Year 6 Weekly Blog Friday 4th September

What a lovely couple of days we have had! There has been such a warm and friendly buzz of excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm in the Year 6 classroom. We could not be happier with how the children have returned to school for their final year at Our Lady’s. We have spent a lot of time over the past two days talking about classroom expectations and how we want and our vision for the year ahead.

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Reception Weekly Blog 4.9.26 - "And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” — Meister Eckhart

Our first two days in school and what can we say, they are all such shining stars. They are caring and compassionate towards each other. Their turn taking and sharing skills are incredible too! This has shone both days and our classroom has been such a calm, happy place. Every child has fully explored each area of their new classroom, and have done so with care! Tidy up time is so speedy, our children may only be young but they already show a great understanding of how to look after God’s world.

Today we have also been outside of our Reception provision. We began by introducing ourselves to our schools wonderful chefs, Jackie and Sharon! They made us smile and laugh and are very friendly! We are very excited to eat our lunches together next week… especially after hearing all of the yummy meals they prepare! We then headed out in small groups onto the big playground so that we are nice and familiar with all the wonderful spaces we can explore next week! We have had lots of fun!

LET’S CELEBRATE

As agreed, through our school council, our learning awards will no longer be handed out in assembly on Friday. We now have mini certficates for learning which can be given when we spot amazing learning in class. Keep an eye out for these - many will be coming your way!

The Virtue Star remains and will be awarded next week. We are trying to be Loving and Compassionate.

Things to remember:

  • School opens at 8:45 with registers be completed at 8:55. The school gate will open just before home time. Please wait outside our classroom until we open up the doors at 3:30.

  • PE days: We have our outdoor PE every Tuesday afternoon, Please come to school wearing full PE kit. We have indoor PE on Friday’s, this is the day to make sure your child has shorts either with then in their bag, or under their joggers.

  • Snack: We will have snack each morning at 10:00. We have a fruit bowl in class and the option of ordering hot snacks via Mrs Gregan’s weekly blog (posted every Friday). You are also able to bring a healthy snack for your child if this is preferred. Hot snacks must be ordered before 8:00am Monday morning. Please remember that we are a plastic free school and so any snacks from home must be brought in reusable containers.

  • Water bottles: Thank you for bringing these each day, please continue to do so.

  • Parent Induction evening: This Wednesday you are welcome to join us for one of our induction meetings, 3:45 and 4:45pm. I will quickly go through things to remember, what to expect this year and be there to answer any of your questions.

  • Please don’t forget to fill in the Medical and Parental forms! Thank you!

Finally, we hope you have a wonderful weekend and we really look forward to welcoming you all as we become our whole Reception family on Monday!

Miss Bassett, Mrs Summersall, Mrs Krol, Miss Canham and Miss Woodend.


Year 5 Weekly Blog 04.09.26- ‘Every great journey starts with just a small step’

Life is a canvas. You are the paint. Make your mark

We started our first day with a liturgy as a whole school, where Mrs Gregan read us the story ‘The Dot’ by Peter H Reynolds, a beautifully simple story with a powerful message about courage, self-belief and the impact that each of us can have. Through Vashti's journey, children discover that every great achievement begins with a small step, and that having the confidence to try can inspire others to do the same. As a school, we are using the story's deeper meaning to encourage our children to think about the mark they leave on their class, our school and the wider world. We want them to understand that their words, actions and choices matter, and to reflect on the kind, responsible and positive individuals they aspire to be. By fostering thoughtful discussions and meaningful opportunities for children to contribute to their community, we hope to help them recognise the difference they can make every day. With this in mind all classes have been set a task and a colour to create their own dot for the front of the school, to create a beautiful whole class display at the front of the school, which year 5 completed today- we can’t wait to see what it looks like! What mark will they leave this year? I am excited to see.

What a wonderful start to the new school year it has been. Year 5 have a come back to school enthusaistic, ready to learn and are already showing real signs of their upper juinioir leadership. It has been a mixed bag of weather this week but that has not stopped the children exploring and having fun out on the playground. Our classroom is starting to come together with signs of learning coming to life- it would be great for parents to see this next Wednesday at our induction evening.

Let’s Celebrate

As agreed, through our school council, our learning awards will no longer be handed out in assembly on Friday.

We now have mini certficates to recognise children’s excellence in learning behaviours such as enthusiasm, determination and creativity.

These will be given when we spot children trying really hard to be the best version of themselves. Keep an eye out for these - many have already been awarded!

The Virtue Star remains and will be awarded next week. We are trying to be Loving and Compassionate

Would your child like to be considered for class councillor?

Have you ever been a Class Councillor? Would you like this opportunity at Our Lady’s? Now is your chance …

If any year 5 pupil would like to be considered in our class votes then they need to prepare a short speech, presentation or poster that outlines why their class should vote for them and why they would be the right person for this job- the voice of year! We are voting next Wednesday, so if they would like to put thmeselves fowards then they must make sure they prepare and bring in anything they need ready for Wednesday afternoon.

