on Saturday starting 2.00pm. Tickets are £6 for Thursday night (no concession) or £8 (£7 concession) for Friday and Saturday (inc. Matinee). Tickets are available from Jeanette 07742590265 or from Storytellers on the Crescent.

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Together let us make our school our school a special place in which we can prepare for Christmas and its very special message one of hope peace and joy!

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“We don’t heal in isolation, but in community.”

The strength of any community lies within its members. And my, what strength we have within ours. This week has shown, in many different ways, just what a precious community we have. What a week it has been! We’ve had all kinds of weather and so many busy activities in school. It has been wonderful and I think that the children and staff are going home today for some well-earned weekend relaxation.

On Tuesday we had another powerful and thought provoking assembly, this time from our lovely Year 5. They performed so movingly, asking us all to think about God’s beautiful world and our environment, to be filled with gratitude for what we have and to work together and strive to take care of it and to thoughtfully and mindfully, preserve it. The singing too was so beautiful, thank you Year 5. Later that day, there was much excitement as some of our Y5 and Y6 children went off to perform their dance in the evening on stage at the Winter Gardens in a Fylde Dance festival for primary and secondary schools. Our dance team were wonderful, so keen and enthusiastic and everyone gave their absolute best. Miss Bassett and Miss Liddell who’d prepared them for this event were, along with the families, so proud of what they’d achieved and also their patience and excellent behaviour during a very long afternoon and evening. Mrs Hotchkiss who’d gone there in support, was very excited!

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The theme of resilience has run through everything that we have done this week. On Wednesday we were thrilled to welcome our Paralympian Athlete from Sports for Schools, Stuart Robinson MBE, who visited us to inspire the children and set them sporting challenges. As a gold medal winning Paralympian, representing our country in the last Olympic Games, we were honoured to have him with us – Stuart’s presence is so commanding and his resilience and love of life and sport so apparent and he completely won the children over. As you know, he delayed his visit to us due to concussion - wheelchair rugby is a very full on sport! All the children completed sporting challenges and we are very grateful to the many people who sponsored them and we greatly appreciate their donations towards supporting sport and activity in school and raising money for GB athletes to inspire the next generation.

Please do watch the video attached. I cannot apologise for its length (9 minutes) as there were too many wonderful moments not to include. It is the ideal time to sit and watch the film alongside your child; relive the moments with them. The messages that the children received from Stuart’s visit will stay with them for a lifetime.

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CURRICULUM EVENING

One of the hardest aspects of the pandemic was the lack of contact and face to face communication which we crave so much as human beings. As a school, we yearned for that too with our families and we greatly missed having you visit school and sharing events. On Thursday evening we saw the hall filled to the brim, conversations with many familiar and a few newly joined members of staff and families sharing special learning moments with their children. It was great seeing you all being guided around by or with your children, seeing you engage with the various activities we had laid out and being able to see learning through your children’s eyes! We loved meeting you all, welcoming old and new faces and sharing what was on offer during the evening, we hope you all found something new and that it whetted appetites for what lies ahead in your child’s learning journey through school. The whole school community appreciated your support, we’re so grateful for the levels of interest shown and say a big thank you too to all the children who helped make this evening such a great success. It was important to us that the key messages from the evening centred around the Jesuit Virtues which we follow within school. We all strive to be the very best versions of ourselves, to follow in Jesus’s footsteps and to bring the Kingdom of God alive on earth.

Many photographs were taken on the night. We will collate these over the coming week and put a montage together to share and celebrate with you.

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On Friday, bringing this busy week to a close, we had Pyjama day – we all came in wearing our cosiest pyjamas and bringing a cuddly toy and with our pound donation, helped raise some money for Brian House and some very vulnerable children who need our support.

Parents, this week you have been magnificent and supported us in so many ways, thank you!

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OFFICE NEWS

We’ve really loved seeing so many of you at the Y5 assembly this week and then at the Curriculum evening.

As you know, our Foundation Stage Nativity Play is being staged on Wednesday 7th December and Thursday 8th December at 9:30.

Each Nursery and Reception family may have up to 4 tickets at £2 each across 2 performances (no more than 2 tickets per performance). We need the form—link attached—to be completed by you no later than Friday 25th November. Tickets will only be allocated to people who have completed the form and will be sent out in envelopes via classes, the week beginning 28th November. Payment for tickets should be made on ParentPay for Reception children (Parents you will need first to activate your account using the log in letters which we are sending today). Nursery parents can pay for tickets by sending cash in a named envelope please, to Nursery.

We must point out that we have a maximum capacity of 120 ticketholders in the hall and with the stage plus 60 children, staff and audience, the Hall will inevitably be hot and somewhat crowded. We know how much everyone loves seeing their little ones but advise you, particularly if there are any vulnerable family members, to be aware that this is a confined space. We shall of course be arranging a professional digital film to be made of the play, details will be sent later.

Attendance

Well done Year 3!

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Wednesday Word

Please take time to reflect on the Gospel alone or with family. God Bless

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Finally

All we can say after such a fantastic, busy and successful week is thank you so much everyone – what a wonderful community this is, we are truly blessed.

"If you're going to grow you have to be intentional!"

In assembly today we took a moment to reflect and remember all those who have fallen during conflict. We also shared the story of Desmond Doss a soldier who refused to fight and kill - he went to war as an unarmed medic and inspirationally saved the lives of hundreds of soldiers. We noticed that he wanted to be with his friends and he purposefully decided not to fight but to save lives instead. He navigated life to the beat of his own drum and was driven by his faith. We asked the children what can they see that they would like to change intentionally and for the better in our world. Our new virtue is intentional. We are trying to be more intentional in the actions and decisions we make!

Later at 11 O’clock, the school fell silent as we all stood respectfully - thank you children.

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Early this week, Year 1 performed a wonderful assembly- full of song and humour,. We all went away understanding our feelings that little bit better- thank you Year 1! Next week Year 5 take over and it looks like another creative and powerful performance! On Wednesday and Thursday our Reception children welcomed their mummies and daddies to class for a “Stay and Play” session. The children were so excited and I could tell that the parents were too!

Sports for school - Stuart Robinson (Paralympian) - Wednesday 16th November

Sadly, Stuart Robinson our gold medal winning Paralympian, was unable to visit on Friday due to injury. However, this sponsored event has been rescheduled for next Wednesday - please remember your sponsor form and your PE kit!

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CURRICULUM EVENING! THURSDAY 17TH NOVEMBER at 6PM

We have not had a curriculum evening in school since 2019 due to Covid restrictions. This is usually an annual event - we invite all our families back to school to come and share an insight into how our curriculum is changing and developing. While you are here we make sure that you are hopefully engaged and busy! Each area of learning, we would like you to see, involves some level of interaction. Sadly, we can’t possibly show you the whole curriculum- back in 2019 we focused on Maths mastery - and this year we will be showcasing the following:

Phonics - come and watch the staff deliver a phonics session - interactive and eyeopening!

Early reading - understand how phonetical understanding underpins reading and how to engage your child at home

Reading throughout school - discover which books are read as class novels throughout the school from nursery to Year 6 - essential reading books and plays that are the children’s “cultural capital”. Here too you will see how diverse and challenging the texts are. Here is an interesting quote and insight from Harvard: “Good stories do more than create a sense of connection. They build familiarity and trust, and allow the listener to enter the story where they are, making them more open to learning. Good stories can contain multiple meanings so they're surprisingly economical in conveying complex ideas in graspable ways”

You will have seen the school Virtues all around the school. Heard about them in assemblies and on class blogs. But what actually are they and how do the children learn about them? The hall will be full of interactive tasks to help you reflect on these valued school virtues.

