"You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the World." Matthew 5:13-16

Salt has some very magical powers and has been used for centuries when it comes to food and cleaning. It flavours and preserves, de-ices roads, can be used as a cleaning agent and also medicinal. This week, I was told to gargle salt water by my dentist to help settle down some pain in with my wisdom tooth. But in this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus calls his followers to be, “the salt of the earth.” To demonstrate their role to preserve society and our faith, to flavour and enhance goodness and to continue to shine God’s love in our world today. It shows that we, as God’s people, should have a transformative and positive influence - flavouring our community with kindness. It is immediately followed by the prase, “You are the light of the world.” showing that as disciples we need to be visible and bright - striving to bring positive change to all around us.

This week’s mission - how can you flavour somebody’s life positively this week? How can you be the salt of the earth?

Prayer and Liturgy in School

Catholic Life as we move towards Lent…

This Sunday is our next family mass and the first one back with Father Peter. On Wednesday, Father Peter joined my in school, the first time since last July; it was lovely to welcome him back into school, I know how much he has missed us. We spent our time together planning Lent and how we could ensure that the importance of this part of the liturgical year was recognised by both school and parish. Father Peter will be joining us to hear confessions for Year 5 & 6 during Lent. Ash Wednesday is during half-term, please do ensure that if you can get to mass for the children to receive their ashes, that you do. During Lent, we will be:

  • Recreating the Stations of the Cross through art with each class focusing on one or two of them.

  • Sending home prayer bags so as a family you can come closer to Jesus as He comes closer to the cross.

  • Making Lenten boxes for our partner classes. Our almsgiving will be donated to CAFOD.

  • Trying to walk to Nigeria for CAFOD (not literally). To recognise The World Day of Prayer which starts in Nigeria, and the link to our own Isioma, we are going to try and walk 4,235 miles as a community during lent. I will share more about what this will look like next week on the newsletter.

  • Partner classes will be attending Mass with Father Peter. Once we have confirmed dates, we will share and hopefully you will be able to join us too.

Family Mass - Sunday 8th February

Food bank donations for February - Baked Beans. The foodbank have seen a significant surge in demand at their food bank over the past few weeks, making it increasingly challenging to meet the needs of those who rely on their services. Let’s help where we can!

“Dancing is like dreaming with your feet!”

On Monday afternoon, 25 of our dancers headed off to Blackpool Tower Ballroom to take part in the Wyre and Fylde Dance Competition. Together with 18 other primary schools and 5 secondary schools, they competed to theme of unity for our world. Inspired by the Winter Olympics that is starting this week, and from sport across the world, each school took to the floor - it was spectacular! Our children were incredible in every sense of word and made memories to last a lifetime - who can say that they have danced on the ballroom floor at Blackpool Tower? A huge thank you to Mrs Harrison who has spent so much time dedicated to putting this dance together with the children. She has lived and breathed this dance for so many weeks; costumes, light up bobbles, hair glitter - the lot. And to Mrs Davis and Mrs Webster who joined us as the hair and make up team. Please do enjoy the dance and the wonderful comments by the judges - I know you will be as proud as we are.

Child and Parent Consultation

Thank you all for your positive comments about the recording I did last week; it has been lovely to get good feedback on it - I can see how appreciated it was. So many comments spoke about trusting the school and seeing the clear vision - this is really important to me. Lots of conversations too about things that parents have learnt, especially around funding, what access we get to support and the length of time things take to put in place as part of a graduated response. I will do these more regularly to keep you all in the loop and hopefully more informed.

Following the presentation, there was the opportunity to add a comment on the consultation form regarding the PE top and assembly. Thank you to everyone who responded as your views are considered and contribute to a wider discussion. I have collated it below:

Uniform

  • The liking of the PE top was unanimous - 100% of you thought it was a good idea with 94% prefering the two blue option as opposed to the plain navy one. I will now consult with Top Marques regarding this and get it into stock with it being compulsory from September 2026. It will be available to be seen on Parents Day next week.

  • 100% of you like the PE hoodie/zip option. The PE hoodie or branded tracksuit top is compulsory wear now anyway, so this would not change.

  • Badged polo shirts will still be available, not compulsory but encouraged as it is now. Plain polo shirts are acceptable wear for non-PE days.

  • Earrings was also mentioned so this is something that I am considering as St Bedes and other schools have a no earring policy. We are getting a variety of earrings being worn which are not complying with school policy so a no earring policy would sort this aspect out and also improve the health and safety aspect of school life.

