Messages from our Headteacher |
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Friday 8th January - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents,
We have had 31 children in school whose parents meet the criteria for key workers or who are deemed to be vulnerable. In order to keep everyone safe from the virus, we need to keep the number mixing as low as possible and we appreciate that the children who are with us are here because their parents have no other choice.
We have heard in the last hour that a member of staff has tested positive. Although this was as a result of transmission in the home and not in school, the news once again brings it home just how vulnerable all of us are to the virus.
There has been some excellent work going on at home. We have seen work posted on the BGfL from half the children in the school and we also know that children have been working from the packs that were sent home. If your child can work on the BGfL or you are able to take a photograph and upload, we can feedback to you. The engagement with videos and live lessons seems good despite the technical problems that we have encountered and I know at times it has been very frustrating at home. Just a reminder that if your child is in a live lesson please remind her or him to keep the camera switched off. For safeguarding reasons, we cannot put lessons we have recorded onto the BGfL if the recording includes the insides of people's homes.
Please let us know if your child is working hard on activities but you are not able to upload them to the BGfL. Conversely, if your child is refusing to work, please do not worry but let us know and we will support you.
With so much excellent work going on this week, we have the following stars of the week:
Rec: Khyren for his writing at home; Yiannis for his work on sequencing the story "Handa's Surprise" by Eileen Browne
Year 1 Zak for excellent phonics work at home; Maira for her poem uploaded to the BGfL
Year 2 Addy for his work at home on split diagraphs; Hana Saddique for her hard work in school
Year 3 Joseph for his playscript for the Gingerbread Man; Matthew for his excellent work in the online guided reading
Year 4 Umar for his knowledge in the online French lesson; Oskar for his outstanding contributions to all the online lessons
Year 5 Adyan for his excellent work on Brazil; Mikhail for his work in writing a story plot.
Year 6 Hajrah for her hard work in online guided reading; Isabel for her beautiful RE work at home
Our values for the Catholic Pupil Profile this half-term are being Grateful and Generous. We have wonderful role models in our community of people, even in the pandemic, being grateful for what they have and being generous to others. Over the next few weeks, we will be looking for examples amongst our children.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear Parents,
We have had 31 children in school whose parents meet the criteria for key workers or who are deemed to be vulnerable. In order to keep everyone safe from the virus, we need to keep the number mixing as low as possible and we appreciate that the children who are with us are here because their parents have no other choice.
We have heard in the last hour that a member of staff has tested positive. Although this was as a result of transmission in the home and not in school, the news once again brings it home just how vulnerable all of us are to the virus.
There has been some excellent work going on at home. We have seen work posted on the BGfL from half the children in the school and we also know that children have been working from the packs that were sent home. If your child can work on the BGfL or you are able to take a photograph and upload, we can feedback to you. The engagement with videos and live lessons seems good despite the technical problems that we have encountered and I know at times it has been very frustrating at home. Just a reminder that if your child is in a live lesson please remind her or him to keep the camera switched off. For safeguarding reasons, we cannot put lessons we have recorded onto the BGfL if the recording includes the insides of people's homes.
Please let us know if your child is working hard on activities but you are not able to upload them to the BGfL. Conversely, if your child is refusing to work, please do not worry but let us know and we will support you.
With so much excellent work going on this week, we have the following stars of the week:
Rec: Khyren for his writing at home; Yiannis for his work on sequencing the story "Handa's Surprise" by Eileen Browne
Year 1 Zak for excellent phonics work at home; Maira for her poem uploaded to the BGfL
Year 2 Addy for his work at home on split diagraphs; Hana Saddique for her hard work in school
Year 3 Joseph for his playscript for the Gingerbread Man; Matthew for his excellent work in the online guided reading
Year 4 Umar for his knowledge in the online French lesson; Oskar for his outstanding contributions to all the online lessons
Year 5 Adyan for his excellent work on Brazil; Mikhail for his work in writing a story plot.