There is art in the “Create room” and a film in the “think room” - this film is all about helping your child be more resilient - an essential attribute which we try and encourage, like building up a muscle, to help and flourish in all aspects of school life

Finally, in Year 2 you will be able to relax and flick through slide shows - showing a celebration of all the extra things that happen in school - all the things we have missed during the pandemic- all the things that are coming back!

Our Head Boy and Girl will be here to welcome you with an information leaflet which will include a treasure hunt too!

Can wait to see you!

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Pyjama day - Friday 18th November!

Please wear your pyjamas to school next Friday. Don’t forget to bring a little cuddly friend along too. Oh yes and £1. Your teacher will collect the coins in class. This money will be donated to our local children in need at Brian House.

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Office News

Another week and we’re still chasing unpaid dinner money here and there. Parents, if we text you  about dinners, please have mercy and pay before Monday and put credit on for next week as we get so much hassle from our Finance Officer about dinner debts! It does take us time, checking and texting and occasionally writing or telephoning and life in the Office is very hectic!

We were very impressed by the complete stillness in school at 11am when the bells rang for the 2 minute silence – children had been informed earlier as to what would happen in a very reverent and moving assembly and you could have heard a pin drop as everyone had a silent reflection.

Our Preloved uniform event today seems to have been of use, we still have quite a decent amount of uniform left over so will look as to how to organise our next event. It would be very helpful if you could offer feedback and suggestions on this and send to the office on: bursar@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk  We do have problems storing lots of uniform on site so any creative suggestions are welcome. Thank you so much to everyone who donated and to those who came and made use of what was available. If we can be eco conscious and recycle, it is good for everyone and where we’re all cutting back on heating, tumble drying etc, some extra spares are a bonus.

Attendance

Well done Reception 100% !!!

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News Beyond the School

• Last week, we gave a special, mention for the Advent Celebration meal at the parish centre. This is a family celebration during which the story of Christmas is told through readings and song. The children play a very important role. If you would like to attend and for your child to take part please ring Jane on 07714588068 (for all the details see the Parish newsletter below).

• Opera For the People at Fairhaven! Friday 11th November 7pm

• Streetwise Rugby FyldeRugby Community Foundation, in partnership with Streetwise have a few FREE upcoming events

  Streetwise Walking Rugby!

  2 sessions a week for over 50's!
  Monday mornings 10am - 11am. Wednesday Evenings 7:30pm - 8:30pm
  There is walking rugby, fun activities and refreshments
  
  

Remembrance Sunday in FYLDE

Remembrance Sunday is a national opportunity to remember the service and sacrifice of all who have defended our freedoms and protected our way of life. Parades and gatherings take place once again across the Borough of Fylde, when communities will come together to mark these momentous occasions.

St Annes

Assemble at the Pier car park on North Promenade at 10:30am and proceed (route St Annes Road West and Clifton Drive North, returning via Garden Street and St Annes Road West) to the memorial at 10:38am. Fylde Council’s civic party will be led by Councillor Ben Aitken, Fylde Mayor.

Lytham

Assemble at the Assembly Rooms at 10:30am. Procession to move off at 10:45am to the war memorial via Dicconson Terrace, Henry Street and Queen Street (returning by reverse route). The civic party will be led by Councillor Roger Small, Fylde Deputy Leader.

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This weeks Gospel

When you need time out of your busy day - here is this week’s Gospel for you to read and reflect on. May you have lovely restful weekend - God Bless.

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“Life doesn't get easier or more forgiving, we get stronger and more resilient.”

It has been a pleasure to welcome all the children back to school. Everywhere I have turned I’ve seen children immersed in learning- focused and enthusiastic. Every class seems to have found their stride, relationships secured and with this, a clear sense of belonging and belief. Once we feel this safe and settled, resilience follows. Children know that their efforts and determination will be seen and celebrated and that makes all the difference!

On Tuesday we celebrated All Saints Day in church - a lovely way start our second half term. Year 1 parents are in for a treat next week - I spotted a very joyful assembly practice today. Year 6 have been planning dinner time clubs to run for the younger children and Year 4 allowed all the teachers to watch them take part in a maths lesson, - yes, due to careful planning and strategic cover, ALL the teachers in the same lesson! This is called “Lesson Study”, it is a way for teachers to learn from one another. We are all part of a learning community here and we never stop learning or wanting to move forward!

On Thursday the children came together for a special assembly with our Headteacher to be (January 2023) Mrs Gregan. During the assembly she shared the story of Stuart Robinson. Stuart is a gold medal winning Paralympian, who represented GB in the recent Olympic games in wheel-chair rugby. Together we are going to take part in a Sport for Schools event. Stuart will be inspiring the children and setting them sporting challenges which we are hoping you will sponsor them to complete. Remember, PE kits next Friday. Please see the sports section on the Engage page of the website for more information. Sponsor forms were sent home this week - please check bags.

Finally a little shout out to the new Eco Council. This group is made up of Year 5 volunteers. They are the children who keep the school grounds spick-and-span! On Thursday they joined the community at Hope Park to plant spring bulbs. In under 45 mins they planted almost 200. Well done children - we look forward to seeing the fruits of your labour in Spring!

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IMPORTANT NOTICE

Here at Our Lady’s we encourage the children to bring healthy snacks to eat on the playground. Every day, children come with a wide selection of interesting foods. We have recently reviewed our approach to allergies and, in light of this review, we would like to make changes to our snacks at break time practice. Please press the button below to open our Healthy Snack Guide. Here you will see which snacks we encourage. Please also notice that nuts have been removed and the following is stated:

Our Lady Star of the Sea support the approach advocated by The Anaphylaxis Campaign and Allergy UK towards allergies. We are a Allergen aware school. No school can guarantee a truly allergen free environment for a child living with food allergy. Instead, we have adopted a culture of allergy awareness and education. This ‘whole school awareness of allergies’ ensures teachers, parents, pupils and all other staff are aware of what allergies are, the importance of avoiding the pupils’ allergens, the signs & symptoms, how to deal with allergic reactions and to ensure policies and procedures are in place to minimise risk. In line with our school policy. We therefore ask you please not to bring nuts to school as an everyday snack – similarly no bars which are nut based.

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OFFICE NEWS

As we said in the last newsletter, this is a 7 week and 2 day half- term (37 sessions) leading up to Christmas. Dinner Money for the half-term is £88.80 (dinners are £2.40 each) and as always, payable on ParentPay. This week’s dinners will be inputted by the end of today and any necessary reminders sent by text re payment. Please look at your child’s dinner account - we have some arrears which weren’t cleared over the holiday. On Monday we’ll check balances and contact any parents whose children’s dinner accounts are in debit if no arrangement has been agreed.

Again, UNIFORM! On Friday 11th November at 2:50pm, we’ll have a pre-loved uniform stall which has now been relocated to the School Hall, to visit before picking up the children – there will be no charge to anyone. We’d just like people to come and take items which will be of use to them.

