Merry Christmas Everyone!

A very short week, this week, and now we have broken up for Christmas! Can’t believe we have had a term in Year 6 already- it has gone so fast!

Today we had a very long but fun assembly, where we celebrated Miss Brisco and Mrs Malley on their retirement. We are extremely sad that they are leaving, as we will miss them so much, but we wish them well and hope they enjoy their new-found freedom! Many dogs and pets appeared in our assembly today and we even had a bit of a quiz!

We also got to see some very funky dance moves, led by the Year 6 team as elves. The children were very impressed with our skill and Abi even commented on how flexible we all were! We then had a go at Elfing ourselves!

Leading Learners

Well done to Thomas and Christian this week.

Thomas you have been impressing us so much with your positive and hard-working attitude! You use your initiative on a daily basis to forward your own learning and always give your best– keep it up Thomas!

Christian you are such a roger robin, showing your kindness and thoughtfulness on a daily basis, always seeing beyond yourself. Whichever, partner you work with, you work hard and so cooperatively! Keep up the good work Christian! 

Prophetic and Intentional butterflies

This half term we will be on the lookout for all the children that are intentional with their actions, who make deliberate choices for the good of others. Those that are prophetic, who may stand up to injustice for the greater good even when it is difficult to do so. These children are the role models of the school, who may march to the beat of a different drummer, but who make a big difference not just to our class, but to our school. This week we thank Arthur!

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Scarlet Fever and Group Strep A Infections - Guidance

Dear all,

There is growing concern amongst the community regarding iGas/Scarlet Fever, we have placed here the guidance school has received to share with you. Thank you for always communicating with us illnesses and absences. This is so important as it helps us to build a picture of the whole community and from this we are able to take any action should it be required.

Year 6 Weekly Blog- “Peace begins with a smile” Mother Teresa

It is hard to believe that we are now coming up to week 2 of Advent, the week of Peace. This week, we were welcomed to school with the beautiful reminder that Christmas is coming- the tree was decked in the hall and displays were up to remind us all of this special time. Of course, Nativity practices are also now in full flow, which teaches us the real reason of our celebration, how a a baby was born to us, that would one day, save us all.

Peace, this week, has been at the forefront of our RE lessons and worship. Our RE topic is such a reflective unit of work, as we ask the children to reflect on the injustices within our world today. They are often surprised that some of the situations still occur. We spent Tuesday and Wednesday reflecting on a poem about the plight of refugees in our world. Why not read the poem and see what you think?

They have no need of our help
So do not tell me
These haggard faces could belong to you or me
Should life have dealt a different hand
We need to see them for who they really are
Chancers and scroungers
Layabouts and loungers
With bombs up their sleeves
Cut-throats and thieves
They are not
Welcome here
We should make them
Go back to where they came from
They cannot
Share our food
Share our homes
Share our countries
Instead let us
Build a wall to keep them out
It is not okay to say
These are people just like us
A place should only belong to those who are born there
Do not be so stupid to think that
The world can be looked at another way.

Now read the poem backwards. What a powerful poem with a really significant meaning. The discussion around this and the empathy the children showed was so humbling, what a group of compassionate and intentional children you have.

Following this lesson, the children have written their own poems about refugees. These are going up on our worship board next week, so we will show you them next week.

In Maths, we have been continuing to work hard on our reasoning and applying of missing numbers. We have also looked at the strategy of redistribution and have even started our shape work with Mrs Nel. This week we have learnt that one of the main characters in our novel has gone missing, and the children have predicted many different theories as to where he has gone. We can’t wait to find out!

Year 6 have loved Art this week, giving them the chance to get really creative with all of the recycled ‘rubbish’ we have brought in, to create many different creations to go in our whole school Christmas scene. We can’t wait to see it put all together …

Leading Learners

Well done to Lena and Mason this week.

Lena, Wow Lena you know how to work your socks off! You have such resilience, stickibility and a desire to succeed, it’s contagious! Keep enjoying your learning and giving it your everything.

Mason, we have been so impressed with your focus during our writing this week! You have really set your mind to it, been extremely determined and created a beautiful piece of descriptive writing. This was also evident in your WONDERFUL History research for homework, where we saw that creative flair really come to life! Keep working on your resilience Mason and you will fly!