Year 6 Hajrah for her hard work in online guided reading; Isabel for her beautiful RE work at home
Our values for the Catholic Pupil Profile this half-term are being Grateful and Generous. We have wonderful role models in our community of people, even in the pandemic, being grateful for what they have and being generous to others. Over the next few weeks, we will be looking for examples amongst our children.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Friday 18th December - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents
We had a wonderful final week in school thanks to the activities funded by you through the PTA including the pantomime, the craft activities and the parties. On Thursday afternoon, we were delighted to have a visit from Father Christmas who, despite being rushed off his feet at this time of year, stopped at each classroom door to say "hello".
Please keep safe over Christmas. Between 23rd and 27th December, a maximum of three households are allowed to mix inside but please be very careful as infections, hospital admissions and deaths are all rising again. We must not mix with two households one day and a different two households on another day. If anyone in a household develops symptoms, everyone in the household must self-isolate until the results of the test. Please keep reminding the children to wash their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds so that we can all come back healthy on Monday 4th January.
The staff have spent today looking at the children's attainment during last term and planning to continue to close any gaps left by the lockdown. For those families who qualify for free school meal through the benefits system, Mrs Sullivan has been doing the administration for the food vouchers over the next 2 weeks. The school has had a very thorough clean today.
Thank you again for incredible generosity in the presents and cards you've sent in for staff. We very much appreciate your kindness and thoughtfulness. Thank you also for the fantastic donations of food for the children's party. Every class had lots of wonderful party food to eat. There was some left over which is being shared between the Sparkhill Foodbank and the Active Well-being Society's Christmas appeal. We have received further cash donations from families for our hardship fund for families who find themselves in crisis. If you need our support at any time over the holiday period, please email me. I will check the emails each day and respond.
Your children have worked incredibly hard this term and we are proud of each and every one of them. They are such a credit to you.
I wish you all a happy and holy Christmas.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear Parents
We had a wonderful final week in school thanks to the activities funded by you through the PTA including the pantomime, the craft activities and the parties. On Thursday afternoon, we were delighted to have a visit from Father Christmas who, despite being rushed off his feet at this time of year, stopped at each classroom door to say "hello".
Please keep safe over Christmas. Between 23rd and 27th December, a maximum of three households are allowed to mix inside but please be very careful as infections, hospital admissions and deaths are all rising again. We must not mix with two households one day and a different two households on another day. If anyone in a household develops symptoms, everyone in the household must self-isolate until the results of the test. Please keep reminding the children to wash their hands frequently for at least 20 seconds so that we can all come back healthy on Monday 4th January.
The staff have spent today looking at the children's attainment during last term and planning to continue to close any gaps left by the lockdown. For those families who qualify for free school meal through the benefits system, Mrs Sullivan has been doing the administration for the food vouchers over the next 2 weeks. The school has had a very thorough clean today.
Thank you again for incredible generosity in the presents and cards you've sent in for staff. We very much appreciate your kindness and thoughtfulness. Thank you also for the fantastic donations of food for the children's party. Every class had lots of wonderful party food to eat. There was some left over which is being shared between the Sparkhill Foodbank and the Active Well-being Society's Christmas appeal. We have received further cash donations from families for our hardship fund for families who find themselves in crisis. If you need our support at any time over the holiday period, please email me. I will check the emails each day and respond.
Your children have worked incredibly hard this term and we are proud of each and every one of them. They are such a credit to you.
I wish you all a happy and holy Christmas.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Thursday 10th December - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear All,
There was some excellent work undertaken in class last week.
The stars of the week were:
Reception: Hadiyah - for the presentation of her work
Haniyah - for her maths work
Year 1: Inaaya - for the clarity of her instructional writing
Madiha - for her addition in Maths
Year 3: Jeramiah - for his handwriting
Aisha - for hardwork in Design Technology lessons
Year 4: Ibrahim for excellent art work
Jaydam for writing a high quality playscript
Year 5: Fahad for sportsmanship in PE
Taliya for a well thought out writing plan in English
Year 6: Mary for her wonderful Anderson Shelter design.
Linguist of the week: Oskar for his work in French
Sportsperson of the week: all of Year 1 for their progress in skipping. We have received some great news about our children's levels of physical activity since we came back with recognition from Birmingham Games Organisation of all the work overseen by Miss Haydon.