We’ve received some spare outgrown uniform, washed and in good condition, in the Office, and could do with lots more, if available, to make it a real Eco Uniform event. Please check if you have anything to pass on in decent condition and we’ll make this a termly event if there is a demand.

Tempest Photography Orders – many of you have ordered online which is great! If you haven’t and would like to send your orders via school, please bring in to class by Wednesday, 9th November AT THE LATEST and we will organise a special collection.

Finally – Poppies –sadly we haven’t received any again this year and have tried contacting the Head Office at Royal British Legion to find someone local to supply us but not been successful. We’re disappointed as we always collect a goodly sum for this charity and will try to ensure we have them for next year. Hopefully you can buy poppies locally, children can wear them in school and we shall be reflecting and having the 2 minute silence at 11am on Friday 11th November.

Attendance

Well done Year 3!

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News Beyond the school!

It is a very busy time in school and in our parish too. There is a Quiz night next Friday and if you want a special night out, why not attend the annual Advent celebration meal- here is the notice from the Parish Newsletter:

An Advent Celebration - We will be holding our Advent celebration on Saturday 26th November from 5pm until approximately 8pm. (If people want I can open the bar after that). This is the first Advent celebration since Covid and unfortunately catering prices have increased so regrettably I have had to increase the ticket prices. Adult ticket is £17 for a three course meal and wine (meal choices - veg soup or pate; steak and ale pie or salmon, dessert). Child’s ticket is £7.50 for veg soup, chicken, dessert orange or blackcurrant cordial. I need as many children as possible to take part and can guarantee a part for any child who wants one. For more information please contact Jane 0n 07714588068.

Bonfire night: Click here for a list of organised firework displays in Lancashire. Please keep safe - the children have all participated in firwework safety lessons this week and we hope that all who attend events, parties and gatherings will do so safely and have a great time.

We wish everyone a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend.

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Wednesday Word

Please take time to reflect on the Gospel alone or with family. God Bless

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"Rest is a fine medicine"

We have reached the end of a busy half term. The new year is in full flow! As I write this, the staff are meeting with you all virtually to celebrate and share your child’s learning journey so far. As always, it has been a learning journey for staff too - old and new, working together purposefully and compassionately to guide and support the children and coming together as a team.

This has been a particularly busy week! On Monday we gathered alongside our parish community to celebrate Harvest. Year 6 led the readings and the choir sang beautifully. Once we returned to school we collected together all your generous food donations given over the past few weeks, ready to go to the food bank. We had three wonderful mums who volunteered to ferry the bags and boxes- thank you so much ladies! Later in the day, I received a lovely email from Margaret Sellick (past Chair of Governors and member of the Food Bank team) it read:

Just wanted to say a massive thank you on behalf of St Annes Foodbank to everyone at school for the Harvest collection which weighed a fantastic 224.16kg! This donation is most appreciated and all the food will be used in parcels for local people. Thanks also to everyone who sorted the food into groups which made it easier to put away.
Kind Regards”

Our Head Boy and Head Girl - collecting the food together

Our wonderful volunteers

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Following Harvest, on Tuesday, Year 3 performed their thought provoking assembly - teaching each of us that we are all perfect and precious in God’s eyes- thank you Year 3. On the same day and after a busy learning day in class, our Year 5 and 6 children played netball and football against Heyhouses- the children have written match reports!

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ART COMPETITION

Art continues to be loved throughout school. As a further celebration of Harvest, Miss Neves set the children a pumpkin challenge/competition! Each class had to paint, make, draw or construct pumpkins inspired by famous artists! Children’s creativity was left to flourish as they explored a wide variety of media. Here are the children whose artwork won first second and third - find a celebration of the art on the ART/DT button on the LEARN page of the website!

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NEW PARENT GOVERNORS

The votes have all been counted. There were well over 200 of them. Congratulations to Ruth Cronin and Joe Davies who have been appointed as our new parent governors and will serve a 4 year term of office. We will be in touch in the coming days with regards to getting you 'governor ready' for the remainder of our autumn term! We’d like to thank all of the prospective parent governors who put themselves forward for the role - it gave us such a boost to see that number of candidates coming forward and wishing to serve our school community.

A huge thank you too, to the many parents who voted - there was a wonderful response and it really is heartwarming to have so many of you involved in this important process.

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Office News

Just a reminder that we return to school on Monday 31st October and we have a 7 week and 2 day half- term (37 sessions) leading up to Christmas. Dinner Money for the half-term will be £88.80 (dinners are £2.40 each) and as always, payable on ParentPay. This week’s dinners will be inputted by the end of the day and any necessary reminders sent re payment. Please do take a look at your child’s dinner account over the holiday and, if dinners are required, please ensure that you have paid in advance.

Please believe us, we don’t like to nag but if a dinner is required it should always be prepaid.

Our School Community will be going to Church for 9:30am Mass on Tuesday 1st November, All Saints’ Day, please come and join us.

Finally, UNIFORM! We would love you to collect any spare outgrown uniform, washed and in good condition, and bring it to the Office, the first week back after half-term. We’ll sort and then on Friday 11th November at 2:50pm, we’ll have a uniform stall set up in Year 6 spare classroom to visit before picking up the children - there will be no charge, we’d like people to come and take items which will be of use to them and it’s a way of being eco aware and recycling. It would be great though if you do have uniform in good condition to pass on and hopefully will be of use to parents who need to top up on uniform.

Winning attendance for the whole Half term combined

Well done Year 2 - half term winners

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Compassionate and Loving.

Finally, a note about our virtues. Here at Our Lady’s, we strive to be more like Jesus everyday. To help us we focus each half term on two personal virtues - these we nurture and practise at every opportunity we can. During each Friday assembly this year we share the times we witnessed compassion and love. These reflections have helped us to always remember what is truly important - one another.

God Bless you all, have a lovely autumn break with your families - rest and recover ready to start again on Monday 31st October.

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"She is more Mother than Queen." --Saint Therese of Lisieux,

Another very busy week in school - no matter where you visit, there are children diving into learning! They are also devoting time spiritually to Mary - our Mother. All round the school I’ve spotted classes sharing the Rosary together. One lunch time I even heard some friends in the worship area having a prayerful moment in a little worship station we created - Mary’s statue taking pride of place. Next Monday the children from Year 1-6 will be walking to Church to celebrate Harvest with the parish. The school choir will be performing a song they have practised during their Thursday evening sessions. If you would like to walk down to Church with us, please come into school straight after drop off as we will be setting off promptly.

We had a wonderful treat on Tuesday when Year 4 produced a super assembly! The children taught us about seed dispersal! Not only that, they also explained, through drama, what it takes to be a creative learner. We have 8 learning characters in school - Creative Kiki Chameleon is one of them and she is very imaginative and innovative! From the very beginning of Reception we teach the children all about the characters and how their behaviours help them, and us, to become really good learners. Find out more by pressing on the link below - this will take you to our “Learning Community Page”.

On Wednesday, the children looked very smart for their annual school photographs and in the afternoon our Year 6 children became tour guides as they showed prospective parents around school. If you would like to look around, please pop into the office or ring us on 01253 726 015 and book a tour for our second and final visit on Wednesday 2nd November 2-3pm

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Parent Governor elections

““The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.””

— Coretta Scott King

When we advertised that there were two vacancies for parent governors on our governing body, I did not think that we would receive so many applications or that I’d have so many lovely conversations with people who want to make a difference to our school and the children we serve. My heart has been warmed by reading the biographies that our applicants have put together. There is a real sense of wanting to contribute in a positive way to the growth of our school.

