“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

In the recent letter from Bishop Paul that was read out at mass last weekend, we heard the message, “Be slow to part with Christmas.” If your house is anything like mine, then the Christmas tree has dropped his needles, the lights that have been hung up and have started to droop and there are still far too many Christmas treats still in the kitchen. We can be forgiven to urge Christmas away - but there is still so much more to come. On Tuesday we will be walking to church to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany; the day in which the three wise men arrive at the stable in Bethlehem. "Epiphany" comes from a Greek word meaning "to reveal" or "manifestation," signifying Jesus's revelation as Saviour to all people, not just Jews.

Our children are all so respectful at Mass and understand the importance of being reverent and respectful; this comes from a whole-family approach. We would love as many people as possible to join us for Mass on Tuesday and walk with us to church to support our children. If you are able to, please join us at school at 9am.

The term ahead…

  • New Phone Logistics - for those children who walk home in Year 5 & 6, and therefore may be bringing a phone into school, these will now no longer be kept in the classroom by their class teacher; they will be kept in the school office. Before your child comes into school with their phone, it must be dropped at the office first via the front door to the school - they can then enter the gates to their classrooms. This way, there will be no phones coming through school with a child. At the end of the day, they will then return to the school office via the front door to collect their phone. We will be moving next year to a smart phone free school from September 2026.

  • On Wednesday 21st January, there will be a coffee morning with me in school where we can talk all things school and learning and I can share with you the things that we have been working on and the direction that we are moving in next. I will be putting a form out next week so I can work out numbers and then logistics for the morning. I do hope that you can join me.

  • Don’t forget to book a place for All Stars for this term if you haven’t already done so.

  • Please also book your Winter Warmer snacks for the week ahead.

All Stars booking form for Spring
Winter warmer snack booking form - 5th January

Extra Curricular clubs will go live tomorrow to book on for this half term. Fencing will replace archery. Please make sure that you check the dates for these as they start on different weeks. I will text to let you know when the links are open for booking. The Year 5 & 6 indoor athletics competition takes place a week on Wednesday. We will be selecting the team this week with training still taking place on a Wednesday morning. Lots to look forward to this term.

We are looking forward to welcoming the children back to school on Monday morning at 8.45am - hopefully it isn’t too cold out there on the gate. We hope that you have all had a wonderful Christmas together.

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (God with us)."

Christmas invites us to pause and reflect on the great gift of hope that lies at the heart of our faith. In the humble birth of Christ, we are reminded that God enters our world quietly, bringing light into darkness and peace into uncertainty. This message of hope and love is one that resonates strongly with our vocation as educators, called to serve in line with our core values of Trust, Respect, Faith, Hope and Service. As we prepare to celebrate the Nativity, I pray that this Christmas brings you rest, renewal and time with those you love. May the peace of Christ dwell in your hearts and homes, and may we return in the New Year refreshed and strengthened to continue our mission together. We cannot thank you enough for joining us this Advent to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year together. Each week in December has brought us closer to the stable with each and every nativity. On Tuesday, our KS2 children brought it to a close as they shared prayer, scripture and song. It was the perfect way to bring everything to a close. Father Peter was deeply touched by the event and I know that it would have given him renewed strength as he continues to get well. Our travelling nativites too have made their way around our school. We hope that they have given you the opportunity to pause this Christmas time.

The joy of Christmas certainly came this week as we enjoyed Christmas parties, Christmas Dinners and Christmas films. The kitchen staff completed the enormous order of getting everything ready for Christmas dinner with nearly 200 orders in this year! It was a mammoth but welcomed task and enjoyed by each one of us. Then the parties hit - from fun and games, dancing and giggles to a visit for our KS1 children from Santa. We loved every minute of it.

This year we introduced a whole key stage film afternoon which went down really well. I thought I had chosen well and always cater for the youngest children in the room. Our EYFS and KS1 film was about a young reindeer who was learning to fly, but to do that, he had to find his dad in the North Pole who was one of Santa’s reindeers and learn his magic. It was a U and classed as family film with comedy - the perfect choice until the small reindeer was chased by a pack of wolves that were not that nice! I have never run so fast in my life to prevent tears and children being scared! A quick fast forward and we were back on track!

Operatic Societies Christmas Carol and songs singalong on the 19th December in the Parish Centre. It's a great festive fun occasion for all the family. It's free! 

The bar is open and feel free to bring along some festive snacks and really get into the spirit.

Singing is led by the Op Soc but everybody is encouraged to join in this festive night that really kicks off the Christmas season. Singing starts 7.45pm but come early to get your seats as its usually well attended.

The Staff Panto - From St Annes to Agrabah

The team of people that work in our school go above and beyond every single day. We may not always get things right, but what we do is always come from a place of love and from a place where each child is given the opportunity to thrive and fly. The staff panto is testament to this group - and oh what fun we had! They look forward to this every year and go out of their way to ensure they look their best for the occasion. I think the group dance at the end to Golden was a winner this year with every child on their feet.

On behalf of them all, thank you all for your generosity this Christmas. We are truly blessed to work with such a dedicated group of humans.

Star Virtue and Learners of the Week

All Stars

Thank you to everyone who has completed the booking form for All Stars for Spring term. You will have noticed that there is a new doorbell and a new light been installed for All Stars. This is attached to a different gate - the small gate off the car park. This will be the new drop off and collection point. There will never be a car parked in that space, but as it is a car park - the children will need to be supervised at all times.

All Stars booking form for Spring

Whole School Attendance

This is our termly attendance. Well done to Year 5, Year 1 and Year 3 who were our top attending classes. Our whole school termly attendance is 96.9%.

At various times in our year, different staff members come and go. This week we have welcomed Mrs Carragher back after her maternity leave. She will be working in Year 4 alongside Mrs Lyons. I have also interviewed for a welfare assistant and TA. I am pleased to say that after Christmas Miss Geraghty will be joining us as welfare assistant and Mr Nay as a member of staff. For many years, we have bought Mr Nay in as our sports coach; but he is now officially one of us! He will be working with us on a Monday and a Wednesday in official capacity. Today we have said a small goodbye to Miss Slater. She has secured a job working in alternative provision and helping children who need her support. We are so proud of her! She will continue to be part of our All Stars team - so we are not fully saying goodbye!

We wish you all a very merry and holy Christmas

God bless you all

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Our school is the same as every house this Advent, quietly being decorated ready for the coming of Christmas in a few weeks time. For those of you who have been in school for our nativities, you will have seen the beautifully lit Christmas tree in the corner; but you will not have seen the prayer stations that are dotted around the school. Each class has been responsible for part of our prayer pilgrimage, each representing part of the nativity story. Over the last week, the children will be completing the pilgrimage with their partner class, taking a moment of quiet reflection when they pause. At the front of the hall is our giant Advent wreath. Each one of the hand prints is by each of our children with their promise for Advent written on them - as we make pledges in our Year of Hope - we too make a pledge at Advent. Our Mini-Vinnies continue to inspire and promote kindness in our school. This year they have made a kindness calendar with 24 ways in which we can be kind to one another this Christmas time.

“What am I going to be? In this year’s Nativity?”

Stars…that is what our KS1 children are. All stars! I have never seen a nativity like it, and I don’t think I will see one again. This was spectacular in every sense of the word. There is a magic about being in a primary school during Christmas time and so many memories to be made. It is certainly times like this one that I miss being a class teacher - and classes like these two as well. Our Year 1 and 2 children rose to every challenge and produced the most heart warming of plays. Just like our donkey told us, it was full of sunshine and happiness. Whether the child was a tree, an angel or a king - the part didn’t matter - the storytelling did. The children worked so hard as one big team and I could not be prouder of them all.

Next Tuesday we will complete our journey to the stable in church with our KS2 children. For the first performance, we will be walking down to church at 1.30pm for a 2pm start. If you are able to walk with us, please join us at school first. Then we will gather at night time for the evening performance in the darkness of the church. All KS2 children need to arrive at church, in full school uniform, after 5:40pm on Tuesday, for a 6pm start. The doors will only be open at this time so please wait patiently outside and in a calm manner.

Prayer and Liturgy in School

Bake Off

Thank you to everyone who has supported our Christmassy Bake Off this year! We have been inundated with bakes and cakes, biscuits and treats - and they have been delightful! Judging has been very hard this year! Appearance, taste, texture and Christmas fun was all taken into account when deciding. Boxed up cake was for sale after school and all donations will support our school. So far over £730 has been raised! Thank you all for your generous donations.

Well done to our Bake Off Winners for this year!

Guess the name of the elf…don’t forget we still have names left. £1 a go!

Star Virtue and Learners of the Week

Online Safety and Smartphone Free Childhood Campaign

Online Safety Newsletter - december

A few weeks ago, I spoke about the Smartphone Free Childhood campaign; a national campaign by where we are trying to delay the age that a child receives a smart phone and the age that a child accesses social media. I have had so many positive conversations with parents around this and the pressure that they feel from their children as a result of their peers. Austrailia has been in the news this week with their monumental decision to ban social media until a child is at least 16. It is incredibly current and on the run up to Christmas, I can imagine that a smartphone will feature on a child’s Christmas list.

As a team of Local Heads, this is something that we are really passionate about and we want to create healthy habits for our young people as they leave us and move to high school. We are also working with St Bedes and LSA on this campaign. We have therefore discussed streamlining our approaches and moving towards being smartphone free schools. Some schools are already there and no phones are allowed for their young people - we will be moving towards this point eventually. Walking home with a phone is making a child more vulnerable not less. Following the meeting with Local Heads, this was then discussed with our Governing Board as part of our safeguarding strategy and a new policy was determined.