Catholic Profile - this half-term we have focussed on being "intentional" and "prophetic":
Khyren and Haadiyah for their prophetic portrayal of Joseph and Mary in our school role-play of the Christmas Story.
Leah for prophetically living out God's word through her actions.
Ilarnah for her prophetic leaflet explaining how to observe Advent.
Mass at St John and St Martin
It was wonderful for the parish to be able to celebrate Mass last weekend. The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday meaning "rejoice". Whilst there is so much suffering in our community and the wider world, we rejoice that God is at close at hand.
Final Week
As we enter the final week of term, the children continue to work hard and their behaviour, despite their tiredness, the lockdown and poor weather, is a great credit to you.
Tomorrow morning the final editing of the children's Christmas performance will be complete and I will write to you with the link. Our flautists have been recorded this afternoon.
Thank you for your generosity in providing food for the parties. This is being stored for 72 hours before being distributed to the classes. Any food left over will go to Sparkhill foodbank on Friday.
We are hoping for a very special visitor on Thursday.
Christmas raffles: the PTA raffle will be drawn on Wednesday and the children's toy raffle on Thursday (if wish your child's name to be entered and you have not yet sent 50p, please send 50p tomorrow or Wednesday)
Free workshops for adults.
Please find below a poster about workshops for parents.
Thank you
Thank you for all your generosity in sending presents to staff. It's appreciated enormously but you don't need to because your present to all of is entrusting us with the education of your children; it is a huge privilege.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear All,
There was some excellent work undertaken in class last week.
The stars of the week were:
Reception: Hadiyah - for the presentation of her work
Haniyah - for her maths work
Year 1: Inaaya - for the clarity of her instructional writing
Madiha - for her addition in Maths
Year 3: Jeramiah - for his handwriting
Aisha - for hardwork in Design Technology lessons
Year 4: Ibrahim for excellent art work
Jaydam for writing a high quality playscript
Year 5: Fahad for sportsmanship in PE
Taliya for a well thought out writing plan in English
Year 6: Mary for her wonderful Anderson Shelter design.
Linguist of the week: Oskar for his work in French
Sportsperson of the week: all of Year 1 for their progress in skipping. We have received some great news about our children's levels of physical activity since we came back with recognition from Birmingham Games Organisation of all the work overseen by Miss Haydon.
Catholic Profile - this half-term we have focussed on being "intentional" and "prophetic":
Khyren and Haadiyah for their prophetic portrayal of Joseph and Mary in our school role-play of the Christmas Story.
Leah for prophetically living out God's word through her actions.
Ilarnah for her prophetic leaflet explaining how to observe Advent.
Mass at St John and St Martin
It was wonderful for the parish to be able to celebrate Mass last weekend. The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday meaning "rejoice". Whilst there is so much suffering in our community and the wider world, we rejoice that God is at close at hand.
Final Week
As we enter the final week of term, the children continue to work hard and their behaviour, despite their tiredness, the lockdown and poor weather, is a great credit to you.
Tomorrow morning the final editing of the children's Christmas performance will be complete and I will write to you with the link. Our flautists have been recorded this afternoon.
Thank you for your generosity in providing food for the parties. This is being stored for 72 hours before being distributed to the classes. Any food left over will go to Sparkhill foodbank on Friday.
We are hoping for a very special visitor on Thursday.
Christmas raffles: the PTA raffle will be drawn on Wednesday and the children's toy raffle on Thursday (if wish your child's name to be entered and you have not yet sent 50p, please send 50p tomorrow or Wednesday)
Free workshops for adults.
Please find below a poster about workshops for parents.
Thank you
Thank you for all your generosity in sending presents to staff. It's appreciated enormously but you don't need to because your present to all of is entrusting us with the education of your children; it is a huge privilege.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Thursday 10th December - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents,
I hope you are all well and keeping safe.
We are delighted that Mass is returning to St John and St Martin's this Saturday at 4pm for families and also on Sunday at 9.30am. For those of you who have not been before, our parish Church is on George Street, Balsall Heath. This week, after the socially distanced Mass at 4 pm on Saturday, children can decorate the Christmas tree (in a COVID secure way). If you go on the parish website, you can also book places at the Christmas masses http://www.ssjohnandmartin.org.uk/
Christmas
Apologies that I mistakenly thought that the children's Christmas dinner could be booked on Squid. You need to contact the office either by phone 0121 464 5500 or email to book it.