Prophetic and Intentional butterflies

This half term we will be on the lookout for all the children that are intentional with their actions, who make deliberate choices for the good of others. Those that are prophetic, who may stand up to injustice for the greater good even when it is difficult to do so. These children are the role models of the school, who may march to the beat of a different drummer, but who make a big difference not just to our class, but to our school. This week we thank Grace.

Helpers in the mornings:

This week we have the following children helping to take the younger children to their class:

Mason Grace Steph Amber

Notices

We are out and about a lot next week, doing various rehearsals in church. Please could you make sure children have a warm coat and hat each day to keep warm.

We have decided as a school not to send individual Christmas cards to each other, but to instead collect this money for…… Children can if they wish, write one card for the whole class.

Next Friday 9th December- Please wear Christmas colours and spread the Christmas cheer- we just ask if you could to donate £1 towards CAFOD World Gifts.

Our Christmas performance is in church on Thursday 15th December at 2pm and 7pm.

Friday 16th December Key Stage 2 Christmas party. Children can come to school in party clothes and sensible shoes. They can bring a non fizzy drink and a small snack such as chocolate or a packet of crisps.

Have a lovely weekend all of you,

Mrs Harrison, Mrs Nel, Miss Forster and Mrs Webster


Year 6 Weekly Blog - 'Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.'

And in the blink of an eye…another week in Year 6 has passed. From the minute that the children walk into class in the morning to the moment that they walk out of the door, they are constantly learning and challenging themselves to be the best that they can be. It really astounds me just how much work that the children have completed. As we approach Advent, and the birth of Jesus Christ, we continue to strive to be prophetic and intentional in our actions, which are our two virtues this half term.

Learning is always fast paced in Year 6 and this week has been no exception. This week it has been all about our writing! Every day, the children have taken a paragraph/ event from our class novel and we have either written our very own as a class or the they have independently innovated the main ideas to create their own paragraph. The next day, they look at the feedback they have been given and challenge themselves to meet this target. Wow, what wonderful writing they have created. They have all worked so hard and produced such depth, trying hard to blend their description, dialogue and action throughout.

We have been writing stories in Maths too this week. Funny, you may think, but they have really helped us to understand addition and subtraction calculations. The children have really enjoyed this and it has helped them to understand what calculation is required in the word problems. In RE, we have continued our topic on Injustice, researching and writing about Oscar Romero, who recognized the injustices of his country and who fought to overcome these. Ask the children to tell you what they have learnt about him.

Leading Learners

Well done to Olivia and James this week.

Olivia, We have loved reading your writing this week. Your creativity and ability to hook the reader in and entertain them with your words, is beautiful. You have been so creative with your descriptions that we felt like we were actually IN your story- You had us hooked! You have also controlled the pace of your writing creatively with your precise punctuation and variation of sentence lengths, just at the right time. Thank you for working so hard and sharing your writing with the class. 

James, you are so focused on your learning and always engaged, ready to learn and answer any questions thrown your way!  You listen to the learning, reflect, manage any distractions extremely well and challenge yourself in your work. You work so hard to improve and hit your targets every day and this is reflected in your work. A big well done James- keep up the great work!

Prophetic and Intentional butterflies

This half term we will be on the lookout for all the children that are intentional with their actions, who make deliberate choices for the good of others. Those that are prophetic, who may stand up to injustice for the greater good even when it is difficult to do so. These children are the role models of the school, who may march to the beat of a different drummer, but who make a big difference not just to our class, but to our school. This week we thank Steph and Kai.

Helpers in the mornings:

This week we have the following children helping to take the younger children to their class:

Amber Holly Jessica Lena

Notices

Our Christmas performance is in church on Thursday 15th December at 2pm and 7pm.

Please bring as many bottle tops and pinecones as you can!

Have a lovely weekend all of you,

Mrs Harrison, Mrs Nel, Miss Forster and Mrs Webster


Year 6 Weekly Blog 'Nothing worth having comes easy'

What an inspirational and busy week we have had in Year 6… the highlight of the week has most definitely been our visit from Stuart Robinson MBE, who taught us just what the word resilience means and how it can make you unstoppable at striving to achieve your goals. Each class took part in an exercise circuit (of course we were first) and then later on we cheered and encouraged our younger pupils to complete their circuits from Nursery and Reception. We had such good fun, but the lesson behind the morning was of the greatest value. We all worked so hard as you can see from the photographs …

Resilience was another key theme at our Curriculum Evening last night. It was so lovely to see so many families sharing our learning with us and we enjoyed exploring our Jesuit virtues together! Thank you so much to those Year 6’s who came to help and support us, it is much appreciated.

