As we finish school today for Easter, I am reflecting on a week that has been filled with prayer. We have become thoroughly immersed in the passion of Christ and what it means for us here on Earth. I hope that our interpretation of the Easter story, through photographs, words and art has given you a chance to spend time on your own spiritual journey to the cross and to rejoice in the eternal life that we have been given.

If you have love and compassion then your heart is healthy and will shine brightly. I have such an enormous amount of respect for my class, they really are growing into such beautiful human beings who will go on and work wonders in our world. There has been a lot of opportunity, since we have been back together, for the children to work and collaborate together. Watching them interact, collaborate, share, discuss and work in unison is one of my favorite things to do.

BLOOD, sweat and tears - we have made blood this week, worked incredibly hard and had enormous fun in doing so. Teaching the human body and the systems within it, is one of my favourite topic areas. It amazes me on a daily basis, just what it is able to do.

It has been lovely to hear the sound of laughter so prevalent in the classroom, see the smiles of the children as they work collaboratively in class and feel the love and friendship that they have with each other. I always knew that Our Ladys was a very special place, but this week has illustrated that in bucket loads.

I am so very excited to be welcoming our class family back together again on Monday. There will be lockdown stories, key events that have happened and an awful lot of learning to discuss. I am usually one to keep chatter to a minimum in class but I must say, I cannot wait to hear all of the giggles and conversations that will be had between the children come Monday.

I do feel that this year, we have all experienced some form of darkness, but I am so hopeful for the light that is emerging. The days are much brighter and they are lighter for longer, the sun is shining and the children will be coming back to school. We all seem to be moving in the right direction. I am incredibly excited to be welcoming the children back to school on the 8th March.

It is hard to believe that 6 weeks ago we came back to school for just one day, only to be told that we had to close again. Despite all of the challenges, the frustrations, the technical glitches and sheer exhaustion - we have made it and I am so very proud of us all.

Kindness is free and at the moment, it is exactly what our world needs. This week, I have challenged the class to complete kindness missions with their friends. Sending someone a message or an email can really brighten their day. It has been really heart-warming to see the children interact with each other and send each other a message.

It is really hard to believe that we are at the end of week 3 this term. We always talk about how time flies in Year 6, but now more than ever it really seems to. This has been another successful week of learning in Year 6 and I am incredibly proud of the children both at home and in school. There are different pressures for all of the children and they are required to work in a different way. Both groups of children are asked to be more independent than they usually would, in the current circumstances.

And what a community we have got, what a class family we have. All week, I have such a smile on my face because of the beautiful work that is being produced by all of the children. It doesn’t matter where the children are learning, they are constantly responding to feedback, trying their hardest and producing some outstanding work. I am incredibly proud!

Well…we have made it to the end of what has seemed to be a confusing, fast paced and difficult week. When I came into school on Monday, I did not think that I would not be seeing the class together as soon as the following day. In these difficult times, it is so important that we come together as a community and remember that it is what we do together that will have the most impact.

Hello from Mrs Gregan

We made it and I could not be prouder of my whole school community; wonderful families, devoted staff and hard - working children. We are all so very blessed. This year has been incredibly exhausting, but by far the most rewarding term of my teaching career.

This week has been all about making people smile and to share our joy with others. We have been busy making Christmas cards, baubles and a carol concert for the residents of Stella Matutina. They read out the email that we had sent them this week and it brought tears to many of the residents. If we can just spread a little joy to them this Christmas….what a wonderful gift. With the £1 from the danceathon next week, we hope to send them an incredible gift. I will post the video of the carols on the website next week when we share our whole school Christmas nativity. Hopefully it will bring you some light too.

As Mother Teresa once told us, ‘It is not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.’ It has been lovely to insert some Christmas cheer into our classroom this week and to think about the needs of others before ourselves. We have constantly prayed for the residents of Stella Matitina during this term and I know how much joy the children’s letters have brought to them.

As we head towards the season of Advent, now more than ever, we are trying to be the light that is shining in our world. Each and every day, I am reminded of the joy that each of your children bring. There is not a day that does not go by where we don’t laugh in class - we are really having such a wonderful time learning and overcoming all of the challenges that we constantly face. I am really looking forward to celebrating this magical time with the class. We know that our Christmas preparations will be different this year - maybe it will give us more time to reflect its true meaning.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. This week is always a poignant week as we stop and remember all of those fallen victims of war and conflict. We started our week on Monday with a worship. The children had all made a poppy for the centre focus and we shared prayers for everyone who has been affected by war and conflict around the world.