Wishing you all a very happy new year. It has been so lovely to welcome the children back to school this week, despite the wind, rain and snow. The most important part of any school is the people within it. I have loved seeing the smiles and listening to all of the wonderful stories that the festive season has brought. Yesterday we walked down to church to celebrate the feast of the epiphany.

With a week to go until Christmas Day, we continue to remember and give thanks for the most precious gift - Jesus Christ. The children had led the KS2 classes in their Christmas Reflection. Please find a quiet place and enjoy the true meaning of Christmas.

And so our preparation for Christmas begins…

This Sunday is the first Sunday in Advent, where we celebrate the hope that Jesus will bring into the world. The children are busy thinking about the promises that God made us throughout the stories in the bible. We now are thinking about the promises that we can make during this time of preparation.

This week we have delved straight into our new RE topic on Justice. It is such a reflective unit of work as I ask the children to reflect on the injustices within our world today. They are often surprised that some of the situations still occur.

Welcome back to our second half term. I hope that you have had a lovely time with your families this holiday. The children have come back into class this week, immediately picking up from where they left off; they really do amaze me.

It is hard to believe that we are at the end of our first half term together. I remember saying to the children at the start of September that time really does fly…it most certainly does. When I reflect on the growth of the class in these first 8 weeks, I am astounded.

Kindness doesn’t cost anything, it is something that we can all give and it makes our world a better place.

Jesus askes us to love one another as he loved us. This can be so hard to do at times when often we are not feeling loved ourselves. In my worship at the beginning of the week, I asked the children to think about all of the people who they love and how it feels to be loved.

At the start of the week we asked ourselves, '“What is the greatest gift that God has given to us?” Some children chose their eyes to see the world, some children chose their hands that do kind things and some children chose their brain to think deeply and to question.

The children have settled beautifully into Year 6 life - it is like they have always been here. This first half term in Year 6 is all about leadership; putting themselves forward to be the very best versions of themselves and excellent role models.

There has been such a warm and friendly buzz of excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm over the last two days in Year 6. I could not be happier with how the children have returned to school for their final year at Our Ladys

HELLO and a big welcome to Year 6 for 2021 and 2022. I bet you cannot believe that your child has journeyed all the way through school and are now in their final year here. I promise that this year will be one to remember and one that is full of opportunities and experiences for them to grasp with both hands.

We made it. After only three weeks of rehearsal, my amazing Year 6 cast took to the stage to perform their version of The Wizard of Oz. Yes, it was a little different to other years: we didn’t have an audience, we didn’t have Year 5 supporting us as cast and we filmed it in scenes - but my, what a job we did.

Blink, and the week has gone! I cannot believe how quick time is flying in school at the moment. Having said that, I also cannot believe how much we are getting through in class and in the hall.

Learning in class is a little different in the summer term. To allow for me to work in the hall with the children on the play, the children in class are tasked with planning their own learning (something that is essential for their life at high school). I am so proud of each of them as the work that they are producing is of the same standard that they have achieved this year, they have set the bar high.