Today, we have had another different day, where we have been very snuggly and warm in our PJ’s to raise money for Brian House- thank you so much for your donations!

Within class this week, although we have been struck with illness this week, we have continued working harder than ever, putting our resilience and readiness to good use. In Maths we have been looking closely at the structure of operations, using Cuisenaire rods to compare, make and discuss whether operations are a multiplicative or additive. In English this week we have compared and created a toolkit for writers of how to engage the audience in story openings, before writing our own story next week.

Art project - Mrs Neves, our art teacher, is running an art project across the school and needs your rubbish! She has asked over the next week, for Year 6 to bring in any bottle lids ( flat ones please i.e. milk lids ) and REAL pinecones ready to pain and decorate with.

Leading Learners

Well done to Amber and India this week.

Amber, you impress us every day with your enthusiasm, focus and determination in lessons. You have real ownership of your learning, using your initiative to catch up on any work missed when you were poorly and all in your own time. You are a pleasure to teach, with your quick wit, curious mind and polite manners- you never miss an opportunity to thank us or offer help.

India, you have kind and beautiful soul, where you quietly and humbly show compassion to those around you, always willing to offer a helping hand or offer a kind word. You work so cooperatively with who ever you work with; listening, offering your opinion sensitively and showing great focus.

Prophetic and Intentional butterflies

This half term we will be on the lookout for all the children that are intentional with their actions, who make deliberate choices for the good of others. Those that are prophetic, who may stand up to injustice for the greater good even when it is difficult to do so. These children are the role models of the school, who may march to the beat of a different drummer, but who make a big difference not just to our class, but to our school. This week we thank Jack Frew.

Helpers in the mornings:

This week we have the following children helping to take the younger children to their class:

Hollie-Rose Max Stephanie Christian

Notices

Those in the girl’s football team- please see detail on the sports page for next Thursday!

Please can you bring in any outstanding sponsor form/ monies.

Please bring as many bottle tops and pinecones as you can!

Have a lovely weekend all of you,

Mrs Harrison, Mrs Nel, Miss Forster and Mrs Webster

Year 6 Weekly Blog 'Lest we forget'

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. This week is always a poignant week as we stop and remember all of those fallen victims of war and conflict. We ended our week today with a reflective assembly and worship in class, sharing prayers for everyone who has been affected by war and conflict around the world.

Once again, we started the week off with Bikeability, where all children who completed their level 2 passed, there will be certificates to be presented in the next few weeks. The children have took this very seriously, listening well to the instructors, reflecting on their cycling skills and always thinking of the safety rules when on the road. The instructors praised the children on how well they listened and we couldn’t be more proud of them.

The week has flown by and we have done so much exciting and challenging learning. We have read chapter 9 of our class novel this week and even created our very own wonder, just as the main character did. Writing has been the focus of the week, as the children again reflected on their writing targets and wrote another diary entry in the perspective of Daniel. They have also put their formal letter writing to good use, writing to the Brazilian leader to express their concerns about the causes and consequences of deforestation. In RE we have started our Justice topic, where we reflected on the meaning of this work and firstly what it means.

Our Mathematics this week has been on fire and we are no unstoppable at finding fractions of number, using our reasoning skills to tackle problems and finding the whole quantity from the part. Very impressive!

In Art, we have dyed our fabric designs with instant coffee- we can’t wait to see the results!


Kidsafe

This week, we have completed our 5th and final Kidsafe lesson, before our recap in summer term, about hearing parents/carers arguing.

Please click the button below to find out more detail about this lesson.

Leading Learners

Well done to Saul and Abi this week.

Saul, you have impressed us with your attitude to your work this week and your desire to improve. You have reflected on advice given and it has been a joy to watch you striving to reach these goals. We have been particularly proud of how you are challenging yourself on the books you are reading and what a joy it is to see the empathy and enjoyment you get from reading.