Notices

Please complete the following parental consent form for the year ahead. This gives your permission for various things, such as school trips, usage of technology and photographs to be put on the website- thank you I already have 25 complete.

consent form

In addition, if your child has a medical condition such as asthma or an allergy that we need to know then please complete the medical form below - thank you once again for those who have completed.

Medical Form

Induction Evening on Wednesday 9th September 3:45 and 4:45pm. This is a chance to know more about the routines in Year 5 such as reading, homework, curriculum and also the opportunity to ask questions.

PE on Thursday and Friday

Homework will be given out next Tuesday ready to hand in again the following Monday!

Book Collection- Please can everyone have a look at home for any library books that they may have taken home at the end of last year.

Have a lovely weekend

Mrs Harrison and Mrs Tierney





Year 1 Weekly Blog Friday 4th September 2026

What a lovely first two days we have had in Year 1! The children have settled in so well and it has been great to see them getting used to their new classroom, new routines and, of course, being back with their friends.

In English, we have started our new All About Me topic by looking at what a sentence is and what we need to include when we write one. We have been practising saying sentences aloud and remembering our capital letters and full stops.

In Maths, we have been practising counting forwards and backwards within 10. We have also revisited the composition of 5, thinking about the different ways to make 5 in our maths mastery.

Next week in RE, we are looking at the creation story in an immersive way!

GOING DEEPER IN CONVERSATION

At the beginning of every year we start with our Safeguarding lesssons for children. These help the children to know how to keep safe. This week (session 1) we have reflected on feeling specifically “yucky” feelings. This does not mean the feelings are bad - it mean they are telling us something is wrong. Ask your child what the “yucky feelings” are and what they can do if they have them.

The key message - tell your trusted adult. Here is s letter about the lessons and what we did today

Homework

On Tuesday 8/9/26, i will send home the homework books. The children’s homework is to just decorate the front of the books and make it their own! This could be with pictures, drawings, backing paper- whatever you like! Please keep their name labels visible. We will need their books back for monday please!

Kidsafe session 1 parents letter

LET’S CELEBRATE

As agreed, through our school council, our learning awards will no longer be handed out in assembly on Friday. We now have mini certficates for learning which can be given when we spot amazing learning in class. Keep an eye out for these - many will be coming your way!

The Virtue Star remains and will be awarded next week. We are trying to be Loving and Compassionate.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

if you havet already, please complete the following consent form for the year ahead. This gives your permission for various things, such as school trips, use of technology and photographs to be put on the website. In addition, if your child has a medical condition such as asthma or an allergy that we need to know then please complete the medical form below - thank you once again for those who have completed.

Year 1 Permission form 2026/27
MEDICAL IF YOUR CHILD HAS A MEDICAL CONDITION ONLY

Year Three Weekly Blog 04.09.26

What a wonderful and wholesome start to the new school year! The children have come back so eager to learn new things, embrace all of the new challenges coming their way and continue to keep blossoming into the lovely young people they are! I feel incredibly lucky to be their teacher and cannot wait to see what this year brings.

We have begun our year by talking through our new routines and what is expected of us now we are in the juniors. As a team in Year 3, we have taken on some new and exciting responsibilities, which I know the children will take very seriously and be wonderful with! Some have chosen to be a part of the ‘cloakroom crew’ whereas others have chosen to embrace roles such as the ‘Equipment Experts’ or ‘House Point Chiefs’. Alongside this, we have also looked closely at some of the really meaningful messages, such as kindness, in one of my favourite books - The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse. The children have all discussed what characteristics they would like to work on in Year 3 and we shared this together as a class.

GOING DEEPER IN CONVERSATION…

During our RE lesson today, we have revisited and remembered the Creation Story from Genesis. We thought carefully about the different stages of creation and discussed the Christian belief that God created the world and everything in it. The children worked together to recall the story and explored some of the key messages within it, including the importance of caring for our wonderful world. They shared thoughtful ideas about how we can show gratitude for creation and discussed ways we can look after the environment and the people and animals around us. It was lovely to see the children building on their previous learning, asking thoughtful questions and making connections between the Creation Story and their own lives. A wonderful opportunity to reflect on the world around us and our responsibility to care for it!

The children then made links between the Creation Story and the message of Pope Francis in Laudato Si’. Pope Francis reminds us that our world is a precious gift from God and that we all have a responsibility to care for our “common home”. He encourages us to think about how our everyday choices can help protect the Earth and look after the people, animals and natural world around us.

At Our Lady’s, caring for our common home is something we are working so hard on as a school family. We want our children to understand that caring for creation is not just something we talk about in RE, but something we can live out every day through our choices, our actions and the way we care for one another and the world around us.

LET’S CELEBRATE

As agreed, through our school council, our learning awards will no longer be handed out in our celebration assemblies on a Friday afternoon. We now have little versions of these certificates for learning, which can be given whenever we spot some amazing learning in class. Keep an eye out for these - many will be coming your way!