I have received 8 applications and so now, the election process can begin. I have attached the eight biographies which you can access by pressing the button below. Please scroll through the two pages and read them all in their entirety. On Monday, the eldest child in each family will receive a small brown envelope with two ballot papers in it, one for each parent to vote. Please do vote for who you want to elect, pop the paper back in the envelope, sealed and return it to school. Each classroom will have a ballot box in it, there will also be one in the office if you want to post your vote personally. This is a wonderful opportunity for our children to learn about democracy too!

The ballot boxes will be open on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, after this date they will be closed for counting. Our wonderful applicants will be informed of the outcome by the end of next week and the result will be announced in our final newsletter of the half-term. Please do vote and get involved in the process.
We will always be a community walking hand in hand for the greater good of our pupils and our school community.

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Parents meeting - Friday 21st October ( Year 1 - Monday 17th October)

You are invited to book an online appointment to meet your child’s class teacher.

Thank you to everyone who has already booked (68% have already done so).

Please click on the link below if you still need to book.

Below the link to book is a guide to what to do on the day - you may want to print this out before Friday especially if you are new to this system

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Office News

We are so nearly at half term and are going to make a final plea for dinner money accounts to be brought up to date by the end of next week. When we come back after half-term, we have 37 sessions leading up to Christmas and the Dinner money for the half-term will be £88.80 for KS2 dinners. Dinners are still £2.40 each and £12 per week.

We’re making a plea to Y4 and Y5 musicians to remember their Wider Opps. musical instruments next Monday – if they are forgotten , we have to ring or text parents, ask them to come in with an instrument and it can, we know, be very stressful for them to come rushing in in the middle of the day. Sometimes too, it’s quite hectic for us as situations arise to which we have to respond and minutes then tick away before we can deal with the forgotten instruments. So please children, get those instruments ready to bring in when you’re preparing for school on Monday mornings!

Finally the parking – we’ve had quite heavy complaints this week from neighbours and others who are really concerned about people parking dangerously and over double yellow lines and places where they ought not to be. This is a serious safety concern, we can’t let someone get injured or worse before we tackle this. We each and every one of us have responsibility for our own and one another’s safety. It is not neighbourly to park across people’s driveways. The situation has definitely deteriorated since our start and pick up times moved a little closer but we rely upon you all to park legally and considerately and if you have to park further away to park safely then please do so. We understand that complaints are being made to the Police but it shouldn’t come to people risking fines etc, we should be able to police our own behaviour in this matter. We thank you so much for your support in this matter.

Attendance Week 6

Well done Reception 100%!

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NEWS BEYOND THE SCHOOL:

Don’t forget the “Family Cinema Club” on Friday 28th October 1pm in the Parish Centre showing Disney's Spooky Buddies

For more Parish events please click on the link below.

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Wednesday Word

Here is the Gospel to share with your family - there are three Sundays to cover half term.

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Have a wonderful weekend and please remember the children break up next week on Thursday 20th October (normal times) for half term - returning on 31st October.

"Each person must live their life as a model for others"

Here at Our Lady’s, our role model is Jesus. We recognise that we are His hands and feet here on Earth. Year 2 performed a beautiful assembly this week during which they shared how to be a wonderful, caring, and compassionate role model and follow Jesus’ example. Thank you to all the parents who came along. Wasn’t the singing truly joyful and wonderful- there is a little film on their blog! Next week, Year 4 will be performing their assembly, at 9:10am and 9:35am. I had a sneaky peek today and it looks as though some science will be involved!!

In today’s celebration assembly, we learnt about the Rosary and said one decade together. Children will now have the opportunity to come to the worship area with their rosary beads, to pray. We have prayer passes which are used for this area, just a few children visit there at a time, which allows time for quiet reflection. It is a joy to see how the children behave so beautifully in there and with such reverence.

I believe there are developments in the “fruit and vegetable” mystery saga taking place in Year 1. The children have discovered that the EVIL PEA was responsible for the devastating scenes in class last week! Will he pay for his crimes? Year 4 have begun to read “Charlotte’s Web” together and they are hooked! Year 5 continue to explore Ancient Greece and Year 6 have worked hard on those fractions! Please visit your class blog for a celebration of the learning and any important messages which your teacher may have.

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Important Information:

You are invited to book an online appointment to meet your child’s class teacher.

Thank you to everyone who has already booked their Parents appointment. Please ensure you have clicked on the correct link below. If you have a problem Mrs Hodges, in the office, is very happy to help.

Parents’ Day Friday 21st October (except Year 1)

Year 1 Parents’ Day - Monday 17th October

Please make sure that your details are accurate and please type the legal names used to register your child (thank you).

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OPEN AFTERNOONS

For prospective parents of children for Reception class, September 2023, we have two open afternoons here at school. These will take place on:

Wednesday 12th October 2022 2pm - 3pm

Wednesday 2nd November 2022 2pm - 3pm

Our Year 6 children will take small groups of parents on a tour through the school. Visitors will see the children and teachers busy learning together and are very welcome to gather at the end of the tour and ask staff who will be waiting, any questions about the application process.

Please ring the School Office on 01253 726 015 to book a time slot (15 minute intervals) for a tour - we have appointments at 2pm, 2:15pm, 2:30pm and 2:45pm on both days..

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Your School needs YOU! Are you interested in becoming a Parent Governor?

Our Lady Star of the Sea is a special community which is built on love and trust, made up of our children, staff, parents, the parish and the school governing body.

Our governing body works tirelessly to support and nurture the school vision, providing a platform on which we can build, to move forward, grow and ultimately flourish, keeping the school mission statement, ‘You are precious in My eyes’ at the centre of all actions and decisions. The governing body is made up of volunteers who work together with the head teacher to improve education and all other aspects of school life, building work, safety, safeguarding, our budget etc!

Due to changes within the governing body, there are now two vacancies for parent governors and we hope that any interested parents will come forward.

Are you someone who:

• Wants to make a positive difference to the experiences of our children

• Works well with other people and can work as part of a team

• Has some time to spare to attend meetings within the term (usually 2, held early evening)

• Is ready to learn and open to new ideas

• Is willing to give something back to our school

You don't need any formal qualifications, you'll get full training and support to make sure you are fully equipped to carry out the role successfully.

If you are interested in applying for the role of Parent Governor, please write a short biography (no more than 150 words) stating who you are, a little about yourself, any experience or skills you could bring to the governing body and why you would like to be a governor at Our Lady Star of the Sea. Please send this to Mrs Hodges at

bursar@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk by Thursday 13th October. Once we have the nominations in, and depending on the number received, we can arrange an election process in which parents and guardians will be eligible to vote.

We look forward to hearing from interested parents; this is a role in which you can make a difference so please do think about applying to become a Parent Governor.

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Office News

Urgent Parking Plea We have had notification from a kind and concerned neighbour and it’s been flagged up this week by many parents in our community that there is some dangerous and irresponsible parking taking place before and after school. Please DO NOT park on the zig zag or the double yellow lines. Our staggered approach helps with congestion - but we rely on each person recognising that the safety of the children, indeed the safety of all in our community, comes first. Thank you so much as always, for your support in this matter.

School Photographs - please remember that Tempest Photography will be in school on Wednesday morning 12th October and alongside Reception Class and Year 6 group photographs, they will be taking individual photographs and siblings in school.