Assembly

  • You all love coming to assembly and this has been a welcomed part of how life have changed in school, but receiving the text the night before can be tricky and not everyone can always get there, which you have acknowledged. We will definitely keep parental invitations but just think about how this can be better organised and planned for over the year to give you as much notice as possible.

  • Celebrating the children’s success is important, but the majority of you spoke about how this does not have to be weekly and that there is often a wait between children receiving things. We will look at how we can give immediate praise and not a weekly certificate. All children being celebrated is the culture we are aiming for and to recognise their contributions. This should alleviate the need to text parents the night before.

  • The stars are loved - so we will keep those and think about how they are delivered within the classroom and then shared. The messages for the stars are about the children as a person; that is why they are so special.

  • Some of you mentioned a school weekly roundup rather than individual celebrations - so this is something to think about as well. I have attached some research below on rewards and why we need to think carefully about how they are given. Today’s assembly was an illustration of this as we celebrated the dance team, Nursery storytellers and some artists whose work will be displayed at Lytham Heritage Centre from the 10th February - 1st March.

We will continue to work on a new model of assembly on a Friday; ensuring that parental involvement remains. This will take a bit more work - so leave it with us.

why rewards don't work

Parents’s Day

Parents’s Day is next Friday, Friday 13th February - either face to face or virtual. Please make sure that you have contacted your class teacher and booked in an appointment. On Wednesday, your child will bring home their mid-term report which will include the areas they are working well at, and the areas that they need some support on - together with attendance, focus in class and learning behaviours. After half-term, there will then be book looks for you to share and celebrate your child’s work.

Tuesday 24th February 9am: Year 5

Tuesday 24th February 2.30pm: Year 6

Wednesday 25th February: 9am: Year 3

Wednesday 25th February: 2:30pm: Year 4

Thursday 26th February: 9am: Year 2

Friday 27th February: 9am: Year 1

The National Year of Reading

2026 is the National Year of Reading with the slogan - GO ALL IN! It is all about children finding their identity as a reader; reading things that they find interesting, exciting or fascinating. We are looking at this in school for World Book Day - Thursday 5th March.

Your child needs to come as their reader identity:

  • If they love comics - they can come as a comic character.

  • If they love animal books - an animal.

  • Non-fiction books about dinosaurs - a dinosaur!

The choice really is endless - but it is all about what they enjoy to read.

We are looking for some additional things for our library: comics, newspapers, magazines. Do you have these at home for children? Could they be donated to school?

Star Virtue and Learners of the Week

Office news

Thank you to everyone who has settled their Parent Pay accounts before half term; we have had a flurry of All Stars payments this week. If you haven’t managed to do so yet, please can you do so before close of play on Friday.

Parking around School

Having a school in the middle of a residential area is not easy to manage. In the morning, I am certainly seeing more cars disregard the yellow line, corners of streets, zig zags around school, neighbours driveways and parking irresponsibly. Please remember that this is a school and the care of the people within it is essential. Please park safely and away from the school. The local PSCO has been alerted and will be doing some spot checks in the coming weeks.

The car park in school is also staff car park. Please can you ensure that when you are dropping your child off or picking up from All Stars, that the car park is not used. The increased traffic coming in and out needs to be minimised. Once staff cars are in, they remain in. All children need walking to the gate and collecting by an adult. Thank you so much for your support with this.

All Stars

No All Stars on Wednesday 11th February due to staff training.

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 4 for winning this week's attendance with 97%. Our school attendance is 95.1%

Winter Warmer Snack Booking Form

Here is the winter warmer snack booking form for next week. Please book before 8am on Monday. A reminder text has been scheduled for Monday at 7.20am. Bacon butties are on the menu next week.

Morning snack order form - 9th February

Finally, and so importantly, the role of a teacher is one of pure joy; a vocation in itself and far more than a profession - especially to the teachers here at Our Ladys. I am truly blessed to work with such a dedicated team who work so generously to ensure that all of the children feel safe, nurtured and able to achieve the most wonderful of milestones. I am also under no illusion just how hard the staff here work and far beyond the hours of a school day. Many of the staff here wear multiple hats and have young families too who they want to devote as much time to as possible as they grow.