The Virtue Star remains and will be awarded next week during the Friday afternoon assembly. We are trying our very best to be Loving and Compassionate.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS

Please complete the following consent form for the year ahead. This gives your permission for various things, such as school trips, usage of technology and photographs to be put on the website. In addition, if your child has a medical condition such as asthma or an allergy that we need to know about, then please complete the medical form below. Thank you for those who have already completed.

Year 3 Permission form 202627
IF YOUR CHILD HAS A MEDICAL CONDITION

Please also note, our first PE lesson back will be on Monday 7th September. On Tuesday 8th September, I will also be sending home the homework books for this school year! The children have been given the very creative and exciting task of decorating their homework books! We can’t wait to see the finished designs! If possible, please can I ask that you decorate around the printed label already stuck on the front cover - thank you! The homework books will be due back in on Monday 14th September.

Lastly, I’d just like to say the biggest thank you to you all for being so supportive and welcoming me so kindly into the Our Lady’s school family. If you ever need to contact me directly or wish to ask me a question, my school email address is:

e.brookes@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend with your little ones and I’ll look forward to seeing you all on Monday.

Miss Brookes & Mrs Austin

A huge welcome!

We just want to say welcome to all our new friends that will be starting with us on Thursday. Also, to say welcome back to the children returning after the summer holidays.

We hope that everyone has managed to have some down time and make some memories that will last forever.

As we start the new academic year i have just a few housekeeping reminders for you:

  • no jewellery is allowed in nursery (including earrings). Nursery is a very physically active and adventurous environment, jewellery is a health and safety hazard.

  • PE sessions are on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, please can your child wear trainers. We have two outdoor sessions appropriate clothing is required on these days.

  • your child will need an Our Lady book bag (available from Top Marque in St Annes). Please no back packs.

  • all items brought to nursery should be clearly named, especially clothing.

  • your child will require one piece of fruit or veg for each session they attend.

  • dress your child to match the weather, sensible shoes/trainers please.

  • spare clothing is required case of toilet accidents again all named.

  • your child will need a family picture to add to ‘Our Family’ wall.

  • please now that your ParentPay login details will be coming home this week. This will allow you to pay any fees and your voluntary sundries donations online.

I think that’s it but please check the the nursey and school blog every Friday as this is where events etc. are posted. We don’t want your to miss anything!

Lastly, we are so excited to greet your children on Thursday, We have lots of exciting activities and learning planned. the most important thing is that your child is happy and thrives at Our Lady’s. If there is anything you wish to ask about please do not hesitate to contact me, remember nursery is a partnership! My email address is: b.draper@ourladystarofthesea.lancs.sch.uk

Nursery direct telephone line is 720497. As you can appreciate we are not always in the office so if you cannot get through on the nursery number, you can call Mrs. Nel in the school office on 726105.

Please join in the awe and wonder your child will experience in nursery, it truly is a magical place to be.

See you on Thursday

God bless and stay safe

Barbara

Year 3 2026-2027

I hope that you are all having a wonderful summer holiday. The weather has certainly helped; I cannot remember a summer quite like it.

I just wanted to update you all on two things ready for the children coming back in a couple of weeks.

You will be aware that Miss Drummond was unwell last year and has been absent from school since Easter. Whilst she has been recovering at home in this period, she has informed us that she is not well enough to return to school for the start of the academic year in September and will require some additional time off. We continue to send her our best wishes and our prayers - hoping that she will be back with us soon.

When a key member of the staff team is off, especially as we head into a new academic year, my absolute priority is getting someone in place to ensure that the children feel settled and welcomed as they start their new year group. Having a familiar teacher in place is absolutely essential. I am delighted that Miss Brookes will be joining us and taking charge of Year 3 in Miss Drummond’s absence. The children know Miss Brookes incredibly well as she taught them in the final term of Year 2 as she completed her teaching qualification. She can literally hit the ground running with them; she is so very excited and has done a wonderful job of getting the classroom ready. Miss Brookes is the perfect teacher for this role and we are very lucky to welcome her to our class team. All of the teachers will be writing a welcome blog in the coming weeks so I will let Miss Brookes take over then. I know you will all support her and welcome her formally to Our Ladys.

Secondly, you will be aware of the closure of St Annes Swimming Pool, which now appears to be closed for some time. Year 3 is our school swimming year and St Annes is the swimming pool that we use; infact, all of the schools in our cluster use it. As a team of Headteachers, we have been trying to problem-solve what we can do to ensure that our children keep swimming as the information from Fylde came to us quite late. We are currently in the process of working with Palatine Swimming Pool in Blackpool to see if they have a slot in which they can accommodate us; which we think they do. This is just taking some time to organise the logisitcs. As soon as we have a plan, we will let you know when the children will be swimming. The curriculum requirement is that all children should be able to swim 25m by the end of primary school; we want to do that as soon as possible, given where we live. If your child does not have swimming lessons, I wuld urge you to get them swimming as soon as possible then as soon as we have a school swimming plan, it will help the children further.

I am really looking forward to welcoming the children back in September. Enjoy the last few weeks of your Summer!

Mrs Gregan