New routine for after Christmas…

After Christmas, for those children who walk home in Year 5 & 6, and therefore may be bringing a phone into school, these will now no longer be kept in the classroom by their class teacher; they will be kept in the school office. Before your child comes into school with their phone, it must be dropped at the office first via the front door to the school - they can then enter the gates to their classrooms. This way, there will be no phones coming through school with a child. At the end of the day, they will then return to the school office via the front door to collect their phone. New phone letters will be sent home next week with this policy included so everyone is aware and we can start the new year correctly. We will be moving next year to a smart phone free school from September 2026.

School Office News

  • Our raffle is ready to be drawn on Wednesday, and below you will find the extensive list of prizes to be won!

  • There is no ALL STARS next Friday as we finish for Christmas at 2pm.

  • Can everybody who needs an ALL STAR place for Spring now rebook on the form below.

All Stars booking form for Spring
List of Raffle Prizes

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 5 for winning this week's attendance with 97.3%. Our school attendance is 95.6%

Lunches for next week…

As we come to the end of the term, the kitchen needs to make sure that everything is used ready to start a fresh in the New Year. We have therefore tweaked lunches for next week to use what we have.

Monday - Brunch or Pasta

Tuesday - Beef Chilli Taco or Jacket Potato

Wednesday - CHRISTMAS DINNER

Thursday - Sausages & wedges or Jacket Potato

Friday - Fish Fingers or Pizza

Don’t forget to order snacks for next week - bacon butties are available on Thursday!

Morning snack order form - 15th December

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend with your family.

God bless you all

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

"Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord."

Our travelling nativity sets are busy making their way around every home as we start our preparations for Advent and the birth of Jesus this Christmas. Each nativity set have been considered and loved in lots of different ways; with stories also being shared. This Sunday sees the first Sunday of Advent with the theme of HOPE. In this Jubilee Year - how can we all be Pilgrims of Hope this Christmas time. Next week, our nativities start in school. Our EYFS children always start our journey to the stable; it really will be magical. Tickets for Wednesday’s performance has sold out, but there are still a few left for Thursday. Please can I ask that no drinks are brought into the hall when you come and watch, and the distractions for the children are minimal. They have worked so hard for this, we want them to be able to deliver their special performance with pride.

Next Friday morning is our walking nativity at school. We are aiming to start at 9:30am and create a line of children to mark the path to the chapel where a stable scene will be set up. We will sing as Mary and Joseph make their way to the stable and then meet together there for prayers and scripture reflections. We really hope that you can join us for this very special event - please pray for dry weather!

Thank you everyone who has completed the form for the Family Mass next Sunday. Some of you will have seen that Father Peter has come back to mass and concelebrated mass last Sunday. Let’s fill the church next Sunday and really welcome him back to mass. There is a Christmas Fair afterwards in the Parish Centre - I am going to see which children are there and maybe we can sing a few carols whist there.

Prayer and Liturgy in School
Family Mass - Sunday 7th December

Faith Friends

Over the past year, we have had a visit to school from Faith Friends; friends from a different faith who have come to share their faith with us. On Tuesday our Nursery, Reception, Year 3 and Year 6 children learnt all about celebrations. In particular they looked at Hanukah. The children were shown the candles and they discussed the miracle of the oil. She showed them the drindles that they play and the four sides on them - telling them they would get lots of presents on Christmas Day. The Jewish children felt they missed out so the Rabbi decided that Hanukah would be their day of celebration. As a school, we have really enjoyed learning about the Jewish faith - I wonder which faith we will choose next.

Christmas is coming…

Thank you to everyone for the chocolate donations yesterday for own clothes. Everything that we collect will be made into hampers that you can win at our Christmas Raffle. Next Thursday it is own clothes day and bring a bottle - this can be any kind of bottle!

Don’t forget to book a place at our pottery event next Thursday evening. It is a parent and child event to decorate a Christmas decoration for the tree. The pottery will be taken away and fired ready for you to hang on your tree this Christmas. The booking will close on Tuesday for this.

The Bake Off is fast approaching too - what are you going to bake this year?

Guess the name of the elf…

£1 a go will be available after school each night next week. Run by our children - what do you think his name will be?

Christmas Pottery Booking Form

Leading Learners from across the school and STAR Virtues

School Office News

  • Parent Pay accounts have been updated for you to settle.

  • We are in need of raffle prizes for our Christmas Raffle. Please send donations to the school office. Last year’s raffle was wonderful - let’s keep it up!

  • We are in need of a catering assistant in school. LCC have advertised the job which can be found by clicking the button below.

Catering assistant position

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 1 for winning this week's attendance with 99.3%. Our school attendance is 96.6%.%
Lunch Menu autumn winter
Morning snack order form - 1st December

Enjoy your weekend in the preparation for Advent and the joy that is coming.

Wednesday Word

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

As someone who has been part of Catholic education and part of the faith since I was born, I understand the importance of sacramental journeys; and they are so special. On Tuesday evening, after weeks of preparation, a group of 38 young people made their confirmation alongside Bishop Paul. It was very special as one by one, each child accompanied by their sponsor made their way to the front to be presented. Bishop Paul spoke with passion during his homily and what he said has resonated with me throughout the week. Our children don’t always need someone to speak for them, or act on their behalf; they need people to be present in their lives and to simply stand by them. Thank you to all of our families for standing by our children, even when it is tricky, and for being a constant in their lives.

In addition to the receiving of the sacrament, another special moment occurred. Father Peter was part of the service for the first time since his diagnosis. Father Peter presented each of the candidates to Bishop Paul and spoke of his pride with the number of candidates there. Here is hoping that we start to see more and more of him in the coming weeks as he continues his recovery - we have sure missed him!

On Sunday 7th December, we will have our next family mass. This is the second Sunday of Advent so it will be special to spend time together. Following the mass, there is a Christmas Fair taking place at the Parish Centre, which we hope you will be able to attend. There is a section on the form for the fair as it would be lovely to have some of our children singing lovely Christmas carols there.

Prayer and Liturgy in School
Family Mass - Sunday 7th December

Christmas is coming…

We are hurtling at the speed of knots towards Christmas, and it is hard not to get caught up in the excitement it brings. Advent is my favourite time as we prepare and come together in lots of different ways. The nativities that we will see and the carol concerts that we will hear will, I am sure, enable us all to stop and reflect a little more.

This is also a period of fun and enjoyment and we are very good at that too. Next Thursday, the children are invited to come into school in their own clothes, but they must bring some chocolate with them that can be added to our raffle hampers. The following week it will be a bottle - any bottle (ketchup, bubble bath, alcohol) the choice is yours. All of these goodies will be collated for the hampers which can be won in the raffle. Thank you so much for the prizes we have received already; Stringers Voucher, Avanti Train Voucher, Beaverbrooks Necklace, Christmas tree and skirt, hair vouchers - please keep them coming in.

Pottery Night - last year we held our first pottery event in school and it is back again on Thursday 4th December. Please do come along after school ready to paint a decoration for your Christmas Tree. Decorations and paint will be provided, as well as refreshments. Please complete the booking form below with the people who are coming and support our fundraiser for school. Each person’s ticket will be £10 which includes the tree decoration and refreshments.

Finally, on the subject of Christmas…the magic of Father Christmas is something that we want to capture and hang onto for as long as we live. Being in a primary school, you cannot help but tobe immersed in this magic - it is the best part of what we do. However, we are increasingly hearing conversations amongst our children that this magic does not exist and rumours are being spread about his existence. Of course, we all know that this isn’t true and we want our children to know this magic and to believe. If conversations have been had at home, they need to stay at home and not come into school. Nobody wants this magic to be questioned. We absolutely need your support with this.

Christmas Pottery Booking Form

All about Learning

This week, I devoted a whole day to walking the school and talking to children. I had THE BEST day. We have worked so hard over the last few years on our curriculum, on what excellence looks like and how we need to have the highest expectations for all of our pupils and our behaviour and relationship consistency. I was so incredibly proud to see this in action, to see the growth in all of the staff and to see our children shining so very brightly. As part of my walking and talking, I spent some time talking to pupils from nursery through to Year 6 about their lived experience in school. I laughed so much and smiled from ear to ear; the stories they told me and the answers to my questions were golden. They love our school, they feel safe here and they know how hard we are all working to make sure that this happens - adults and children. There has been a really strong focus on staff CPD and coaching over the past number of years. We have created a programme of support for teachers that result in team teaching and coaching, as well as experiencing other year groups too and learning from colleagues in there. Miss Woodend is currently working alongside Miss Drummond in Reception, and Mrs Marshall now supporting in KS2. These will change throughout the year. It gives teachers the opportunity to see learning beyond their year groups and share knowledge. Children also get the opportunity to work with a wide range of adults which enhance relationships further.

Please don’t forget the Parent Coffee Morning on Wednesday 21st January where I will talk you through the work that we have put in place and where we are going next. The educational landscape changes so rapidly, it is about keeping that finger on that button and seeing how it evolves whilst making some really careful decisions for our community. I hope you can join me.

Leading Learners from across the school and STAR Virtues

Laudato Si - our Common Home mission

As part of our mission to become more sustainable and look after our common home, our Eco Councillors have come up with a plan to ensure we are doing what we need to. From litter picking, to parking around school and ensuring that engines are turned off, to better education on recycling - they really understand what we need to do. This week our boilers were fired up and in line with our sustainability plan, they were turned down a few degrees. We also welcomed Lancashire Recycling Team to talk to Year 4, 5 & 6 about how better to recycle and what can be recycled. We brought in our no wrapper rule for a reason - and that stands. Please ensure that children do not bring wrapped snacks into school. Thank you so much!

“Remember, no wrapped snacks to be brought into school. Please use reusable snack pots and recycle at home.”