You will all be aware that Mrs Hartley returned from her maternity leave in September after the birth of her daughter the previous year. After lots of discussions with her family and the school, Mrs Hartley has made the decision that for now, her priority is her family, and that to be totally present as her daughter grows and develops, stepping away from teaching at Our Ladys is the right thing to do at this moment in time. We all know just how fast time goes and how quick our little ones grow up; any of us will say that. Mrs Hartley will be leaving us at February half-term, with her final day in school with the children next Thursday and us as a statt on the Friday for INSET. Mrs Hartley has had an enormous impact on Our Ladys; she is a true master of her craft and a perfectionist; she will give 100% to everything. We will miss her deeply but with such a sense of pride at what she is going on to do. Her daughter is so lucky. I am sure that you will join us in wishing her the very best of luck for her future.

School closes for half term on Thursday 12th February at 3:30pm.

God bless you all

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

“Blessed are the poor in Spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

The Beatitudes are eight blessings spoken by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3–12) that describe the virtues of the kingdom of heaven, focusing on humility, mercy, and righteousness. They represent a reversal of worldly values, promising divine comfort and inheritance to those who are often marginalised members of society. Derived from the Latin word beatus, meaning "blessed" or "happy," they outline the spiritual qualities and character of those who belong to the Kingdom of God. As a Catholic school, this is our main mission - to support those who are the most vulnerable and to help where we can. All of our work on Catholic Social Teaching supports this as it focuses on putting faith into action by loving neighbors, protecting dignity, and caring for creation.

On Tuesday, our Year 2 children told a beautiful story which focused on Human Dignity, the story of two groups of people who didn’t see just how special they were - and competed instead of coming together.

Prayer and Liturgy in School
Family Mass - Sunday 8th February

At the family mass on the 8th February, Father Peter and Deacon John have extended an invitation to any child in Year 3, 4, 5 & 6 who would like to be on the altar with them trying out the role of an altar server. If your child would be interested in this, please send me an email to express interest. I am seeing Father Peter on Wednesday to discuss the mass with him and to give out the readings. Please complete the form if your child wants to be involved in any aspect.

Food bank donations for February - Baked Beans. The foodbank have seen a significant surge in demand at their food bank over the past few weeks, making it increasingly challenging to meet the needs of those who rely on their services. Let’s help where we can!

Celebrating our School

A couple of Wednesdays ago, I had the pleasure of talking a group of parents through the journey of our school over the last three years. I was a little nervous talking about what we had done, but I really didn’t need to be. I chose to talk about the three things that we had worked the hardest on; SEND, curriculum and environment, and what has had the most impact. All of the work in these areas are evident in our school and in the classrooms, but with them also comes challenges and room for more growth.

Please find attached a voice recording of the presentation.

Consultation on uniform and assembly

Parents’s Day

Parents’s Day is on Friday 13th February - either face to face or virtual. You again have the choice of what you would like to do and just need to sign up with your class teacher. Prior to the meeting with your child’s teacher, you will be emailed a mid-term report on your child with their attainment to date, attendance and learning behaviour that they are currently showing. After half-term, there will then be book looks for you to share and celebrate your child’s work.

Tuesday 24th February 9am: Year 5

Tuesday 24th February 2.30pm: Year 6

Wednesday 25th February: 9am: Year 3

Wednesday 25th February: 2:30pm: Year 4

Thursday 26th February: 9am: Year 2

Friday 27th February: 9am: Year 1

The National Year of Reading

2026 is the National Year of Reading with the slogan - GO ALL IN! It is all about children finding their identity as a reader; reading things that they find interesting, exciting or fascinating. We are looking at this in school for World Book Day - Thursday 5th March.

Your child needs to come as their reader identity:

  • If they love comics - they can come as a comic character.

  • If they love animal books - an animal.

  • Non-fiction books about dinosaurs - a dinosaur!

The choice really is endless - but it is all about what they enjoy to read.

We are looking for some additional things for our library: comics, newspapers, magazines. Do you have these at home for children? Could they be donated to school?

Star Virtue and Learners of the Week

Online Safety

We have been working really closely with the Smartphone Free Campaign and next week I will be meeting Mr Marsden to discuss how this can continue at St Bedes. We are now also proudly displaying our banner at school.

Online Safety Newsletter

Office news

The office has been really busy this week as Mrs Nel has completed the school census and Catholic Census. Please can you visit Parent Pay and ensure that your accounts are settled. Thank you so much.

  • The school calendar for this term is up to date with assemblies, events and Easter liturgies.

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 1 for winning this week's attendance with 99.3%. Our school attendance is 96.9%

Winter Warmer Snack Booking Form

Here is the winter warmer snack booking form for next week. Please book before 8am on Monday. A reminder text has been scheduled for Monday at 7.20am.