Abi, For... Being so curious in your learning, always seeking to find out more and what you can do to move your own learning forward. Abi you are a dream to teach, as you strive to hit those targets every day, reflecting on teachers advice and always showing us just what you are capable of! Never stop being curious, it’s the only way to learn!

Kind and compassionate butterflies

We have been on the look out for acts of kindness and compassion this week. Pure love and kindness has been shown in abundance this week. It definitely makes our classroom a happier and a richer place for it. Thank you to Lena . There have been so many times this week when you have gone out of your way to help someone in class. Thank you for all that you do!

Helpers in the mornings:

This week we have the following children helping to take the younger children to their class:

Abi Holly James Julia

Notices

Our Sports visit has moved- Instead we will be visited in school by Stuart Robinson on Wednesday 16th November. Stuart is a gold medal winning Paralympian, who represented GB in the recent Olympic games in wheel-chair rugby. Don’t forget to send in Sponsor Forms EARLY next week please.

Stuart’s visit is part of an event for Sports for Schools. This is an opportunity for the children to take part in a sporting event organised by Stuart, and to then hear about his story as part of an assembly. He will be with us all afternoon. This event is also an opportunity to raise money for our school - for PE, Sport and Active Learning.

17th November 6pm- Curriculum Evening. Please come along and learn with us. We would please like the following children to come and help at the event:

  • House captains

  • Head boy and girl

  • Sports Captains

18th November- please come to school in your PJ’s and bring a ‘furry friend’ to school- we just ask that you bring £1 with you to raise money for Brian House.

Have a lovely weekend all of you,

Mrs Harrison, Mrs Nel, Miss Forster and Mrs Webster

Year 6 Weekly Blog ‘Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving’ Albert Einstein

Welcome back to our second half term together and this week has certainly gone with a bang! We have completed so much work in every single lesson, I really feel like we are flying!

Thank you to all those parents who saw me on parents’ day. I always enjoy celebrating the children and to share just how well they have settled in to Year 6. We cannot ask the children to work any harder than they are doing, they just need to work smart too and produce the best work that they possibly can. Always use the opportunity to showcase just what you can do!

We started the week with Bikeablility, and what an exciting way to kick start the half term. The children were so sensible and focused at completing each task that was set, we were so proud of them all.

Read more

Year 6 Weekly Blog ‘Autumn tells is the season that teaches us that change can be beautiful’

I can’t believe we have come to the end of our first half term in Year 6! It has gone by so quick, but what a start Year 6 have made. They have all grown so much in the last few weeks, developing their independence and reflecting on the areas they know they need to wok on- we couldn’t be more prouder of them. Make sure they get lots of rest this short break, so that they are ready and raring to go for another busy, run-up to Christmas. It has been so lovely to talk to you all at the parent’s meetings, celebrating the successes of each one of them.

We had a lovely start to the week by celebrating the Harvest mass together at church. The children read so beautifully, thank you Year 6 readers. Such an important time to reflect on how lucky we are and pray for those who need our help. On Tuesday was our termly e-safety days. Now, more than ever, is it important to educate our children on how to use the internet and devices safely and appropriately. During the day we looked at the safety icons during gaming, how to identify the benefits but also the risk elements when using devices. We also looked at digital footprints, looking at how and why people use their information online to create a visual image and what appropriate online behaviour looks like. We will be looking at this in more detail after half term.

This week in our Kidsafe lesson, it fit perfectly in to our online safety learning. We learnt all about what we should do if we ever see an inappropriate image or content online. Please read the letter for further information…

Bikeability

Year 6’s ‘Bikeability’ training is set to start the first day back after half term (Monday 31st October) and then again the following Monday (Monday 7th November). Please remember to send your children in to school with their bikes, where they are able to keep them in our school’s bike rack, as you come in the school gates on Kenilworth Road. All Year 6 children with their bikes may come through this entrance on these days. Please note, that we will not be able to keep bikes here over night.

The first morning of their training will take place on the school playground, where they will complete level 1 of their ‘Bikeability’ course. Following assessment, only those that pass this level will progress on to the next stage in the afternoon and then the following week, where they will continue their training on the roads around the school. This gives you enough time to get those bikes out and get practicing in preparation for after half term. This will also be part of the children’s homework over half term.