We have also been looking at ways in which we can protect our Forest School environment and canopy area; making it more of a cosy and protected area. There are lots of grants out there and we have been lucky enough to secure £500 to support biodiversity from the Ernest Trust. We have also worked with Asda community champion who has helped us buy 57 evergreen trees with the money to plan along the edge of the field and around the canopy area. Over the next few weeks, we will get these in place with the help of our Year 5 children and eco-council. Thank you to Mrs Tierney for her continued work to develop our Forest School - she so passionate about it. She is has launched an Instagram Page for it that showcases the environment and what activities take place there. This will help us to become more visible in the community and also help us secure funding with the wonderful work we are doing. The children are not involved in any posts - just the beautiful place we have created. Search ourladysforestschool to see for yourself - you may see our wildlife camera too!

School Office News

  • Parent Pay accounts have been updated for you to settle.

  • We are in need of raffle prizes for our Christmas Raffle. Please send donations to the school office. Last year’s raffle was wonderful - let’s keep it up!

  • The text messaging system has been updated this week and as a result we have had issues with the syncing of contacts from one system to another. Please bear with us as we continue to solve this. Please share any text messages you get just incase people are not receiving them in your class. We are getting there and the company have assured us that this is being resolved.

  • We are in need of a catering assistant in school. LCC have advertised the job which can be found by clicking the button below.

Catering assistant position

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 4 for winning this week's attendance with 99.7%. Our school attendance is 96.6%.%

Sausage barms were a winner this week and went down really well! It will be bacon barms next month. Don’t forget to order next week’s snacks by by 8am on Monday.

Lunch Menu autumn winter
Morning snack order form - 24th November

Finally, we are incredibly proud of the achievements of our children beyond school and our PROUD CLOUD is testament to this. Each week we see the swimming, judo, sporting and musical achievements of our children. If your children has achieved something, please do share it with us. We have seen Barnaby excel in Judo - a multi medalist at competitions. Oscar has joined a club wanting to be a goalkeeper - we are so proud of him. A huge shout out to our Joseph in Year 6 who will be starring in Nativity at The Grand Theatre next week. After months and months of rehearsals, Joseph and his parents will take to the stage. We are always proud of our pupils and what they go on and achieve beyond school. Well done Joseph! You also may be aware that I am an England Netball Umpire, who is also able to officiate internationally. Not quite Commonwealth Games level but not too far off. After Christmas my weekends will be spent touring the country officiating the Super League. Towards the end of next week I will be heading to Glasgow to officiate for World Netball at an International Tournament, The Celtic Cup. Luce will be coming with me - as well as my coat as it will be cold - luckily for me the matches are inside. I am looking forward to telling the children all about it and showing them what I have been up to.

God bless and have a wonderful weekend

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

“Give thanks to the Lord, for her is good; his love endures forever.”

A celebration of Harvest is the perfect time to stop, reflect and to say thank you - because we have so much to be thankful for. Yesterday morning, we gathered as a school community to reflect on the story of creation and to pray for those who grow, cook and supply our food; and also for those who do not have enough food in the world. I cannot thank you enough for you generous Harvest donations which equated to a massive 116.71kg! That is massive and the Foodbank at Fylde are so very grateful. Mrs Hills, our Chair of Governors volunteers at the Food Bank on a Tuesday afernoon so she collected our donations for us. You may have also spotted at the bottom of the photos, there is a tray of potatoes. Our allotment has been busy growing potatoes that was planted by our old Year 6s, and during enrichment on Wednesday afternoon, our Year 3s harvested them, ready for us to eat. Part of our Laudato Si mission is growing our own supplies and using them within our kitchen. They made the perfect accompanyment for our cheese flan - some children even asked for them as a side to their curry! They were enjoyed by all!

"They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old; Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.”

Remembrance Day is always a special day in the national calendar, but also in our school calendar as we remember those who have come before us. The symbol of the poppy is at the heart of this. A few years ago, we adorned our chapel with handmade poppies that our community had made. There is some that can still be seen and some that have grown into the ground below - which I really like. There will be a basket in the prayer area for any poppies you can make at home during half term and the first week back. There is an example below. You choose how best to make them, try and make them waterproof. On Tuesday 11th November, Year 6 will be walking down to the Cenotaph at Ashton Gardens to take part in the town remembrance tribute. They will be planting wooden crosses of remembrance which we will add to our chapel too.

Community links in action

On Thursday afternoon, Police Community Officers Trevor Sterling and Fiona Hartley joined us in school to give a talk to our Year 5 & 6s about Halloween and Bonfire Safety. As the children get older and maybe will be going out and about by themselves for Halloween, they need a good understanding of what is acceptable and not acceptable in terms of social behaviour. As expected, our children already had great knowledge in this area - we knew they would; but a little reminder is always useful. We look forward to continuing to work with the Police Team through their Pol-ed approach in the coming year.

School Office News

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 5 for winning this half term's attendance with 98.9%. Our school attendance is 97.7%

Please can all Parent Pay amounts be settled before returning to school after the half-term.

Below you will find the two buttons for next half term’s menu and to order the snacks for the week for morning break. Each week there will be a different button on my blog where you can order for the week ahead and total up what your child has had. This will then go onto Parent Pay at the end of the week. Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children will still have access to the free fruit provided but can buy this as an optional extra if wished. All orders need to be in by the Monday morning at 8am so the kitchen can get organised for the week ahead.

Lunch Menu autumn winter
Morning snack order form - 3rd November

Extra-Curricular Opportunities

The Autumn 2 calendar and booking forms are now live on the Sport and News Around the School page of the website. Please have a look at what is on offer and sign your child up. Choir is starting for our KS2 children which is always lovely in the build up to Christmas.

Forest School Tidy Up Afternoon - Friday 7th November from 1.30pm

We really need all hands on deck to get Forest School ready for the winter and give it a bit of love as it has been so well-used this half term. If you are able to help, or you know someone who can, please can you fill in this form so we know how many smores and hot chocolates to make! If you are able to bring a spade - please do!

Forest School Tidy Up Day

Christmas is definitely coming, and given how fast this half term has gone, it will be here before we know it. As part of our Christmas fundraising for school, we will be running the Christmas Raffle again that proved so very popular last year. We are looking for donations for raffle prizes - really special raffle prizes. If you can, or your know someone who can, donate prizes for our raffle please start getting them into the school office. We have our own clothes days to bring in a bottle or chocolate for the hampers coming up too. Christmas is the most magical time of the year in school - it is my favourite time and we cannot wait to share it with you all.

Thank you to you all for taking the time to come and speak to the teachers today about how your child has settled into school this year. There is so much to celebrate and together, we can do some wonderful things. Have a lovely half-term holiday. We will see you when school reopens on Monday 3rd November.

God bless

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later."

Are you someone who is persistent? Who is like a dog with a bone and doesn’t let things go? Or are you someone who would prefer to let things slide? Is there something in life that you have been trying to master for some time? In this week’s gospel, we hear about a persistant woman who challenged an unjust judge - someone who was acting unfairly. The message from the parable was not to give up - to always pray - and not to give up. In Year 5’s class assembly on Tuesday, they too gave us the message about using our voices for the power of good. We heard about the voices of some really influential leaders who used their voice for the common good and to ignite change. How can you use your voice for the better today?

Thank you for all of our HARVEST donations. The school is slowly filling up with items that we can donate to the local foodbank. On Thursday, our last day in school, we will celebrate our Harvest liturgy and give thanks for all that we have. Please continue to donate your items to school.

Prayer and Liturgy in school
Year 6 Castlerigg Blog

For the last three days, Year 6 have been in Castlerigg - Letting their Light Shine! They have had a great 3 days coming together to think about their mission for the year and spending time in prayer. It is a really special and unique experience for the children and staff who always go. A huge thank you to Mrs Harrison, Mrs Barker, Mrs Carter and Mrs Webster who gave up their time to attend with the children. To Deacon John as well who joined the children yesterday.

Learning across the school

I do love the Book Looks and hearing the children share their learning with you at home. They remember much better than we do what learning they have done and what it means to them. Thank you to everyone who has joined us this week. Here are a few photographs of the joy that was felt.

Book Looks Date for your Diary

Reception Stay and Play - either 7th November @ 9.15am or 10th November @ 2.15pm

Year 3 - Tuesday 21st October @ 2.30pm

Year 4 - Friday 17th October @ 9am

Year 5 - Tuesday 21st October @ 9am

Year 6 - Monday 20th October @ 2.30pm

Leading Learners from across the school and STAR Virtues

Our school has shone so brightly this week. Well done to our virtue award winners for being LEARNED and WISE in their choices and to our learners who have led by example in their classrooms.

Office News

Just a reminder that there is NO ALL STARS next Wednesday due to staff training. Please collect your child at normal time on Wednesday.

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 1 for winning this week's attendance with 100%. Our school attendance is 97.1%

As we approach the end of this half term, please can you visit Parent Pay to ensure that all payments are cleared ready to start again when we return.

As promised, below you will also find the lunch menu for after half term. It is full of lovely autumn and winter food that will keep the children cosy. Please click on the button below to take you to the menu which will take effect for after half term.

Lunch Menu autumn winter

In addition to the autumn/winter menu, we will also be introducing a warm snack menu for morning breaktimes. The children will order their snacks, along with their lunch in the morning, with payment being made on Parent Pay. This is open to all children from Nursery through to Year 6 and will be a paid service. KS1 children still have the option of free fruit too, but anything from here will be paid. Initially, I just want an expression of interest on the form below so we can plan for numbers after half term. There will then be the option to book each week what your child will want. Lots of our children like their food (and staff too), especially in the winter months. As we have a no wrapper policy now in school this supports it.

If you are interested in your child having a morning snack from the menu to the right, please complete the form below so we can work out numbers.

Winter Warmer Snack Menu expression of interest

The children whose parents have registered them will have their flu nasal sprays on Monday, we have the lists and are ready to go. Just a reminder that school finishes for children on Thursday at 3:25pm next week.