Morning snack order form - 2nd February

Have a lovely weekend with your family and friends.

God bless you all

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.“ Matthew 4:19

I found this image this week and I think it is just stunning; it is now proudly displayed in the worship area as we look to this weekend’s gospel. On Monday morning I asked the children to close their eyes and picture someone who was a true disciple in their class. Someone who is faith-filled and hopeful, some who chooses kindness, someone who might not always get things right but always has the right intention -someone who they would follow. All week they have been studying this person and trying to seek their disciple qualities. "Fishers of Men" teaches that Jesus called disciples Simon, Andrew, James, and John to stop fishing for fish and instead help people follow Him, acting as "fishers of people" by spreading His love. This passage is important to the gospel because we see Jesus work a miracle and then teach his new disciples what their life will be like as fishers of men.  The men were unable to catch any fish until Jesus came and they listened to him.  Jesus then tells them that they will be fishers of men.  Their ministry, like their fishing trip, will be completely dependent on Jesus’ will. We learn that Jesus called ordinary men to be His disciples and to do His work - just like me and you.

Prayer and Liturgy in School
Family Mass - Sunday 8th February

Food bank donations for January - Rice and Pasta. The foodbank have seen a significant surge in demand at their food bank over the past few weeks, making it increasingly challenging to meet the needs of those who rely on their services. Let’s help where we can!

Celebrating our School

On Wednesday morning, I had the pleasure of talking a group of parents through the journey of our school over the last three years. I was a little nervous talking about what we had done, but I really didn’t need to be. I chose to talk about the three things that we had worked the hardest on; SEND, curriculum and environment, and what has had the most impact. All of the work in these areas are evident in our school and in the classrooms, but with them also comes challenges and room for more growth. I was going to attach the presentation today, but without context or narrative it might get lost in translation. I will do a voice over for it next week and pop it on the blog next Friday so I can talk you through it.

At the end of the presentation there was two things that we discussed as a group of parents, that I had already discussed with our children.

  • Uniform - the guidance now tells us that we can only have 3 branded items of uniform that is compulsory for all of our pupils. Currently, we have our school jumper & cardigan, which is the first item, and the school PE hoodie which is the second. Historically, the white badged polo was a piece of PE uniform, which we have now made non compulsory as a school polo shirt for every day uniform. However, following the uniform consultation last year and from conversations with both pupils and parents, a white polo for PE is not ideal and not sustainable in any way. Lots of parents last year spoke about them becoming increasingly dirty and having to be replaced more frequently. After conversations with other local heads and trying to create consistency, I have suggested a darker branded top for PE, a navy blue which would make up our third piece of compulsory uniform. I have shown pupils, parents and staff the options, and am awaiting some more. We will then move forward with making a decision. The price of this will also be considered in the final decision.

  • We are seeing an increase in jewellery, smart watches and bracelets of all kind come into school. Please can earrings be gold or silver studs only, no smart watches (just digital or analogue) and no bracelets. Thank you.

  • Assembly - I love assemblies and have chosen to add an additional one in at the start of the week. It is so important that we bookend our week together. We have looked at the length of Friday’s assembly and the content. Again, discussing with pupils, staff and students we have discussed whether weekly certificates are needed as all our pupils are so brilliant and whether we can think about them a little more differently. Parents love coming to assembly, but not everyone can and especially when they are text the night before. We have discussed celebrating the school learning each week and inviting parents throughout the year so that you are still part of the school culture and see it. Stars are very much loved. This idea will continue to evolve as well over the coming months and will be shared with you too.

  • Snacks at School - these have been a really big hit. We can see from the numbers each week just how much they have been appreciated. The parents this week spoke about keeping them all year around, and not just for the winter. There has been a decrease in the amount of rubbish in school too.

Parents’s Day

Parents’s Day is on Friday 13th February - either face to face or virtual. You again have the choice of what you would like to do and just need to sign up with your class teacher. Prior to the meeting with your child’s teacher, you will be emailed a mid-term report on your child with their attainment to date, attendance and learning behaviour that they are currently showing. After half-term, there will then be book looks for you to share and celebrate your child’s work.

Tuesday 24th February 9am: Year 5

Tuesday 24th February 2.30pm: Year 6

Wednesday 25th February: 9am: Year 3

Wednesday 25th February: 2:30pm: Year 4

Thursday 26th February: 9am: Year 2

Friday 27th February: 9am: Year 1

Star Virtue and Learners of the Week

Office news

The office has been really busy this week as Mrs Nel has completed the school census and Catholic Census. Please can you visit Parent Pay and ensure that your accounts are settled. Thank you so much.