Attendance

Well done to Year 4 with 100% attendance this week!

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Wednesday Word

Here is the Gospel for this week to share with your family

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NEWS BEYOND THE SCHOOL

Book this free parish event into your diary!

Family Cinema Club - Friday 28th October 1pm in the Parish Centre. Showing: Disney's Spooky Buddies

For more Parish events please click on the link below

Dance Festival - children form our school will be taking part!!

Harvest Mass at Church - Monday 17th October (9:30am)

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We wish you a very happy weekend with your families and hope that you will have some peace and rest!

"Compassion is the wish to see others free from suffering" Dalai Lama

What an end to the week! We had biblical rain this evening - none of us escaped!

The rain however did not dampen our enthusiasm for learning. I bumped into a group of very concerned Year One children this afternoon, they were on the hunt for a criminal. Someone had entered their classroom overnight and squished and nibbled the fruit family! They had made some excellent ‘Wanted’ posters - they are all over schoo! - I’ll let you know if they catch the culprit!

On Tuesday our lovely Year 6 performed a very thought provoking assembly sharing their vision of a school full of warmth and care. It was something we strive to achieve every day. Thank you Year 6. Later that day, there was much excitement as our older children went off to play football and netball. Everyone gave their absolute best and I believe there was an impressive victory for the footballers - Mrs Gregan was very excited!

Next week, on Tuesday 4th October, our Year 2 children will be performing their assembly (9:10/9:35) and we can’t wait to see what they will come up with.

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Now brace yourself for a list of important information:

Parents Day Friday 21st October (except Year 1)

-you are invited to book an online appointment to meet your

child’s class teacher.

Year 1 Parents Day - Monday 17th October

Please make sure that your details are accurate and please type the legal names used to register your child (thank you).

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Harvest Mass-

The children will be celebrating Mass with the Parish on Monday 17th October 9:30am. Before we attend this service we try to collect foods for the many in need in our community. We have contacted our local food bank and they gave us a list of items which would be so gratefully received. Each class has been given an item and together we hope to collect them and make a display of our produce in our worship areas in class.

Please see the chart for your class item - all donations are so appreciated especially in these tough times.

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TEMPEST PHOTOGRAPHS

The children will be having their photographs taken in school on Wednesday 12th October. The children will have an individual photo and another with their siblings who attend school. Reception and Year 6 will have a whole class photograph to mark the beginning and end of their school journey at Our Lady Star of the Sea.

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FLU VACCINATION WEDNESDAY 19TH OCTOBER

You will have received a text message this week about the Nasal Flu Vaccine. The booking for this is on each class blog page. We always have a really good take up for this vaccination - flu is such a nasty illness. Please do let us know if you have any problems with the booking - those who’ve reported back so far said that they found it very straightforward but let us know if you have an issue.

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WEDNESDAY WORD

Here is the Gospel of the week for you to share as a family and a little reminder too that October is the month of Our Lady. In school, dedicated as we are to Our Lady Star of the Sea, we will be praying the Rosary. The children have been asked to bring in their Rosary Beads.

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OFFICE NEWS

We have had some lovely interactions with parents this week and it was our great joy to see so many Year 6 parents come in and enjoy the wonderful assembly. It’s so long since parents came in that we just need to remind you of our safety and safeguarding protocols in school and we ask parents please not to bring drinks in. In line too with our mobile phone policy, all phones must be switched off on school premises. Thank you for this - we don’t like to be constantly reminding everyone and policing these rules when we are so happy to be welcoming you back in!

On another note with dinners, there is no doubt, the numbers of dinner arrears have fallen for which we are very appreciative. After the recent entries we’ve made on our section of the newsletter about arrears, we are texting anyone in debit to explain that if accounts are not in credit by Sunday evening/first thing Monday morning, pre school, we will only serve further dinners when the situation is rectified. If anyone has any problem, they can always call us in the office for a discreet word - we wouldn’t want to see anyone in distress but we have been asked by LCC to tighten up as our debts were running too high.

Attendance - Year 5 winners with 99%

Every day matters

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NEWS BEYOND THE SCHOOL

Family Parish Gathering this Sunday after 11 o’clock mass.

Press on the Parish link below to find out more.

Why not join a local Ramble for charity. We will be coming to school in our pajamas in November to support our local children at Brian House too!

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Have a restful and family filled weekend. Can you believe that tomorrow is 1st October and we are well and truly into Autumn now. God Bless you all.

'I’ve grown most not from victories, but setbacks. If winning is God’s reward, then losing is how He teaches us.' – Serena Williams

It was a strange but poignant start to the week. We hope you were all able to reflect in your own way on the passing of Queen Elizabeth II and the historical events we witnessed.

On Tuesday, it was lovely to see all the children coming to school, all bright and breezy and full of enthusiasm. What made it very special was the arrival of our new Reception children all coming together for their first week of full days. Thank you to all the brothers and sisters who excitedly led their siblings round to Mrs Hartley and another thank you to our four lovely Year 6 helpers who manned the gates this week - helping guide and support. I know these small acts of loving kindness will have made school feel welcoming and safe to our newest and youngest children.

I had the privilege this week of attending every class council. I have watched the new class councillors guiding their peers in interesting and thought provoking discussion. I went along to ask the children to help me write “golden rules” for our playtimes. It was clear that we needed slightly different rules in relation to the trim trail depending on the age of the class. However, we did agree on shared rules that help us keep the playground feeling safe and fun. Not only did I enjoy the council sessions I have witnessed a great deal of purposeful and exciting learning. Reception have leant routines, Year 1 and 3 are all excited about maths. Year 2 are making graffiti in art, Year 4 are getting lost in words, Year 5 are playing rugby and rounding numbers and Year 6 are practising their assembly for next week!

Talking of assemblies, why not watch the inspirational film we shared together in assembly this morning! It made us all think deeply about the two virtues we are seeking to practice, love and compassion.

Finally, thank you to all the parents who came along to the Key Stage 2 Induction Evening - it has been wonderful to have parents in school. Please remember every member of staff is here, ready to help with any question or concern.

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OFFICE NEWS

It’s been a busy week as always in the office, getting new routines up and running. We’re sorry to have to mention dinner money again as we still have people starting the week in debit. We’re so grateful to the many people who pay on time and are always in credit. If you receive a text about overdue dinner money, please can you ensure that the arrears we text you, PLUS next week’s dinner money, are paid by first thing Monday morning. Hopefully they will be - we’ve explained previously in our Office News that LCC Finance Office said we had to suspend dinners if they were in debit and we will have to start doing that next Friday and ask anyone whose child is in debit to bring a packed lunch on the following Monday. As always, we are sensitive to anyone in need and you can always approach the office if there is a concern.

Please can we thank you so much for all the efforts you are making to ensure that your children have everything they need for the day. We are getting far fewer forgotten things being brought in and far fewer phone calls being made to enquire about clubs and groups and activities so we think you are all doing a great job, keeping up with class blogs and the newsletter. Well done everyone! Have a lovely weekend.

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Attendance

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OPEN AFTERNOONS

For prospective parents of children for Reception class, September 2023, we have two open afternoons here at school. These will take place on:

Wednesday 12th October 2022 2pm - 3pm

Wednesday 2nd November 2022 2pm - 3pm

Our Year 6 children will take parents on a tour through the school. Visitors will see the children and staff busy learning together and are very welcome to gather at the end of the tour and ask any questions about the application process.