Have a lovely weekend

God bless

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

"This is the day that the Lord has made - let us be glad and rejoice."

In this weekend’s Gospel, we will hear the importance of a few words; thank you! In assembly today we talked about the magic word - and I don’t mean abracadabra - but simply thank you. Through the healing of the 10 lepars, whose faith healed them, Jesus was showing us that we just need to reach out to him and ask. Every Monday, I have the pleasure of teaching RE to Year 5 - it really is one of the highlights of my week. This past Monday, our curriculum went deep and we explored what it meant to be a good neighbour today. How can we love our neighbour in today’s world. We looked at the Lampedusa Cross, a wooden cross made out of a boat that was carrying refugees to safety when it crashed and broke. The children made their own crosses as a reminder to be a good neighbour to all.

Prayer and Liturgy in school

As well as a dedicated staff team, we also have an incredibly governing body who really do support the school in everything that they do. All volunteers, the ensure that they are fully present at meetings - always challenging and questioning the decisions we make in school. On Tuesday, they were invited into school to experience collective worship and RE in each class from nursery through to Year 6; and they were astounded. It was 1 million children pray the rosary on Tuesday - and we did that. From our youngest children praying the rosary around the prayer garden in nursery, to a rosary being made in Forest School - to a lesson on the Fall of Creation in Year 6. There was so much to celebrate and we can’t wait to share this with you at book looks and into Advent.

Finally, a huge thank you to everyone who attended our first family mass of the year - it was beautiful. To our readers, offertory and children in the choir, you represented our school so well. Cannon Cooper was astounded by the commitment of our school, but we did miss Father Peter (although I definitely think he was listening in). I have been to see Father Peter this morning and to take the most generous hamper of gifts - he was incredibly touched by everyone’s kindness and good wishes. He is doing really well and is slowly on the mend. A little bit more rest and I am sure he will be back with us before we know it. Please do keep him in your prayers as he continues his recovery. He is missing us all so much and in his words, “It is in school that he really finds God.”

““Be kind to yourself. Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.””
— Brené Brown

We really value mental health and giving both children and adults a voice where they can understand themselves and learn to love themselves a little more. Today is World Mental Health day and we adopted the “Hello Yellow” theme - promoting sunshine and positive thoughts. With the money raised both last year and this year, we have been able to invest in a library of books for both parents and children. They are there for you to take, to read and to bring back for someone else to enjoy. In our entrance, you will find the book shelf - please do come and use it. If there is a book that we haven’t got and you can recommend it - please let me know. We have raised £191.30 so far for more new books!

Our Forest School contributes widely to the mental health of all children. At the start of this year, and in this first half term, we have focused on the transition of the children into their new classes; and the children have settled so well. After half term, these groups will be reducing in size and the children who have completed the transition programme will now just enjoy take over days with their class. Mrs Tierney’s blog gives a flavour of what has been happening.

What an amazing month we've had in Forest School. We've enjoyed some beautiful weather and braved the tail end of Storm Amy. Our groups have had the full Forest School experience. Our mud kitchen has a new menu! 'Mudflurries' have been popular along with 'Beetle Burgers.' It's been lovely to see how creative the children have got - their imaginations are truly amazing. The team work that we have seen in the den building area has also been fantastic. The children have planned their structures and really worked well together moving the larger pieces of brash being careful not to injure anyone. 

Our resident hedgehogs Sam, Barbara and Horace have brought lots of excitements to the classes, along with our little field mice and squirrels. We're hoping that they will make the most of our hedgehog houses and hibernate safely this winter at Our Lady's.  We've discussed other animals that hibernate and looked at the changes in our environment which become more noticeable week by week as we get further into Autumn. 

With October being the month of the Holy Rosary, our Tuesday group joined the rest of school and millions of children around the world in praying together, we created our own Rosary Beads using pebbles that our children have decorated over the last few weeks. Nursery paid us a quick visit on Wednesday while we cleared the pond of leaves left over from Storm Amy, as they peeked into the pond one of our frogs popped his head up to say hello! 

John from Tree & Hedgecare delivered us some woodchip for us to spread on the forest floor, The children have mucked in and made a start. It's so important that they are learning about sustainability and looking after our area so that we are able to carry enjoying it for year to come, this can be hard work but it's vital that we help stop the erosion of our footpaths. They certainly worked up an appetite so they really enjoyed pancakes and honey cooked on the fire. Our Thursday group were very chilled out last week when we did some Forest Bathing, they closed their eyes and listened to the sounds around them, the leaves rustling in the wind, the birds singing and the trickling of water from our neighbour's pond. 

Finally, this week we've made from 'calm down' bottles. The children have collected different coloured leaves, acorns and other pieces of treasure from the forest floor then filled out bottles with water, glycerine and biodegradable glitter. When they feel anxious, worried or a little annoyed they can shake the bottle and watch the leaves and glitter as they slowly settle. I am planning a tidy up day within the next few weeks to get the area ready for winter and finish spreading the wood chip. This will be on Friday 7th November from 1.30pm. Any volunteers would be greatly appreciated and essential. Tea and biscuits provided!

Mrs Tierney 

Learning across the school

Thank you to everyone who has booked their parents appointments for the 24th October. We are really excited to welcome you back into school to share your child’s progress and how well they have settled into life in their new classes. The book looks are an ideal opportunity to sit down with your child and share their work with them. We are really working on excellence and there is excellence all over the school. Don’t forget the dates below.

Book Looks Date for your Diary

Reception Stay and Play - either 7th November @ 9.15am or 10th November @ 2.15pm

Year 1 - Thursday 16th October @ 9am

Year 2 - Thursday 16th October @ 2.30pm

Year 3 - Tuesday 21st October @ 2.30pm

Year 4 - Friday 17th October @ 9am

Year 5 - Tuesday 21st October @ 9am

Year 6 - Monday 20th October @ 2.30pm

Leading Learners from across the school and STAR Virtues

Our school has shone so brightly this week. Well done to our virtue award winners for being LEARNED and WISE in their choices and to our learners who have led by example in their classrooms.

Office News

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 3 for winning this week's attendance with 100%. Our school attendance is 97.8%

As we approach the end of this half term, please can you visit Parent Pay to ensure that all payments are cleared ready to start again when we return. This week we have also received the new lunch menu that will be in place after half term and into the Winter months. We will also be introducing some warm snacks for morning breaktime - now that we have our wonderful kitchen, it seems only right to use it to its potential and provide something a little wamer for the children. This also ties into our wrapper free school. I will collate everything and share it with you next week.

Some of you may have noticed how well Mr Nay is looking at the moment; he has set his mind on exercising fully - taking it very seriously I may add, ready for Christmas. So much so that a Spin bike appeared this week in school (which got me thinking). After half term, Mr Nay (supported by staff) is going to do a sponsored spin for the day in school, to raise money for school and the new sports equipment that we need to buy. Watch this space for more information - this is going to be really fun!

Finally, a big well done to Xander’s daddy who completed his sky dive yesterday. He ended up doing a 15,000ft skydive and we raised just over £5000 for Onefylde and Cancer research. I think he may now have the bug!

Have a lovely weekend

God bless

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

"We are merely servants. We do what we are obliged to do."

Faith. We use that word a lot. From songs, to poems and prayers and even phrases, “You just need to have a little bit more faith.” But it can be really hard. In order to have complete faith, we need to have trust. Trust in each other, trust in ourselves and trust in the mission that we are trying to grow. But given the bumps in the road that we can experience, I know faith can be tested. In the Gospel this week we are reminded that no matter how small our faith is, amazing things can happen. What can you achieve with just a little bit of faith this week? I have spent the past two days with the diocese and other Catholic headteachers on our annual conference. School life is so busy that for my own formation and faith, it is so important to just stop and reflect. The world headlines are so dark at the moment, but I feel like our school headlines are stronger than ever.

On Sunday it is our first family mass together. We are really wanting to welcome any new families into our school and to share Mass with them. If you click on the button below, you will be able to see who is involved in the mass this weekend. Father Peter is at home and we want to raise the roof so he can hear us. Please join us if you can.

Prayer and Liturgy in school
Family Mass - Sunday 5th October

Learning across the school

Thank you to everyone who completed the form last week indicating whether you wanted face to face or a virtual appointment. We will now put an appointment list together for you to sign up with your class teacher from next week. On Parents Day there will be an opportunity to look at pre-loved uniform.

Don’t forget book looks that are coming up where you can sit with your child and share their work - celebrating all of the wonderful things that have taken place.

Book Looks Date for your Diary

Reception Stay and Play - either 7th November @ 9.15am or 10th November @ 2.15pm

Year 1 - Thursday 16th October @ 9am

Year 2 - Thursday 16th October @ 2.30pm

Year 3 - Tuesday 21st October @ 2.30pm

Year 4 - Friday 17th October @ 9am

Year 5 - Tuesday 21st October @ 9am

Year 6 - Monday 20th October @ 2.30pm

Leading Learners from across the school and STAR Virtues

Our school has shone so brightly this week. Well done to our virtue award winners for being LEARNED and WISE in their choices and to our learners who have led by example in their classrooms.

Office News

Our new lunch menu for Autumn can be found by clicking the button below. There has certainly been a few more smells of comfort food drifting from the kitchen this week as the weather has changed.

Lunchtime Menu

Our attendance is exceptional yet again this week with very few children off - 97%. Let’s keep it up! The fact that everyone is in is certainly reflected in the work that the children are producing in class. Well done everyone! I know that there are a few bugs creeping in to classrooms. Thank you for working with us with that.

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 5 for winning this week's attendance with 100%. Our school attendance is 97%

This week our Netball and Football teams were both in action against Heyhouses and St Thomas as part of our new tri-fixture. Both teams had two matches and competed really well with netball winning both games and the football winning one of theirs. They were a credit to the school. Next week sees the girls football team take to the pitch, playing against the same teams. We can’t wait to see how they get on!