Thank you to everyone who has bought PTA raffle tickets. All the children will benefit from your generosity. The raffle will be drawn on Wednesday (16th) in the morning and (hopefully) live streamed into the classrooms so the children can watch. If your ticket is drawn out, you will be notified on Wednesday afternoon.
Separately to the PTA raffle, we have recently received donations of brand new toys which we would like to raffle with the children. Therefore on Monday and Tuesday, your child may bring 50p to their classroom to buy a ticket. The draw will be held on Thursday on the party day. The money raised will go towards the PTA hardship fund to support families in financial crisis.
If your child wishes to write Christmas cards, please send them in to the classroom on Monday so they can be stored for 72 hours (in line with COVID guidance) before being distributed.
The Christmas video will be out asap.
Learning
We have been really impressed with the quality of the children's work over the last few weeks. As well as the number of children who are reading with parents and doing online Maths homework, we have seen excellent progress in classes across the curriculum. This week we are assessing Maths across the school and phonics in Years 1 and 2 and we will be analysing the results over Christmas so we can share them with you. Miss Haydon has also been looking at data around physical activities and is really pleased with the children's engagement in PE. Today, I happened to walk through the hall when all of year 3 were skipping which was great to see. There is so much excellent work going on in every class; it is a privilege to be in school with your children.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear Parents,
I hope you are all well and keeping safe.
We are delighted that Mass is returning to St John and St Martin's this Saturday at 4pm for families and also on Sunday at 9.30am. For those of you who have not been before, our parish Church is on George Street, Balsall Heath. This week, after the socially distanced Mass at 4 pm on Saturday, children can decorate the Christmas tree (in a COVID secure way). If you go on the parish website, you can also book places at the Christmas masses http://www.ssjohnandmartin.org.uk/
Christmas
Apologies that I mistakenly thought that the children's Christmas dinner could be booked on Squid. You need to contact the office either by phone 0121 464 5500 or email to book it.
Thank you to everyone who has bought PTA raffle tickets. All the children will benefit from your generosity. The raffle will be drawn on Wednesday (16th) in the morning and (hopefully) live streamed into the classrooms so the children can watch. If your ticket is drawn out, you will be notified on Wednesday afternoon.
Separately to the PTA raffle, we have recently received donations of brand new toys which we would like to raffle with the children. Therefore on Monday and Tuesday, your child may bring 50p to their classroom to buy a ticket. The draw will be held on Thursday on the party day. The money raised will go towards the PTA hardship fund to support families in financial crisis.
If your child wishes to write Christmas cards, please send them in to the classroom on Monday so they can be stored for 72 hours (in line with COVID guidance) before being distributed.
The Christmas video will be out asap.
Learning
We have been really impressed with the quality of the children's work over the last few weeks. As well as the number of children who are reading with parents and doing online Maths homework, we have seen excellent progress in classes across the curriculum. This week we are assessing Maths across the school and phonics in Years 1 and 2 and we will be analysing the results over Christmas so we can share them with you. Miss Haydon has also been looking at data around physical activities and is really pleased with the children's engagement in PE. Today, I happened to walk through the hall when all of year 3 were skipping which was great to see. There is so much excellent work going on in every class; it is a privilege to be in school with your children.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Friday 4th December - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear parents,
Last week included a number of highlights here in school. As always, the range of hard work that is going on in each class made it very difficult to choose individual stars but they were as follows:
Reception: Haadiyah-Noor - ordering numbers in Maths; Junayd - enthusiasm for learning;
Year 1: Naira and Areeba - working hard in all subjects
Year 2: Layth for writing a well-structured letter and Afizah for her work in multiplication
Year 3: Neha for generating a word problem in maths from a number sentence; Noah for his reading
Year 4: Haris for his work on descriptive noun phrases; Adrina for computing
Year 5: Kei Kei for her work on the solar system; Nevaeh for her work in PE
Year 6: Havana for her biographical writing.