Please ring the School Office on 01253 726 015 for a time (15 minute intervals) for each tour and we have appointments at 2pm, 2:15pm, 2:30pm and 2:45pm on both days..

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News Beyond the School

Job Vacancy : St Thomas’ Breakfast and After School club. The job involves working at both clubs (before and after school, hours to be arranged). If you have a child at school they can attend the club at no cost. Previous employment with children is desirable but not essential. To apply, text Mrs Sayer 07757 360 397

Please check out the Parish newsletter on the button just below this school post. Here you will find all the events taking place in the coming few weeks. These include:

Quiz Nights

Coffee mornings

film club

Parish Family gathering Sunday October 2nd 12:00pm

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The gospel of the week to share as a family

From all the staff, do have a peaceful and happy weekend. Saturday looks like a better day than Sunday when showers are forecast. Hope that you can have some relaxing time with your families, enjoying the start of autumn.

“Being of service to others is what brings true happiness.”

What a wonderful and busy week we have had in school. The children are settling in brilliantly and there is a great deal of learning taking place. School will be closed on Monday as a mark of respect to our dear late Queen. Monday will offer a unique opportunity for the children to see some of the historic traditions and customs that make our nation so distinctive. We can also practise being compassionate as we stand with our fellow citizens and the Royal Family, saying good bye to someone who was deeply loved.

Our annual leadership assembly took place today. Inspired by our Queen, the Year 6 children took on a wide variety of responsibilities. They will have the opportunity to fulfil the roles awarded to them, leading our community and sharing with the younger children a deeper and growing understanding of our school ethos. Congratulations Year 6, the staff are all excited about working alongside you.

I was asked this week if there was a special mass for the Queen in church at the weekend. There is Mass on Monday at 9:30am and I know that at each Mass Father Peter has shared a beautiful prayer for Her Majesty - I have placed it at the bottom of this letter. We have also moved the Parish Newsletter to our Discover page so that you can easily find out what is happening in our Parish family.

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Our Reception children, who have had a wonderfully creative week, will be joining us full time from Tuesday. Mrs Hartley has created a very comprehensive class blog for all Reception parents. Here you will find everything you need to know for next week and a super film!. In the hall we have a marvellous display - each new child has painted a self portrait - there are 30 smiling faces!

Please visit your child’s class blog for information about: learning, clubs and awards. Please note that football practice will take place after school on Tuesday. A quick thank you too to all the parents that joined us in Key Stage 1 for the induction evening. We look forward to welcoming Key Stage 2 parents this coming Wednesday at 6:00pm.

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OPEN AFTERNOONS

For prospective parents we have two open afternoons here at school. These will take place on:

Wednesday 12th October 2022 2pm - 3pm

Wednesday 2nd November 2022 2pm - 3pm

Our Year 6 children will take parents on a tour through the school. Visitors will see the children and staff busy learning together.

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Office News

URGENT - SAFETY NOTICE

Please be aware that no one, other than Staff, should be walking through our Staff Car Park. The small gate on Kenilworth Road which leads directly to the Office will now remain open should you need to visit School or if you arrive after the entry gates have been locked.

Please ensure that you are able to attend our KS2 Meet the Teacher Evening on Wednesday 21st September at 6pm. This is such a useful occasion at which you can hear about plans for the year, ask questions and get all information needed to help support your child on their journey through their new year group. We always ask, if you have a child in Year 6 and a clash of meetings, please attend the Year 6 meeting and we’ll do our best to fill you in on whatever has been missed in another class.

We’re very grateful to the many parents who sorted out dinner money this week. Unfortunately, we still have some arrears but hopefully these will be settled this weekend.

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Attendance percentage

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Year 5 and 6 Parents

There is another meeting next week for parents of Year 5 and Year 6 children and this is at St Bede’s from whom we’ve only just heard regarding an Open Evening there from 6-8:30pm next Thursday. Their Head teacher, Mr Marsden will address prospective parents at 6:30 and 7:30 in St Bede’s School Hall.

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News beyond the school

Please read the Parish News Letter. Here you will find information about services; food banks and social events. Speaking of social events, The Royal Shakespeare Company will be performing at The Grand Theatre in Blackpool 29 Sep - 1 Oct . This is a Close Encounter production of Twelfth Night - especially produced with children in mind. Click on the image to link to the box office

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Please enjoy time with family during this historic weekend.

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Almighty God, You are the author and sustainer of all human life; grant that your servant, Elizabeth our Queen, whom you granted a long and happy reign as Monarch of these lands may be forgiven her sins and rewarded with that eternal life promised to all those born again in the water of baptism and power of your Spirit. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit God, forever and ever.

Amen.

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“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” – Martin Luther King, Jr

It is hard to know what to write. The news of the passing of our dear Queen Elizabeth II has been felt so deeply since its announcement. We have celebrated her life today in assembly- a life full of humility and service. Our children have respectfully honored her in song and prayer.

May she rest in peace.

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The end of the week has felt sombre and reflective, in contrast to the beginning when the children returned to school full of joy and enthusiasm. Friendships have been re-established and routines are in full swing. We have welcomed new staff to the family too, the children have embraced each new adult, making everyone feel appreciated and valued. On Wednesday we welcomed our new Reception children. Our Early Years Team have loved getting to know each child and I witnessed some wonderful play. Mrs Hartley was teaching the children all about our learning character Roger Robin who works and plays wonderfully with others. It was clear from the obstacle course recreated in Reception that the children were working hard as a team. At the other end of the school, Year 6 have been busy writing letters to the Head teacher in response to the call to serve our community.

On Thursday, we came together to celebrate Our Lady’s birthday at Mass. It was the first time we have been able to start our new school year with a Mass at church since 2019. It was lovely to begin the year alongside our extended parish family. I must tell you that at the end of Mass a member of the congregation came to express his gratitude to the children for their beautiful reading and singing. He also praised their behaviour which was impeccable.

Next week we welcome parents in Years 1 and 2 to our induction evening (Wednesday 14th at 6pm). This is an opportunity for you to visit your child’s classroom and to meet their new teacher. It would be lovely for you to meet our new staff - making your self known, they would really appreciate your presence. Key stage 2 meetings for Year 3-6 will take part the following week (Wednesday 21st at 6pm).

As we do every year, we ask you to complete an updated Medical Form, Consent Form and a Home School Agreement. These are going live today on your child’s class blog. If you have more than one child please can you ensure that you complete the form on the correct class page - they are collated in class groups. This would avoid any child popping up on a form in the wrong year group! Thank you.

Finally, clubs begin next week: dance, football, netball and choir. Please read your class blogs carefully for year group eligibility, dates and times.

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Office News

It’s been so lovely seeing the children back and this year we’ve had the joy of welcoming in our new Reception parents when they arrived to have meetings with Mrs Hartley. Everyone has been so good at leaving messages on our phone and reporting absences on the form, it’s been a great start.

School dinners this year have risen to £2.40 each or £12 per week, if taken daily. The charge for this half-term is £81.60 up to and including 20th October. Sadly, we have come to the end of our first week and 36 people are in debit already, 10 of those debts having carried forward from summer term, despite reminders.