Dates for your diary

Those eagle eyed parents among you will have seen that the calendar on the website have been populated with important dates this term; we will continue to add to these too. In addition to specific things in classes, there is also whole-class events that will be taking place too. I have collated them on this document so you can be prepared for nearer the time. These will take you right until Christmas with our Annual Great Our Lady Bake Off. We will announce each event as they come, but this should help you plan better.

Next Friday is our first event - Hello Yellow Day. Please come into school wearing YELLOW to support Youth Mental Health Day - £1 donation. We will be using the proceeds to buy some new books to support our children that will be kept in the library.

Father Peter’s hamper has started to take shape in the Prayer Area with some beautiful pictures drawn by the children and a few goodies in the mix too. I have heard from him this week and he is recovering well, but missing us all. Please do continue to add things to his hamper. I am hoping to take it to him towards the end of next week.

God bless

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

… remember that you in your lifetime received your good things Luke 16:25

Our word of the week has been WEALTH, as we have explored, what is real wealth? In the Gospel this week we have learnt how monetary wealth is temporary, but our faith and family are permanent and it is this wealth that brings us the most happiness. This can be really difficult to understand, especially in a world where everything is readily available and adverts (especially on the run up to Christmas) attract our youngest of eyes. On Tuesday, Year 6 shared with us the first class assembly of the year around the theme, “Fill Your Bucket.” Everyone has a bucket and when we are exposed to acts of kindness and love, our buckets become full. However, when we experience moments of unkindness - our buckets take a dip. I have bought all classes a bucket, somewhere where they can collect moments of kindness throughout the term and continue our Pay it Forward mission.

Family Mass - Sunday 5th October at 9.30am

Our first family mass of the year is coming up, and this one will be dedicated to our new Reception children who have just joined our school. We will be using this mass to welcome them formally into our community. There is a form above for you to complete if your child is interested in reading, singing in the choir or taking the offertory. I will then complete a rota as we go through the year. Readings will be given out next week

Prayer and Liturgy in school
Family Mass - Sunday 5th October

World News

We are all fully aware of what kind of world we are now living in and how the news has been recently dominated by dark stories and conflicts, both here politically and also abroad. As a school of faith, and as decent human beings, we teach the children to live in utter kindness and to ensure the world is a better place because of their presence in it. This week I have spoken at length with our KS2 children about conversations that they are having, sometimes with each other and sometimes within ear shot of our younger children, about events that are taking place or have happened world wide. Some of the conversations have revolved around gun crime, political stances and UK issues, which as you can imagine, can be very distressing and very confusing to hear. When I spoke with KS2, I made it very clear that regardless of conversations that they may have at home, or what they see on TV, at school we reamin kind and ensure that every conversation is appropriate and from a place of love. The education of our young children is pivotal in how they will grow as adults and shape our world today. Thank you as always, with your support at home.

Student Council

Today, I met with our newly formed Student Council to put an action plan together for this half term. They will take back our missions back to their classes, and together with the Eco-council and Play-Council, develop our school further. They were wonderful and full of ideas! Toby and Matilda led us first in prayer before deciding on 3 actions that we would focus on this month.

  1. For each class to have a kindness bucket that is filled with acts of kindness.

  2. For each class to make something for Father Peter’s hamper (see below for more info).

  3. To ensure that wrappers are not being brought into school by children or staff for snacks. We are continuing to be sustainable.

Learning across the school

I am so proud of how each and every child has started this new school year - the school is buzzing and a hive of learning. I am very much someone who likes to get in classes and this week I have been in Year 6 to deliver their next Kidsafe lesson on Online Safety, as well as a bit of PE too; in Year 5 to continue our work on Moses and looked carefully at the Ten Commandments in relation to the Israelites leaving Egypt; and finally I have spent some time today in Reception seeing just how beautifully our Reception children have settled into school and are already growing their brains and learning school routines.

At the end of this half term, Friday 24th October, you will have the opportunity to speak with your child’s class teacher to see just how they are doing in their new classrooms and get some support with how you can help your child at home. In previous years, we have had a completely online system for Parents Day, with the opportunity to come into school and sit with your child for their book look. This year, we are tweaking things ever so slightly. There will still be the opportunity to sit down with your child and look at their work through a book look, where you will find the dates and times below. But Parents Day, you can either choose to come in and have your 10 minute appointment face to face, or you can access a virtual appointment via TEAMs. I know there have been lots of parents who have preferred virtual in the past so that both parents can access them with work commitments or holidays, but we would also love to have you back in school. This may prove to be logistically challenging so I need to be really organised. On your child’s blog this week, you will find a form to complete - this will state your preference for the appointment. Once we have all of the responses, we can then organise the timetable. Virtual appointments will be during a set time of the day to allow the teacher to go from meeting to meeting. We will let you know timings next week.

Book Looks Date for your Diary

Reception Stay and Play - either 7th November @ 9.15am or 10th November @ 2.15pm

Year 1 - Thursday 16th October @ 9am

Year 2 - Thursday 16th October @ 2.30pm

Year 3 - Tuesday 21st October @ 2.30pm

Year 4 - Friday 17th October @ 9am

Year 5 - Tuesday 21st October @ 9am

Year 6 - Monday 20th October @ 2.30pm

Leading Learners from across the school and STAR Virtues

Our school has shone so brightly this week. Well done to our virtue award winners for being LEARNED and WISE in their choices and to our learners who have led by example in their classrooms.

Office News

Our new lunch menu for Autumn can be found by clicking the button below. There has certainly been a few more smells of comfort food drifting from the kitchen this week as the weather has changed.

Lunchtime Menu

Our attendance is exceptional yet again this week with very few children off - 98%. Let’s keep it up! The fact that everyone is in is certainly reflected in the work that the children are producing in class. Well done everyone!

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 4 & 5 for winning this week's attendance with 100%. Our school attendance is 98%

Our Sports Teams get going next week with fixtures outlined for both the netball and football teams. There is a strong approach by our cluster this year - we want as many children as possible to represent their school teams; we know what magical memories this will hold. We are also aware of the huge variety of clubs our children attend beyond school too. Please visit the Sports Page to see what fixtures are taking part and when; and who is involved. There are a number of afternoon football tournaments next half term which will require parent transport or team approach to transport. Please know when these are.

Children involved in autumn fixtures

Dates for your diary

Those eagle eyed parents among you will have seen that the calendar on the website have been populated with important dates this term; we will continue to add to these too. In addition to specific things in classes, there is also whole-class events that will be taking place too. I have collated them on this document so you can be prepared for nearer the time. These will take you right until Christmas with our Annual Great Our Lady Bake Off. We will announce each event as they come, but this should help you plan better.

You will be pleased to know that Father Peter’s operation went well and he is on the road to recovery. I have heard from him this week and he is missing us lots. I have assured him that he is in our thoughts and prayers and we will be right here for him when he is well enough. In the entrance next week, there will be a hamper basket. We are going to add things into it to make Father Peter a get well soon gift. If you would like to add to it, please do: a get well soon card, a box of biscuits or a picture drawn by the children - or anything else you might think of. The choice is yours. We thought it would make him smile when he comes home.

God bless

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

"Love your God and Love your Neighbour."

Head Boy, Head Girl, Deputy Head Girl and Deputy Head Boy

This week we have been following two simple rules; Love God and Love your Neighbour. They may indeed sound simple but infact, they are incredibly difficult - especially when we get distracted by other things that are going on in our lives. Whether it is arguements with friends, or an obsession with something of material value or simply too many things going on in our lives; this is when it is much harder to just be kind. This year we are really trying to be STEWARDS in our world - both of the people and the world in which we live. The Gospel message this week supported this fully.

Yesterday, I had the privaledge of joining our new Year 6 Leadership Team at St Joseph’s in Ansdell. Together with schools from across our diocese, we celebrated 100 years of Lancaster Diocese and the Jubilee Year - and of course we took Luce! We have now presented all of our positions of responsibility for this year. Next week I will reveal our Student Council, Eco Council and Play Council and set out our agenda for this year.

“Be the change that you want to see in the world. ”
— Mahatma Gandhi
Prayer and Liturgy in school
Family Mass - Sunday 5th October

Family Mass - Sunday 5th October at 9.30am

Our first family mass of the year is coming up, and this one will be dedicated to our new Reception children who have just joined our school. We will be using this mass to welcome them formally into our community. There is a form above for you to complete if your child is interested in reading, singing in the choir or taking the offertory. I will then complete a rota as we go through the year.

Learning across the school

At our staff meeting this week, I asked the teachers to write down things that have had the most impact on our children, our staff and our comunity over the past three years. We have changed quite a lot in school, adapted and tweaked; it is now that we are starting to really see the plan come into fuition. One major part of our school make-up is enrichment and us ensuring that we are giving our children experiences to bring learning to life; sometimes opportunities that they would never have again. Yesterday, along with staff and some familiar faces, our Year 5 children headed to London to visit Parliament. It may have been an early start with a 6.45am meet at school, but our eager explorers were certainly up for the challenge. From Euston they made their way on the tube to Westminster before entering Parliament and seeing the House of Commons and the House of Lords for themselves. After Westminster it was a stroll to St James’ Park for a picnic then onto Buckingham Palace to take in some sights. Back to Euston and back to school for 7.30pm! What a day! I know how much fun the children had and it will certainly stay with them for a long time. Thank you to the staff and adults who gave up their own time to take the children on this trip of a lifetime!

You will all know by now just how much we love our Forest School area. Over the past year, Mrs Tierney and Miss Lavelle have developed each individual part of it, always with the message that we are visitors in this part of the school. This week, Mrs Tierney has installed her very own wildlife camera so that we can see what comes out at night when we are all tucked up in our beds - and look what we have discovered; we have our very own hedgehog and little field mouse running around. I think this might become a weekly watch here in school. A big thank you goes to our Forest School volunteers this week who have come and supported sessions. This could not run without you so a big thank you.