  • The school calendar for this term is up to date with assemblies, events and Easter liturgies.

  • We have had a glitch on the online form for reporting absences - all should be sorted now.

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 3 for winning this week's attendance with 100%. Our school attendance is 96.9%

Winter Warmer Snack Booking Form

Here is the winter warmer snack booking form for next week. Please book before 8am on Monday. A reminder text has been scheduled for Monday at 7.20am.

Morning snack order form - 26th January

Have a lovely weekend with your family and friends.

God bless you all

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

"I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God." John 1:34

We all have something really special within us, that can help us when we need it the most; the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this week’s Gospel, John the Baptist understands Jesus’s true identity - we too can be witnesses for Him in the world. On Tuesday, I spent the day popping in and out of classes, sharing all of the RE work that they have been doing. It was when I was in Year 4 that I saw just what this Gospel is all about. Jesus had many titles, but this week we have looked at what it meant to be called The Lamb of God.

God wants us to…

  • Know that John the Baptist was a witness to Jesus’ true identity which was revealed to him at Jesus’ Baptism.

  • Recognise that Jesus is the Son of God, the Lamb of God.

  • Understand that with the help of the Holy Spirit, we too can get to know Jesus and recognise Him as God.

  • Choose to be witnesses for Him in the world through our way of life.

As we slowly start our journey towards Easter, we begin to look at Jesus’s ministry more closely. In next week’s Gospel, we are told of the story of Jesus recruiting his disciples as fishers of men. I wonder how we can be disciples of faith this week?

Food bank donations for January - Rice and Pasta. The foodbank have seen a significant surge in demand at their food bank over the past few weeks, making it increasingly challenging to meet the needs of those who rely on their services. Let’s help where we can!

Loving Learning

Spring term really is a term for growth and after having a few months getting to know the routines of their new class, the children really fly. I have had many conversations with the teachers this week where their class have done just that; they have really got their heads down and are making lots of progress with their work because they know the expectations and have built upon the knowledge that they have already amassed. Over the next few weeks, the teachers will be completing mid-year reports on your child which will be emailed in the final week of this half term. These can then be discussed with your child’s teacher on Parents Day - Friday 13th February. Again, these will be available as face-to-face or virtual. Appointments will be available to be made from next Friday.

Star Virtue and Learners of the Week

Our School Journey

On Wednesday 21st January, there will be a coffee morning in school with me from 9am. I have now been head teacher for three years - time has really flown - and so much has happened in that time; but there is still so much more to come. This is an opportunity to come and listen to me talk about our journey, to see what is coming, find out about the challenges we are facing, the support we have sought along the way and to ask any questions that you may have too - we are constantly learning. I have some things to run by you and to get your opinion on as well. You all know me and how much I love a chat! If you can complete the form below letting me know if you are able to come, that would be great. I might do a spot of baking too!

Coffee Morning with Mrs Gregan

Today I met with our Student Council - our first meeting since Christmas. It is always such a positive experience and quite often, they give me much more to think about than what I had initially thought. There was numerous topics up for discussion:

  • Friday assembly - does it need tweaking for more impact? Do we need certificates and to celebrate attendance? How should learning points be collated and celebrated?

  • Uniform - with the new DFE guidance, each school is allowed 3 branded pieces as part of compulsory uniform. What should our 3 pieces be?

  • Snacks - the winter snacks are proving a really big hit in school and as such, our wrappers have been reduced. However, there is still some that need to be removed. The student council have asked me to remind you that we are a wrapper free school and as such snacks should be in reusable containers.

Sporting events

On Wednesday afternoon, our Year 5 & 6 Athletics team headed to Stanley Park to compete in the Fylde Schools Indoor Athletics Competition. This event is always a good one and filled with excitement and drama. Every child can compete across the track and field, ensuring that they run as fast as they can, jump as high and as far as they can, throw over significant distances and speed bounce like there is no tomorrow. It is always hard to track just where you might place, and in a field of 9 schools - that can be hard. Unbelievably, the team took away 3rd place - a bronze finish and we could not be prouder. Each and every one of them cheered every child and school on, celebrated and were wonderful ambassadors for our school. There enthusiasm was infectious. We are so very proud of them all! Enjoy this little montage that I have put together; it captures only a little bit of the afternoon.

Office news

The office has been really busy this week with the close of the Primary School Application window. Thank you to everyone who has returned their supplementary forms. Everything has now been collated for LCC so that they can rank accordingly and let us know our intake list for September 2026.