We cannot emphasise too strongly that dinners MUST be paid for in advance and our Finance Officer from LCC says we must not allow dinners to be more than one week in arrears before we suspend the account. Please can we ask you to support us in this - we will text you the amount outstanding as at today and please pay any arrears PLUS next week’s dinner payment by Sunday so that you are in credit for the new week. Unfortunately it is simply not enough to pay arrears and then have a dinner on Monday without payment. Also, please know that if anyone is in difficulties, they must come privately to speak to us - any conversations we have are in strictest confidence and only known to the Head and ourselves.

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Attendance

This week the average total class attendance figure is 98.7% and is well within our hoped for aim of between 97 and 100% attendance for each class. Reception Class and Y5 have 100% attendance and the lowest attendance figure amongst our year groups is 96%. Parents you should be so proud! You’ve brought your children into school, so punctually, so smart and keen and ready to learn - you could not have given them a better start and it is so appreciated.

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Family Prayer

The Gospel this week is the Lost Sheep. An opportunity to reflect on God’s deep love for each of us no matter how far we travel away from him.

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News Beyond School:

On Sunday October 2nd there will be a Parish Family Gathering following the 11am Mass - all families are so welcome.

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God Bless all - have a lovely weekend - from all the staff here at Our Lady Star of the Sea.

Welcome Back - a new year begins!

We cannot wait to open the gates on Monday morning, to welcome back our school family. All of the staff are excited to see the children, listen to their news and begin their learning journey together. This half term, our virtues are compassion and love. Through discussion and reflection, we will be striving to understand what each of these qualities are and how we can use them to be the very best versions of ourselves. We want to bring the Kingdom of God alive here on earth.

Our new Year 6 will be leading our community in service and love. It will be great to see how they have grown and how they will develop into the beautiful, young people that we endeavor to create. At the opposite end of the school, a new journey begins. We are really excited to be widening our school family and embracing our new Reception children.

On Thursday, most of the school will be attending Mass at 9.30am to celebrate Our Lady’s birthday - why not join us?

The school gates will open at 8.45am for Harcourt and Marsden and 8.50am for Bamber and Plessington. Mrs Hotchkiss and Miss Brisco will be on hand to welcome the children and point them in the right direction as they head to class. Please click here to familiarise yourself with school organisation.

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Sharing a love of reading

Following the pandemic, we had to re think how our library would operate. As a result, books went into classes and children could access them from there. This was a positive as children were able to have conversations in their classes. However, our library system has required a complete overhaul which has taken place this summer. It is clear that a number of books are still missing and we would love you to have a little root at home to see if any of them have escaped there.

The children will be able to access school books soon, once the library and scanning system is back up and running. In the meantime, the children are able to bring reading books in from home to read when they have time in class.

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All of the teachers will be putting a lovely blog on their class pages to welcome the children. Please visit them to find out any important information and to get a sense of what life will be like in their new classrooms. Don’t forget, Induction Nights are approaching! Why not visit the school calendar below to see what else is happening, including class assemblies.

We look forward to walking hand in hand with you as we continue to grow our school community.

Mrs Hotckiss and Mrs Gregan

Thank you...

These last two weeks have been incredibly emotional and I have been overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness and kindness which have been showered over me. On Monday evening, seeing so many of you in church touched my heart; for me it reflected just what our community has grown into. A place where we are all loved, all supported and all truly valued.

I have tried so hard to chat with each of you and have failed miserably. However, I really do want each of you to know that it has been such a privilege over these last twenty years to be part of this wonderful place that we have created together. There is nothing more powerful than people working together in partnership, sharing the same values and ensuring that we take everyone with us on our journey. What a journey this has been! I have so many memories which I will take with me and all of them relate to people: children, parents, staff and governors.

I will never forget your generosity and kindness and I will leave you with a poem I wrote and read out at Mass on Monday… The community that is Our Lady Star of the Sea…

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Finally

Yes, I know there is always a finally! Today I have been moved to tears so many times as we shared my last pantomime and had such fun! At the end, the children and staff had planned a whole school flash mob to Dancing Queen without my knowledge; at this point it was impossible to stop the flow of tears. It was magical to see the whole school dancing and singing in unison. This moment will live with me forever.

We also said an emotional farewell to our Year 6 children who spent lunchtime entertaining us with songs from Mary Poppins. These children have been such a wonderful group and we know they will be missed…

And so… goodbye from me and thank you… I couldn't have done it without you!

God bless,

Miss Hornby

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At the end of the day ‘love maketh the child’

What an emotional week! To have the opportunity to share such a special two nights with our Year 5 and Year 6 parents as we travelled to Cherry Tree Lane felt like such a gift. For the last two years we have been unable to do this and it has been such a loss. Never again will we take it for granted that the play just happens. It seemed so apt this year to choose Mary Poppins; this beautiful story which seems more relevant today than ever, made us all stop for a moment and think about the choices we each make. It is a story which Bert loved relating as it has a real moral, containing important lessons for us all, and didn’t Bert do it well!

We have performed plays for the last 17 years and every year I think that nothing can surprise me and again, as with every time, the children perform, I am completely astonished and overwhelmed! The talent and gifts of every single child shone so brightly as they performed; the comic timing and characterisations were truly a joy to behold and had the audience laughing and crying! With each performance the children held their audiences for 120 minutes, which passed by with such speed. In such intense heat in our non air-conditioned hall, this was a feat in itself! 

Children, I am so proud of each and every one of you; you were all truly amazing! I do expect to see a number of you finding your way to a stage somewhere in the future; dream big!

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Oh, my goodness how time flies! I can't believe we're heading next week into our final three days; where has the year gone? As always at this time, it's lovely reading every child's end of year report to see just how much progress each one has made. I have been so impressed this year with so many of our children who have worked hard, enthusiastically embraced each learning opportunity, and taken themselves on a journey of self-discovery. There is so much to celebrate in every year group and I'm sure, like us, you are very proud of your children.

Despite the challenges of the last two years, our Year 6 children as a whole group have exceeded the school targets set for them, with the majority of children achieving the expected standard for the year group and some working at greater depth within that standard. We are incredibly proud of them all. Watching them continue to support the school as they complete their summer work experience around classrooms, demonstrates just how far they've travelled. They have all given their best and as we always tell them; their best is always good enough! We will be celebrating their time at school next Tuesday at 9:30am at Our Lady's Church. This year we have many parents whose youngest child is going up to High School and so we will be saying goodbye to families also which makes us very emotional as they have been part of our community for so long. Once a part of Our Lady's though, always a part!

Something we already knew…

You only have to walk into our Nursery to know it is a place where children can feel secure and confident to be themselves. Once inside, the magic begins as learning envelops you from every corner and suddenly you are pulled into a story or asked to negotiate an obstacle course or taken off to a settee to sit down to be offered an imaginary cup of tea! It was no surprise when Ofsted turned up three weeks ago that the inspector found herself being lost in the learning too. We are always so proud of the inspirational practice in Nursery but it is always welcome to hear a visitor talk about the setting with such warmth and hear that they’ve recognised what a truly special place it is. Why not see for yourself and read the report here

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Office News

We would like to make our final piece one in which first and foremost, we thank you for all your kindness, lovely interactions, cheering words etc because they do make a difference and it is always a pleasure to have contact with our lovely families. We appreciate your forbearance and understanding especially at hectic times.