Leading Learners from across the school and STAR Virtues

Our school has shone so brightly this week. Well done to our virtue award winners for being LEARNED and WISE in their choices and to our learners who have led by example in their classrooms.

Office News

Our new lunch menu for Autumn can be found by clicking the button below. There has certainly been a few more smells of comfort food drifting from the kitchen this week as the weather has changed.

Lunchtime Menu

Our attendance is exceptional yet again this week with very few children off. Let’s keep it up! The fact that everyone is in is certainly reflected in the work that the children are producing in class. Well done everyone!

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 3 for winning this week's attendance with 100%. Our school attendance is 98.4%.

The fixtures for our Sports Teams - football and netball - are now on the Sport page of the website. Please have a look and get the dates in your diary!

One of our wonderful parents is doing a sky dive for charity. On the 9th October Xander’s daddy Will, will be doing his first tandem skydive from 11,000ft over Cockerham raising money for vulnerable adults with disabilities. Please click on the button below to read about his efforts, the cause and to support if you can.

Sponsored Skydive

It always seems odd to be thinking about the next academic year just as we start the new academic year, but that is what we are doing. If you have a child who is due to start school next September, there are a number of open mornings, afternoons and an evening where you can come for a tour of the school and to see what life would be like as part of our family. Please do share with your friends and family and contact the office to book a place.

Please continue to pray for Father Peter. This week will be his last weekend in church for a while and I am sure he would love to see as many of you there as possible. Have a lovely weekend with your families. It does look like the sun will shine again this week.

God bless

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

“All those who belong to Jesus Christ are fastened to His cross.”

Everywhere we look in our world we see crosses. Not necessarily the cross that we associate with our faith, but lots and lots of examples of how lines cross and have different meanings. Whether it is the cross on a first aid sign, or the ones painted in a junction box on the floor, or quite simply the crosses in a window pane - all of these symbols have a meaning; some positive and a call to help, others not so much and mean don’t go near. This Sunday is the feast of The Holy Cross. It is a day in our liturgical calendar to honour and glorify the cross, a symbol of Jesus’ sacrifice and God’s immense love for humanity. On Monday we were also joined by CAFOD, who came into school after our first mass of the year. They explained the mission that they have for this year and how our donations over the past year have supported them. Through Catholic Social Teaching, we are really trying to understand how we can help others in our world - the ones who need it the most. This year we are all being STEWARDS. CAFOD are working hard to improve water across the world, which fits in with us being sustainable too!

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only son.”
— John 3:16
Prayer and Liturgy in school

This week in school has been all about service to others; thinking what is possible and who would be right for the job. Our Year 6 children always start the year by applying for the position of responsibility that they think they would be best suited to. It could be office monitors, librarian, art monitor, sports leader or digital leaders. We also ask them to prepare presentations to be a House Captain, which are voted for by the children. This year, the videos are just amazing, truly wonderful and you had to see them. I wonder who you would vote for?

Our staff have been busy voting for the senior leadership team of Head Boy & Girl and Deputy Head Boy & Girl. These children will play a significant role in the interactions that we have with other schools and will be our ambassadors for this year. I am excited to work with them closely and to promote real change. Their first outing will be with me next Thursday to attend a deanary mass. On Monday morning we will gather to announce the leadership roles as well as presenting class councillors, eco-councillors and play leaders with their positions too. I am really excited to see just what we can achieve this year!

Mini-Vinnies - we need you!

Last year, our Mini-Vinnie team were instrumental in the change we established in school. Whether it was the Harvest, food bank donations, collecting of blankets and clothes or preparing prayers for school liturgies, this group of children acted so selflessly. This year, Mini-Vinnies will run every other Monday throughout the school year, led by Miss Bassett. If you attend All Stars on a Monday night, this might be something that you can get involved in too. Our previous Mini-Vinnies will still have a role and we will need a new President and Secretary - but there is now space for some more. If you are in Year 3 and above, and would like to get involved. Please do fill in the application form by writing a short letter as to why you would make a good Mini-Vinnie and what you can do for our world. Application forms can be found in your classrooms.

Learning across the school

School is absolutely buzzing and there is a hive of activity in each classroom. This week we have welcomed our Reception children full-time and they have settled in beautifully. Our Year 6 children have been perfect role models and have brought them into the lunch hall each day and helped them to have their lunch. We are so proud of them and how they have grown to learn the routines here in school. This year sees the whole-school starting a new RE curriculum. It had previously been adopted up to Year 4, but now our Upper Juniors are accessing it too. I have the pleasure of delivering RE to Year 5 on a Monday and I love it - it is deep, thought-proking and engaging. The teachers are all really busy starting to organise trips and enrichment activities for their class so keep an eye on Parent Pay and class blogs to see what is coming up, but next Thursday, Year 5 will be heading to London. As part of their unit of work on democracy, the children will be heading to London to visit the Houses of Parliament and to see what it is like to be there. We hope they have the most wonderful time - I am sure there will be many photographs next week.

Thank you to everyone who came to our Induction Nights with our teachers this week. There will be lots of opportunities to get involved and see our school in action this year - keep an eye out!

Leading Learners from across the school and STAR Virtues

Our school has shone so brightly this week. Well done to our virtue award winners for being LEARNED and WISE in their choices and to our learners who have led by example in their classrooms.

Office News

Our new lunch menu for Autumn can be found by clicking the button below. There has certainly been a few more smells of comfort food drifting from the kitchen this week as the weather has changed.

Lunchtime Menu

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 2 & Year 5 for winning this week's attendance with 100%. Our school attendance is 98.3%.

One of our wonderful parents is doing a sky dive for charity. On the 9th October Xander’s daddy Will, will be doing his first tandem skydive from 11,000ft over Cockerham raising money for vulnerable adults with disabilities. Please click on the button below to read about his efforts, the cause and to support if you can.

Sponsored Skydive

It always seems odd to be thinking about the next academic year just as we start the new academic year, but that is what we are doing. If you have a child who is due to start school next September, there are a number of open mornings, afternoons and an evening where you can come for a tour of the school and to see what life would be like as part of our family. Please do share with your friends and family and contact the office to book a place.

For those children in Year 6 who have asked to be part of the Confirmation Programme, letters will be going out next week with everything that you need to know. This week I have met with Father Peter and Deacon John to finalise what the programme will look like. If you were at Mass last weekend or if the children came out of school on Monday, you may have heard that Father Peter has been diagnosed with bowel cancer and is due to have an operation in the coming weeks. He is doing really well and we are hoping that after being looked after and a period of rest, he will be back with us for Advent. Our first family mass on Sunday 4th October will still be going ahead and I will be asking for readers next week. Please do keep Father Peter in your thoughts and prayers.

God bless

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

"Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden."

As far as first week’s go in school, this has been utterly beautiful. Every single classroom has been a space of calmness and serenity as children have come back and started to discover their new environments. All of the positivity this week comes from secure relationships that were formed before we left for Summer and the roles that our adults play in their lives. Everytime I have popped into classrooms this week, I have been met with a sea of smiles and seen such enthusiasm for learning; every child has been thoroughly immersed in their new way of learning. On Tuesday morning, we spoke as a whole school about grasping every opportunity that comes our way - that we only ever get to live each day once, and each year group once. I am so proud of each and every one of them. On Monday Year 1 - Year 6 will be walking to church to celebrate Our Lady’s birthday and our new school year together. We always need walkers so we hope that you will be able to join us.

We have all started our new RE curriculum and are all working on Creation and Covenant. Part of this has enabled us to look at The Garden of Eden and how this most beautiful place can be built here at Our Ladys. In order for it to be built, we must each play our part. This year, aswell as having Student Councillors, we will also be having Eco leads and Play leads in each class. These will be sub group and will mean that by the end of primary school, everyone will have a chance to lead. Next week the children will have the opportunity to put themselves forward. Class Councillors will be decided within in the classroom but if your child would like to be an Eco-Councillor; they need to write a letter, make a poster or draw a picture as to why they would be suitable for the role. Equally, if your child would like to be a Play Leader, they need to write a letter, make a poster or draw a picture as to why they would be suitable for the role. Mrs Tierney and Mrs Mather will be looking at the eco applications and Mr Cornwell the Play Leader applications. We are so excited about this growth within school and look forward to seeing the applications. As well as this, each house has a day when they have a responsibilty to keep our school tidy; both inside and on the playground. We are really pushing to ensure everyone plays a part in the sustainability of our school.

A word that we have been using around school this week is exceptional. We want to be exceptional learners, exceptional human beings and to be exceptional in every sense of the word. Another huge thanks goes to you all for ensuring that uniform expectations have been met. The children look wonderful; from PE kit, to school uniform, to school shoes and trainers - everything is compliant. Please can you also ensure that hair pieces are also school colours: bows, headbands and large bobbles. Thank you for your support.

Our Food Bank Collection for September is pasta, rice and noodles. Please do pick something up on your weekly shop and drop it off at the school office.

Meet the Class Team

Next Wednesday, 10th September, parents from Year 1 through to Year 6 will have the opportunity to meet their child’s teaching team for the year. There are two opportunites to do this:

3.45pm - 4.30pm and 4.45pm - 5.30pm

Please try and make arrangements for your child’s care as this is just for parents to gain an insight into the year and to ask any questions they may have.

Sustainability in School

On last week’s blog I spoke about sustainability in school and how the increase to waste is costing us an unstainable amount of money. I have had so many lovely conversations with parents this week who are 100% behind this campaign in school; we all know we have a role to play in helping our world become as healthy as it can be. In just our first week, we have not had to pick up any litter outside and the wrappers that have come into school as part of lunch have gone home to be recycled correctly there. We are encouraging as many natural wrappers as possible. This approach also helps you to think about the snacks that you are sending in with your child. Now is the time to invest in snack boxes, they are everywhere at the moment; in every shop. Please just make sure that they are labelled. We are having a hard launch on this in school.