Leading Learners

Well done to Jack and Isabella this week.

Thank you to you both for your whole approach to learning. You fully engage in every lesson and always strive to do your absolute best, challenging yourself where you can. What inspirations you are!

Kind and compassionate butterflies

We have been on the look out for acts of kindness and compassion this week. Pure love and kindness has been shown in abundance this week. It definitely makes our classroom a happier and a richer place for it. Thank you to Asher. There have been so many times this week when you have gone out of your way to help someone in class. Thank you for all that you do!

Helpers in the mornings:

This week we have the following children helping to take the younger children to their class:

Jack Isabella Abi Christian

Notices

  • Please send children in full school uniform in line with our school policy, children will not be allowed to wear hoodies or jumpers that are not part of our school uniform.

  • Tuesday 1st November we will be attending church for All Souls Day- please remember to send coats.

  • Please check the home learning section for homework over half term.

  • 17th November 6pm- Curriculum Evening. Please coma along and learn with us. Some children may be asked to come and help on this night.

  • 18th November- please come to school in your PJ’s to raise money for Brain House.

Year 6 Weekly Blog - "No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted."

Kindness doesn’t cost anything, it is something that we can all give and it makes our world a better place. This week, in our council meeting we shared the acts kindness we have seen within our class and celebrated those children. Another one of the Kingdom of God values. Seeing little acts of kindness around the classroom and on the playground throughout the week has been really lovely.

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Year 6 Weekly Blog 09.09.22 'Be brave, take risks and allow the unexpected'

Welcome to Year 6!

What a week we have had. Firstly I would just like to say how sorry I am for not be able to welcome the children back personally, although I did make an appearance virtually! Mrs Nel and Miss Forster have done an amazing job, as always, as settling the children back in and giving them an overview of the year ahead an my, what a start to Year 6 they have made. Once I was back in on Thursday, it was like I had never been away! It is so lovely to get the pleasure of teaching your children once again. The first two weeks in Year 6 are always a whirl wind but I am looking forward to meeting you all on Wednesday 21st September at induction Evening. Please make it a priority to come as Year 6 is such an important year with lots of new experiences for the children.

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Welcome to Year 6!

We can’t wait to welcome you all back to school for a VERY exciting year, full of challenges, fun learning and service. The classroom is ready for you all to step in to and I know as soon as you come through the door, you are going to make such wonderful leaders of the school. This is your final year at Our Lady’s- let’s make it the best one yet, where we achieve everything we are capable of, love and celebrate one another and serve the school through inspiring all of our younger pupils. Don’t forget to send all of your House Captain Speeches in, your deadline is next Thursday- I have already had a few sent which are wonderful!

Next week we will be focusing on our leadership roles within school and how our two new virtues (love and compassion) will be at the centre of these roles. We will be applying for the jobs we would like, looking at how WE can make a difference in our school and looking at some inspirational leaders of the past.

Don’t forget to come equipped with your own pencil cases, making sure you have all you need in there.

Indoor PE days will be on a Monday and Tuesday (dependent on what group you are in), so please check which day you are on the table below. On these days you need to make sure you wear tracksuits but also have a pair of shorts either under your trousers or in your bag to get changed in to.

We will not be starting Indoor PE the first week back.

Outdoor PE for everyone is on a Wednesday.

Throughout the holidays, the school library has been completely re-organised and sorted, and we have found that we have many books missing. Please could you have a good look in your homes and return school books if you have any. Thank you!

Important Notices:

Please make sure all coats and school uniform is labelled- let’s get off to a good start.

Don’t forget to bring an art T-shirt in to school to keep in your trays.

On Wednesday 21st September at 6pm is the Year 6 induction evening where we will welcome you all in to the classroom and we can update you with with all the information you need about the upcoming year. This is a great opportunity to meet the teachers (although you know us all already), see the classroom and ask those vital questions.

We can’t wait to see you all on Monday and hear about your holidays!