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 3 for winning this week's attendance with 99.3%. Our school attendance is 97.6%.

Winter Warmer Snack Booking Form

Here is the winter warmer snack booking form for next week with sausage sandwiches for Thursday! Please book before 8am on Monday. A reminder text has been scheduled for Monday at 7.20am.

Morning snack order form - 19th January

Have a lovely weekend with your family and friends.

God bless you all

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17

The icy conditions may have altered our celebrations of the Epiphany in church, but they did not alter our celebration of the feast here in school. On Monday we gathered together to look at what the word Epiphany meant and how the pilgrimage of the wise men was such a special one. The three wise men, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar followed the star of God's Son who became human two thousand and twenty-six years ago. As with the intention of Bishop Paul, we have reflected ways in which we can bring the light of Christ into our new year.

The Jubilee Year has also concluded this week on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. As the Holy Doors shut, we turn to the Magi – the original pilgrims of hope – to guide us in reflecting on all that God has done in the year. The Church has a custom of blessing homes on the Feast of the Epiphany and the weeks following. We gather to ask for God's blessing on our homes and schools and those who visit them. It is an invitation for Jesus to be a daily guest in our comings and goings, our conversations, our work and play, our joys and sorrows. The following letters have been placed above the main entrance 20+C+M+B+26. The letters C, M, B have two meanings - they are the initials of the three Magi, they also abbreviate the Latin 'May Christ bless this place' + represents the cross and 2026 is the year. See if you can spot it when you come into school.

Today in assembly, we have talked about our new virtues: being Eloquent and Truthful. This means that we can speak clearly, and with thought first and being truthful with what we say. The story of Zacchaeus was used to highlight the importance of change and our own narrative. We cannot write anyone else’s story - only our own and what we speak is testament to this.

Food bank donations for January - Rice and Pasta. The foodbank have seen a significant surge in demand at their food bank over the past few weeks, making it increasingly challenging to meet the needs of those who rely on their services. Let’s help where we can!

Star Virtue and Learners of the Week

Our School Journey

On Wednesday 21st January, there will be a coffee morning in school with me from 9am. I have now been head teacher for three years - time has really flown - and so much has happened in that time; but there is still so much more to come. This is an opportunity to come and listen to me talk about our journey, to see what is coming and to ask any questions that you may have too. I have some things to run by you and to get your opinion on as well. You all know me and how much I love a chat! If you can complete the form below letting me know if you are able to come, that would be great. I might do a spot of baking too!

Coffee Morning with Mrs Gregan

Sporting events

Next Wednesday, our Year 5 & 6 Athletics team will be competing at the indoor athletics comp v other schools in our cluster. It is always such a wonderful afternoon - we wish the team the very best of luck! Our dance team are also busy preparing their dance for the Dance Competition at Blackpool Tower Ballroom in February. The team made up of our fabulous boys and girls from Year 4, 5 & 6 are being supported by Mrs Harrison as they choreograph their dance. They are fabulous role models for our children across the school. We cannot wait to see what they produce in a few weeks.

Online Safety and Smartphone Free Childhood Campaign

Invitation to the next Smartphone Free Childhood event.

Date: Wednesday 14th January

  • Timings: Arrival 5:45pm; Presentation will start at 6pm & end at 7pm

  • Venue: Lytham Hall Park Primary School, South Park, FY8 4QU

Office news

Next Thursday sees the admission window for September 2026 placements close. Please remember that alongside any supplementary forms, we also need copies of baptismal forms too. Don’t leave it until the last minute - apply sooner rather than later.

Whole School Attendance

Well done to Year 1 for winning this week's attendance with 99.1%. Our school attendance is 96.4%.

The winter warmer snacks have gone down really well this week in the cold weather - they continue to be really popular and an easy snack for parents. I think we were slightly out of practise this week with snacks as we were inundated with phone calls on Monday morning. Please can you ensure that these are booked before 8am via the online form so that the order can take place and the snacks made on time. Thank you so much for your help!

Morning snack order form - 12th January

Finally, we had some wonderful news over half term as Mr Cornwell became a daddy on New Year’s eve to a beautiful baby girl, Emilia Jean Cornwell. New Years Eve is infact Mr Cornwell’s birthday too. We have sent lots of love to the new family and cannot wait to see them all. I know they will be in your thoughts and prayers over the next few weeks.

God bless you all

Mrs Gregan

Wednesday Word

“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