I am not a joy kill either and know that when it is a child’s birthday, small bags of sweets appear. These are fine to still continue as they go home with the children at the end of the day. I am so thankful and happy with how this has gone this week. Even the staff have been brilliant and our staffroom bin has been clear. Thank you again - let’s keep it up and get rid of wrappers in school altogether.

Mrs Hotchkiss and Mrs Tierney are in need of some glass jars for the garden area and Forest school for plant growing and autumn globes. Autumn is the perfect time to propagate plants. We want to grow our own plants and sell them once they are established.
To do this we need jars. These keep water warm in the polytunnel and roots will srout from our cuttings. If you have any spare jars we would love to make use of them. Just drop them off with Mrs Hotchkiss round at Year 2. Thank you!

Forest School

Forest School will be up and running in the next few weeks, Mrs Tierney is currently putting her plans together for it to get up a running. We still need one more volunteer for a Tuesday afternoon - every other afternoon is covered. If you are able to donate your time on a Tuesday, even if it is just until Christmas, please do let us know. Forest School is a privaledge to be part of and it relies on the community to make it sustainable. Email Mrs Tierney on a.tierney@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk if you are able to help.

First Aid or Medical Need

You will see that this poster looks similar to the one above about sustainability. I am trying to create one page ‘go to’ that will be collated on the website for any quick questions that you have. Last year, we introduced a different way of reporting injuries to you at home - which has been much more successful. However, I need you to know what will be reported and what won’t as it is not possible to tell you all every little thing. To the left is exactly what we will contact you about; some things will be left for your child to tell you about.

Also, if you do receive a text message, this is just to inform you so you are aware when your child comes home; it does not mean that you need to ring the school office regarding it. Please be assured that if we are concerned about any injury or illness; we will contact you straight away. You send your child to us because you trust us after making the choice that this is the school for you. Please trust us to act with compassion and professionalism. Finally, the one comment we hear alot from children when they are not feeling 100% is, “My mum/dad said you would ring them if I don’t feel better.” Please can you not tell your child this as often when we do not ring, the child can feel hard done to. The best thing to do is, if your child is feeling unwell, but still well enough to come into school, please let the teacher know by email or to a member of staff on the gate; not to the child. It will allow us to work with the child during the day and make the decision based on how they present. Thank you so much for your support with this; hopefully it will make all of our roles a little more straight forward and easier, and the children know that they are safe here.

Online Safety Update

Please click on the button below to take you to September’s Online Safety update. There is lots of wonderful information on this newsletter to keep your family safe.

Online Safety Newsletter

Office News

Just a few pointers from the school office:

  • Please contact Mrs Nel in the school office if there has been a change to address or phone number over the summer holidays.

  • All Stars will be closed on Wednesday 22nd October due to staff training. Please arrange alternative collection for that evening.

  • School dinners are £110.20 for the half term or £2.90 per dinner.

  • Please check any trips on Parent Pay - they are starting to appear on class pages. The Pay if Forward option is also live. Thank you so much to the families who have started to donate.

  • Extra-curricular clubs are now live for Autumn 1 and some of them start next week. Below is the timetable but all booking forms are on the Sport page of the website via the Engage button. If your child attends All Stars on the day there is a club, that is fine, please let us know if you no longer need an All Stars place on that day for this half term. Some children will go from the club to All Stars, and that is fine too.

Extra-Curricular Clubs

Whole School Attendance

What a week! We have 6 classes with 100% attendance this week and a whole school attendance of 99.6%.

This week’s attendance has been phenomenal. It is the best start to the year we have had in such a long time, I can tell you were eager to get the children back to school. New research came out this week that showed any child who misses the first week of school have more issues going through that year than any other pupil. It also showed that they were likely to become persistently absent. Thank you for this week - long may it continue.

Parish News

  • Our first family mass of the year will be on Sunday 5th October. This will be a welcome mass for all of our new families and a way to celebrate the start of the year together.

  • Dates for the Year 6 upwards Confirmation Programme will be released next week. I am trying to get them on two sessions, rather than four, they will just be longer sessions. If your child is in Year 6 and you haven’t get signed up for the programme, please contact Mrs Nel in the office.

  • On 3rd October is my Gala opening for my art exhibition in Our Ladys Parish Centre.  It starts 7.00pm for 7.30pm with a fizz reception and nibbles. Tickets are £5 with all ticket proceeds going to the centre. If you would like to come along you can pay either by cash or by bank transfer to Mr L R Appleton. Contact him on 07713238597 to book a place.

What a fabulous week. My heart is full and so very proud!

Have a wonderful weekend

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

Welcome back to the new academic year - we are really excited to have all of our school family back together; the school doesn’t feel the same without it being full. We are excited about getting to know the children in our classes, excited about the learning opportunities that will come the children’s way, but most excited about seeing just how much the children grow this year and how they become even better versions of themselves - and us too as adults. Last year, there was a really big focus on the Catholic Life of the School; about being visible in our community and seeing just what we can achieve. We have the ability to have an impact on our world and for the children to realise that is so special. This year we will be continuing our STAR mission and embedding it even deeper into our culture.

Over the past three summers, we have made some significant changes to our school: a huge kitchen extension that doubled our previous space, a new library space, All Stars Wrap Around Care room and the reflooring of Year 6, redecoration of the prayer space in the entrance to school and the resurfacing of the hall floor. This summer has been no different. For some time we have needed the roof above the Year 1 classroom to be looked at and retiled. The old tiles were deteriorating which was causing water damage underneath them. This summer we have had the roof replaced and the classroom redecorated - Miss Bassett and Mrs Hartley are very excited!

The teachers and school staff has been busy in school during the past few weeks getting each classroom ready to welcome the children back next Tuesday. We would like to invite you to see your child’s new learning space and to meet the class team on Wednesday 10th September. Just like last year, there will be two opportunities to visit on that night: 3:45pm - 4:30pm & 4:45pm - 5:30pm. This session is a chance for parents to meet the teacher, if you could find alternative childcare for your child on that night, it would be appreciated.

Sustainability of our School

The word sustainability is used an awful lot in our world today - and rightly so. The world which we have been given as a gift is fragile, therefore making things sustainable is the only way to ensure that it lasts as long as it can do. All schools have been asked to create a Climate Change Action Plan which clear and manageable ways that each school can make our world a better place. We already do lots of things in school as it is, but this action plans sees us take greater steps and make more of a commitment. A big thing that we are installing this year is an Eco Council that runs throughout the school with representation from each class - just like the Student Council. These children will be responsible for challenging their class to become eco warriors and linking in with the whole school priorities. The second thing that we want to work on is our waste disposal in school and the use of single use plastics and wrappers in school. As well as being sustainble in our work to protect the planet, we are also striving to be financially sustainable too. The cost of everything has rocketed, everyone is feeling that, but in school our budget is getting tighter and tighter; without any increase to what we are given. We have seen a big increase in what we are asked to pay for waste collection, so if we can reduce our waste, our costs will decrease too. We are asking that all snacks brought into school come in a snack box that can be taken home - no wrappers that would go into a waste bin in school. Hopefully this will help you think about what snacks the children are bringing in. For those who bring lunch boxes, the same applies, just yogurt cartons will be recycled in our art room. We know that this will take some time, but would really appreciate your support with this decision and see the importance of this. I have attached the climate action planm for you to have a read of as different iniatives will appear at different times throughout the year.

Our Ladys Climate Action Plan
““Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.””

Kindness and acts of kindess are central to life here at Our Ladys. Without the support of each other, none of us would be able to thrive and our growth would be stunted. The need to help others is as important now as it ever has been before, in all manner of ways, so this year we will be looking at ways that we can pay kindness forward to every single member of our community. This campaign links into us being sustainable as a community. There are lots of ways that you can pay kindness forward, and I can’t wait to hear about them throughout the year. Another way to help us to be financially sustainable is for you to pay a school trip forward for another child. In recent years, the cost of transport has increased, and whilst we still want to provide enriching experiences for our children, we understand that the cost can be unmanageable. There will be an option on Parent Pay to Pay It Forward. It could be the entire cost of a trip or just a donation if and when you can afford to do so. We have an incredibly generous community, in every sense of the word so I know that this will be a welcome addition. It is hoped that the small amount of money we raise from this will support lots of children and families across the school and provide that inclusive environment that our budget is struggling to maintain. Again, thank you so much for your support.

Just a few reminders for the new year:

  • I am sure you are all super organised with your uniform (unlike me who still needs to sort it out). Just a reminder of the uniform expectations that I communicated last year. Full school uniform is expected on all days, with a school badged jumper or cardigan. On PE days, the school PE kit can be worn which is a navy school hoodie or school tracksuit and white, blue or black trainers. Leggings or jogging bottoms can be worn but these must be navy - not black. Navy school shorts (not football badged shorts) to also be worn.

  • Water bottles need to be in school and to be of the right size - nothing enormous. All of the children have chair pockets that fit their water bottles in so that they can be regularly accessed throughout the school day. Water bottles must fit in these and ideally no bigger than 20cm in height. The same with pencil cases for our older children too. Please make them manageable and the right size so that they can be stored in the back of chairs. Organisation is crucial in school and trying to keep 30 children organised can be a tough ask. All these little things really help.

  • There was a huge increase in keyrings on bags last year which became unmanageable, with so many getting broken. The rule is one keyring on your school bag so that your bag can be identifed if needed. Thank you.

  • Autumn 1 is made up of 38 sessions, therefore dinner money for this half term is £2.90 x 38 sessions = £110.20. This applies for all children in Nursery, Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 who are having a school dinner.