We’re only going to flag up dinner money by saying that our debtors are now in single figures and we ask for all accounts to be cleared by the end of term please. Our Finance Officer has rapped our knuckles yet again and said we have to suspend dinners the first week an account goes into debit. Next term’s dinners will cost £2.40 per meal or £12 per week, sadly we’ve had to raise the cost in line with LCC charges. We’ll put some a form on over the holiday for you to choose meal patterns if you are going to book hot dinners for next term.

We are very much looking forward to seeing you on Monday at our celebratory Mass for Miss Hornby. Mass starts at 6:30pm at Our Lady Star of the Sea and will be followed by tea and a cuppa and cake at the Parish Centre. We are immensely grateful to families from Yrs 3, 4, 5 and 6 who are baking for us, you are simply wonderful and we can’t thank you enough at such a busy time. Please can we ask that all cake donations are taken to the Parish Centre on Monday from 3:20pm up until just before Mass. If anyone has any problem please ring us in the office on 01253 726 015. Many thanks

Attendance

This year our attendances have been lower than our annual norm which is 97+% and the average class attendance for the year is 95.3%. We know that the drop is due to a variety of factors, all covid related whether it be illness, or more than usual holiday absences where parents have taken leave due to previously cancelled holidays. We have understood and tried to be as fair as possible, regarding potential penalties etc. Next year we think that the Government will be looking hard at attendance. We appreciate the great efforts you have all made to bring children into school; it’s not been easy in the aftermath of a pandemic which has still had the capacity to cause us many issues in recent times due to staff illness. This year and by the narrow margin of 0.2%, Years 1 and 3 have the best attendance at 95.9% with Year 6 in 3rd place with 95.7%. Well done everyone.

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The joy of a concert

What a lovely afternoon we spent with our Year 4 children and their families this week! The children performed a repertoire of singing, body percussion and recorder music, under the skillful conducting of Mrs Maddocks, our music teacher. It was such a joy and demonstrated just how much progress the children have made over the year. There was real skill and talent on show. I know that the families loved every minute. Well done children, what a wonderful concert. Next year this group will be transferring to the clarinet, such a beautiful instrument. We can’t wait to hear them this time next year!

Finally

On Thursday we gathered for a whole school assembly, it really has been so long since we have all been in the hall together; such an emotional moment and so special hearing all the children singing together! We thought about how we had each grown and which of our school virtues we had truly embraced and demonstrated. The wining House this half term is Harcourt (blue) and they will enjoy their day of wearing their House colour own clothes on the final day (Wednesday 20th July). 

We look forward to spending our final three days of the school year with you. At this time of year, everything whizzes by so fast but these final days are so important as we celebrate and sign off the year, and bid farewell to our leavers, the children and the adults. We know that, like the Magic Faraway Tree, everything will have moved on in September, new Reception children in, each class moved up into a new year group and our current Year 6’s taking their first steps at High School, not to mention new teachers enjoying their first days as part of our school team. It’s wonderful to contemplate all that has been achieved in the school year that we are completing and to excitedly look forward to the journey ahead. At the same time, I hope there will be chance next week, just to be in the moment, to absorb and celebrate and enjoy all the special things we have and are together as a community…

God bless,

Miss Hornby

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When words fail, music speaks...

My goodness, another very busy week but one full of fun, laughter and such joy! It is said that music is the language of the heart and you only have to walk through school at the moment to know this is true. Every song heard from the hall as Mary, Bert and all the cast raise their voices with such enthusiasm, brings a smile to your face; you can’t fail to sing along and tap those feet. It’s such a wonderful story too, one which makes you really consider what is important in life. Such poignant scenes which get you thinking about yourself and the actions you take.

Just like our school virtues; my how challenging these are! But then as we always tell the children, becoming the best version of ourselves is not easy, in fact it is a life’s work. Poor Mr Banks, he doesn’t realise what he has missed until he’s made a catalogue of mistakes… and you know the rest…

I know how much everyone wants to see Mary Poppins and I really wish we had more room in the hall, that we hadn’t been hit by a pandemic and that we had time to put on more performances. Despite all adversity and many frustrating constraints, we feel such gratitude at being able to welcome a live audience. We have looked at numbers as everyone has been given their allocated tickets and we can now offer Year 6 families one extra ticket each. This seems the right thing to do as this is their final performance whilst our Year 5 children will be able to enjoy another play next year.

So, for any Year 6 families who would like another ticket please click here and order 1 extra ticket. You will then need to pay on ParentPay for your ticket to be released.

Sadly, this year will be Miss Mallinson’s final play at Our Lady’s as she is leaving us on Tuesday following the final performance. She has worked alongside us for the past eight years and we can only thank her and wish her well; she has definitely brought music to life. Thank you, Miss Mallinson, we will all miss you.    

We also said goodbye to Madame Jefferson this week as she retires after forty years of teaching. She has worked at Our Lady’s for fifteen years, providing all children the opportunity to fall in love with French. We will miss you too Madame Jefferson.

Amidst all the goodbyes and rehearsals children have continued with their exciting learning. After much reflection they are now working hard on their identified areas and are trying desperately to reach their goals. I know they will all continue with this over the summer, ready for next year.

Reading reports over the last two weeks, I have been so impressed with the self-knowledge that children have demonstrated. I know you will enjoy reading their reports and reflecting with them.

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Looking forward

Today all the children have been told who their new teacher will be next year; there were a few surprises as we have new teachers joining us next year and some familiar faces returning to classrooms. Next week, each class will be visited by their new teacher so that they can begin to start that important relationship.    

We do have so much to look forward to. Reports will go out on Thursday next week and will include various pieces of information for next year. Please spend some time looking at the information included so that you can celebrate the year but also look ahead to September.

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Office News

We are definitely running out of time and of term but we are keeping busy until the end, trying to fit everything in! Please can you help us by responding to messages about unpaid dinner money etc - it does so help.

Reminding Year 5 and Year 6 Parents re the Play that there will be a Digital Film version available online once Ed of ‘The School Play’s The Thing’ has done his magical editing - every year he has complimented us on our productions, even bringing family along as paid audience members when tickets were more freely available, so impressed was he! If you wish to purchase a digital film copy, please go onto ParentPay to order. If any parents from other classes wish to purchase, please let the office know as we can add your name onto the list.

We are still collating numbers for Miss Hornby’s Mass of Celebration and Thanksgiving - we would appreciate it greatly, if you haven’t already, to fill in the form attached here, to let us know if you are able to attend - it is at 6:30pm on Monday 18th July at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church and afterwards there will be a cup of tea at the Parish Centre.

Attendance

This week, attendance has ranged from 90.6% to 98.6% which was the attendance percentage for our Reception Class! Well done children, we still have some pockets of illness in classes and are hoping that germs will soon be banished and that we have as many children in as possible for our final days.

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A tree from Our Queen

This afternoon we were visited by a representative from Fylde in Bloom who delivered our Platinum Rowan Tree to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II which we promptly planted with the help of our Student Council and our Head Boy and Girl. As you can see The Queen joined us for this special occasion.

Finally

I hope that you all manage a restful weekend with your families and have some time to relax together. The Lytham festival is still drawing crowds and the weather has been a little kinder this week, many people have enjoyed the wide variety of shows. As we enter our final 8 days of this year we are all taking a deep breath as there is so much to fit in. The question is, Bob the Builder style, ‘Can we do it?’ 'Yes we can!’

God bless,

Miss Hornby

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