We will welcome Marsden (Kenilworth Road entrance) and Harcourt (St Patrick’s Road entrance) at 8:45am and Bamber (Kenilworth Road entrance) and Plessington (St Patrick’s Road entrance) at 8:50am.
Enjoy your weekend,
Mrs Harrison and the rest of the Year 6 team

Year 6's final weekly blog 'Mary Poppins herself had flown away, but the gifts she had brought would remain for always' by P. L. Travers

What an emotional but beautiful week we have had in Year 6. It is always sad to say goodbye, but my goodness, are they all so ready to spread their wings and fly and High School! It has been such a privilege to have taught Year 6 this last term, they have risen to every challenge, worked their socks off and showed so much love and compassion along the way. They will all be greatly missed by everyone at Our Lady’s.

It has been a week of celebrations and goodbyes… the temperatures couldn’t have been any higher, but nothing could stop our leavers day out on Tuesday. After a beautiful leavers mass, we made our way slowly in the scorching temperatures to complete our crazy golf and then a play and a climb in the shade at Fairhaven. We kept hydrated, the ice cream Miss Hornby treated us to definitely helped, and we had so much fun altogether!

Today was a perfect way to end their primary school journey … this morning the staff performed their very own ‘professional’ pantomime of Cinderella, followed by the surprise flash mob for Miss Hornby and then a special leavers celebration assembly for Miss Hornby, Mrs Curtis and of course Year 6. We then all had lunch, a dance and an ice-lolly with members of staff. Such a lovely way to thank all of Year 6 for the time they have shared with us.

Finally, the Year 6 team would like to thank you all for your continuous trust and support throughout the year. We have loved reading all the children’s cards and kind words and really appreciate any gifts we have received, although the real gift has been to teach all of your beautiful children. Thank you.

Have a wonderful summer and remember what Miss Hornby said… ‘once an Our Lady’s, always an Our Lady’s’ so please do stay in touch.

Year 6 Weekly Blog ‘Winds In The East, Mist Coming In’ Mary Poppins

I can’t believe we are now coming to the end of the children’s Our Lady’s journey, but what a week we have had! The start of the week was the play, and oh my what a performance it was (we told you, you were in for a treat)! The children rose to having an audience and delivered a fantastic show to the rest of the school on Monday morning and then to all their family and friends in the evening. I am sure you all were as teary as we were, as we brimmed with pride, watching what they have all achieved together as a class. They sang, danced and acted their hearts out and of course enjoyed every minute …

On Wednesday we continued our learning on transition, we discussed and reflected on our time at Our Lady’, thinking about the times when we were ‘kid average’ and when we were ‘kid awesome’, learning about how our attitude towards our learning is all our own choice and how we can use this to drive our learning forward at high school. On Thursday/ Friday they then looked at the growth mindset in detail, how we can re-program our brains to never say we can’t do something, but know that we need more practice and how we will approach new areas or challenges. They were all so open and ready to share their feelings and thoughts around all of this. They might not know this yet some of them, but they are all so ready for their next chapter and they all will fly!

On the last day (Wednesday) we thought it would be lovely if the Year 6 parents came to collect your children at the later time of 2:25pm, this gives more time on the playground to say your goodbyes and to take any pictures that you may want to take of their final day at Primary School.

Our leavers day out looks like its set to be a hot one, we will still be going ahead with this day however, we have made some slight changes and will be further assessed on Monday. After the golf at Fairhaven, instead of a walk along the front and playing games on the beach, we have decided to stay at Fairhaven and have our lunch, as their is much more shade. It is imperative that all children MUST have a bag with them, containing plenty of fluids, snacks, hat and sun-cream. They are able to wear their own clothes on this day, however please could we be mindful of the appropriateness of outfits as attending mass first. Sensible shoes for walking must also be worn.

Well done to Emma and Adam

We have carried on with Mrs Gregan’s tradition of letting the children choose who they believe deserve the end of term certificates, I have to say it was a very close one but these two children got the most votes:

Emma for always being so helpful and Jolly. Adam for trying his hardest in all his work and going that extra mile to reach your goals. Well done to the both of you.

VITAL REMINDERS

Remember to bring a spare polo shirt to school on Monday for staff and Year 6 to sign.

Please remember water bottles, hats and sun-cream next week- it’s going to be a hot one!

On Monday could children please bring a couple of plastic bags ready for books to be sent home.

Monday 18th July- Mass to celebrate Miss Hornby at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church.

Tuesday Leavers mass 9:30am followed by the leavers day out.

Wednesday is the final day- pick up at 2:25pm on the playground.