  • The school calendar and dates will be added on over the weekend and on Monday. Keep an eye on it as it populates.

We are really looking forward to welcoming the children back on Tuesday and to see all of our families too.

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs Gregan

“And who is my neighbour?”

In this week’s Gospel, we hear the story of the Good Samaritan - someone who stopped and helped - even though he didn’t know him. It was an act of pure kindness and selflessness. We challenge the children all of the time to think of others, and what actions we can do to make others happy in their time of need. On Monday I shared an event with the children that made us incredibly sad. A special school and a mainstream school, where some of my friends work near Wolverhampton, had been broken into and an enormous amount of damage was inflicted; to the amount of £100,000. Broken classroom screens, toilets and sinks, all technology damaged and their vending machine, which contained fidget and sensory toys for the children was shattered and the contents stolen. All week, the children the children have been coming to my office suggesting ways in which could help our neighbour. From sending them new toilets, to laptops we no longer need, to collecting fidget toys - they had so many wonderful ideas. So on Monday, there will be a box in my office for a fidget toy amnesty. Any spare fidget toys that the children have at home that we can send Green Park School something to make their children smile. This is Catholic Social Teaching in action.

It is St Annes Club Day tomorrow; it is going to be a scorcher! For those of you who are walking with school, we will be meeting on Clifton Drive, outside Ashton Gardens at 9:45am; our usual space. The children need to be in school uniform or school PE kit - smart please and with comfy shoes on. Hats, sun cream and water are essential - there will be ice pops at the Parish Centre. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow. A huge congratulations to Mrs Mather and her art team who have won first place in the Primary School Art Competition for the Carnival. There will be a presentation at 1:15pm at the marque in Ashton Gardens. If you are around at time, please do come down with the children. Lots of our children contributed to it. We need lots of adults to walk with us - so please do!

STAR Charter

The nominations for the STAR Charter Distinction Award will close on Monday. Please do nominate your child if you think they have achieved any ONE of these criteria beyond school. We really want to celebrate the wonderful acts that our children have done this year.

  • Attended at least 3 family masses over the year.

  • Raised money for a charity through their own actions.

  • Contributed to looking after our common home - our local area.

  • A sustained period of volunteering to help someone in need.

STAR Distinction Nomination

Celebrating Learning

Coming home with your child tonight is their end of year report. There is so much to celebrate from the wonderful year the children have had, it is always hard to capture it in a report. Together with the weekly blogs, you will have a complete understanding of your child’s year in school, the experiences they have had and areas for development moving forward. The reports take the teaching team such a long time to write, and I then read all 210 of them and comment on them - it is honestly my favourite task of the year! I hope you enjoy reading them with your child this weekend as they look ahead to the next part of their journey, remembering just what they have achieved this year but also knowing that non of us are complete yet! As always, there is an opportunity for you to share your reflections on your child’s year - to celebrate all that has been achieved.

Reflections of your childs year in school

Leading Learners from across the school and STAR Virtues

This week, we received the final statutory data for our children this year; our KS2 Year 6 SATs results. The results are exceptional and significantly above national average - I beyond proud of the children who worked so hard, and all of the staff team who have played a part in their Our Ladys journey. In September, all of the statutory data for this year will be collated and available on the website. Next week, we will be fully celebrating our Year 6 children and their contribution to Our Ladys. On Monday and Tuesday it is the Year 5 & 6 play - PETER PAN - if you are wanting a ticket, please visit the school office. Thank you everyone who is donating air conditioning units. We will have some back stage for the children and then some in the hall so the audience doesn’t melt! Then on Wednesday, the whole school community will head to Mass where we celebrate our year together and our leavers from this year; children and staff. We will be leaving school at 9.05am to walk to church and we need walkers to help our children; please do join us if you can.

On Friday, school closes for Summer at 2pm for all children - there is no All Stars on Friday. In previous years, the school has been collected at 2pm, with our Year 6 children slightly after to allow them to come out onto the playground. What I invite you all to do this year is to collect your child at 2pm and then make your way to the playground outside Year 6 where we will applaud our Year 6 children out of school for the very final time. No matter what year, it would be lovely to see you all there.

Office News

As we approach the end of the year, and start to look ahead to next year, the All Stars booking form is now open. This is for the next academic year, from September. Please have a think about what provision is needed and complete the booking form accordingly. All children who currently use the wrap around care will be prioritised so please do not worry - we just need to know sooner rather than later.

All Stars Booking for Autumn Term 2025

Uniform Pre-Loved Sale - On Monday and Tuesday next week, there will a uniform sale at school. Thank you for all of the donations for uniform; it really does help so many families.

Lunches are slightly different next week as Jacqui uses up everything in the kitchen before the summer holiday. The menu will look like this:

Monday - Chicken Meatballs & Noodles or Jacket Potato

Tuesday - Salmon or veggie fingers or Pizza Panini

Wednesday - Chicken Roast Dinner or Sandwiches

Thursday - Pasta Bolognaise or Jacket Potato

Friday - Fish & chips or Pizza

Whole School Attendance - Yearly Totals

Well done to Year 4 for winning this year's attendance - 98.1%. Our Whole School total is 95.8%
July Online Safety Newsletter

I have attached the newsletter for this month’s online safety newsletter; please do have a read to keep in touch. There has been a lot of talk in school about “skinwalkers” over the past couple of weeks; resulting in others in the class becoming upset and frightened. We have had a big talk with the children about this, but it still seems to have continued, please support us in talking to your children and letting them know it is an inappropriate thing to be discussing in school, at home even.If you don’t know what this is, it is a big hype on Tiktok at the moment and its something used to scare others. It also brings up scary pictures if you search this on google. This is something that I had to learn about and not heard about before, so please do be aware of it. Some of our younger children are aware of it. Thank you for your support with this.

Thank you to everyone who bought a Mini-Vinnie raffle ticket this week. They will be doing the draw after school on Monday at their club and then distributing prizes on Tuesday around school. All of the sports extra-curricular clubs have now finished in school this week - there are no clubs next week.

See you all this weekend at St Annes Club Day!

God bless

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church…”

This week in school, we have been learning about the lives of two prolific missionaries. Both of these men, were not perfect; infact, they made a lot of mistakes in their lives. St Peter and St Paul are known as ‘The Rock’ and ‘The Pen’. St Peter was the foundation of the church, the rock on which it is built and St Paul wrote letters to all corners of the world; spreading the news of Jesus Christ. We have looked at the word ‘Missionary’ and how we can be missionaries of our faith. Next Friday, is our Jubilee Pledge Day. A day where we have been called to reflect on what we can do for our common home. A pledge is a promise, a long-term commitment to do something for the greater good! We will be sharing our pledges in assembly and with you too.

On Monday this week, Miss Bassett, three of our Mini-Vinnies and myself, headed to St Wulsterns in Fleetwood to celebrate a mass with some other schools. The Mass was to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of The Blessed Edward Bamber Catholic Multi Academy Trust; the trust which we are the process of joining. Bishop Paul was the celebrant and spoke about the nurturing of our children in the Catholic faith. Although we are not fully part of this new family, we are edging ever closer and was happy to be part of the celebrations. The date which we are looking to covert is 1st April 2026 - so a little while off yet.

Sunday 6th July is our final family mass - we really hope as many of you will be there as possible. It will be a celebration of our Holy Communion children and the fabulous year we have had together. Readings will be going out on Monday - all information will be on the website.

Family Mass Children Involved
Prayer and Liturgy in school
Family Mass - 6th July
St Annes Carnival Walking

STAR Charter

You will know that this year we introduced the STAR Charter into school. This has given every child the opportunity to contribute to their community and wider world through really kind actions. We are in the process of collecting all of the photos from this for our Charter Assembly on the final day of the term.

In addition to the Charter Stars, there is also the distinction award. Any child is eligible for this, for their contribution to their world beyond school. Have they attended at least 3 family masses? Have they made something or cared for their local environment? Have they showed a commitment to this over time by volunteering? In order to nominate your child for the distinction award, please complete the form below telling us in detail about their acts of kindess and commitment.

STAR Distinction Nomination

Leading Learners from across the school and STAR Virtues

Sustainability in School

One of our biggest responsibilities is to look after our world and to make it as sustainable as possible. From December 2025, we are required to have a climate change action plan in place to demonstrate how we, as a school community can contribute to looking after our world. We are busy looking at ways in which we can do that, alongside the wonderful thing that already take place. Uniform sales in school have always been popular, and welcomed; it is something that we want to continue to do. In the final week of school, on Monday 14th and Tuesday 15th July, there will be pre loved uniform outside of school for you to access - therefore we need your pre loved uniform to sell. Please bring in anything that is no longer needed, does not fit or you have too much of, ready for the end of year uniform sale. I have also attached a collection of dates and offers that will be taking place in the coming weeks ready for September.

We have been speaking in school this week about us all being visitors in this environment. Noone will be here forever and it is up to us to ensure that we make it and leave it in the best shape possible. The development of the Forest School area and school environment is key to this. In order to keep our environment how it should be, we need help from our community too. We are on the look out for the following items:

  • Kindling for the forest school fire.

  • Stones for digging in the construction area in Reception.

Office News

As we approach the end of the year, and start to look ahead to next year, the All Stars booking form is now open. This is for the next academic year, from September. Please have a think about what provision is needed and complete the booking form accordingly. All children who currently use the wrap around care will be prioritised so please do not worry - we just need to know sooner rather than later.

All Stars Booking for Autumn Term 2025

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 4 for winning this week's attendance with 99.3%.

Have a lovely weekend with your families. We are in the midst of Club Day season and with Lytham Festival next week, here is hoping that the sun will shine. Whatever you are doing, please enjoy it.

God bless

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word