Leaves for Catholic Pupil Profile- being prophetic and intentional
Haniyah (Reception) for her thoughtful answers about Advent in RE; Ahmed (Year 3) for intentionally giving up his time to help Mrs Laird; Oskar, Aatika, Umar and Habiba (Year 4) intentionally giving up time to tidy up; Torin (Year 5) prophetically modelling behaviours; Arham (Year 6) prophetically sharing God's word through his actions.
Linguist of the week Affi for her contribution to French lessons.
This week, we are filming the Christmas production in separate class groups which we can then edit and share with you.
Next week, we have the children's Christmas dinner on Tuesday 15th (call the office to book if your child is normally on packed lunches) and class parties on Thursday 17th (children to come in own clothes). Due to the risk of COVID transmission, children are not bringing toys in on the last day (Friday 18th) but instead the PTA are funding a Christmas craft day in each class.
Please do not forget to sign up to our Smile Amazon account (see attachment) if you are shopping on Amazon.
A reminder that the children are off from Friday 18th December and return on Tuesday 5th January. Please keep us all safe by socially distancing, not mixing with other households, not sending children in school if they or anyone else in the household has a temperature, new cough or change/loss of taste and wearing masks at the gate.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear parents,
Last week included a number of highlights here in school. As always, the range of hard work that is going on in each class made it very difficult to choose individual stars but they were as follows:
Reception: Haadiyah-Noor - ordering numbers in Maths; Junayd - enthusiasm for learning;
Year 1: Naira and Areeba - working hard in all subjects
Year 2: Layth for writing a well-structured letter and Afizah for her work in multiplication
Year 3: Neha for generating a word problem in maths from a number sentence; Noah for his reading
Year 4: Haris for his work on descriptive noun phrases; Adrina for computing
Year 5: Kei Kei for her work on the solar system; Nevaeh for her work in PE
Year 6: Havana for her biographical writing.
Leaves for Catholic Pupil Profile- being prophetic and intentional
Haniyah (Reception) for her thoughtful answers about Advent in RE; Ahmed (Year 3) for intentionally giving up his time to help Mrs Laird; Oskar, Aatika, Umar and Habiba (Year 4) intentionally giving up time to tidy up; Torin (Year 5) prophetically modelling behaviours; Arham (Year 6) prophetically sharing God's word through his actions.
Linguist of the week Affi for her contribution to French lessons.
This week, we are filming the Christmas production in separate class groups which we can then edit and share with you.
Next week, we have the children's Christmas dinner on Tuesday 15th (call the office to book if your child is normally on packed lunches) and class parties on Thursday 17th (children to come in own clothes). Due to the risk of COVID transmission, children are not bringing toys in on the last day (Friday 18th) but instead the PTA are funding a Christmas craft day in each class.
Please do not forget to sign up to our Smile Amazon account (see attachment) if you are shopping on Amazon.
A reminder that the children are off from Friday 18th December and return on Tuesday 5th January. Please keep us all safe by socially distancing, not mixing with other households, not sending children in school if they or anyone else in the household has a temperature, new cough or change/loss of taste and wearing masks at the gate.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Friday 27th November - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents
Thank you so much for the generous donations of chocolate on non-uniform day. The PTA will use this for hampers and other raffle prizes. Details of the raffle will be sent out next week. Every penny raised will go to the children's education.
Stars of the week are:
Reception: Aisha for her homework and Zydan for his Maths;
Year 1: Anas and Isaac for blending sounds together in phonics;
Year 2: Summer-Rae for phonics and Fariha for her levels of concentration in lessons;
Year 3: Maya for an excellent project on the Stone Age and Livia for her understanding of multiplication;
Year 4: Halima for explaining he predictions in Science and Haadiah for the consistent accuracy of her spellings;
Year 5: Mikhail for fantastic opening paragraph to a non-chronological report and Yusuf A. for engaging the reader in his non-chronological report;
Year 6: Taiyah for her fraction work in Maths.
The intentional and prophetic leaves on the Catholic Pupil Profile were awarded to:
Arthur for his answers during Reception's work on Advent;
Sophia for intentionally modelling making the right choices to help others;
Hanin for using her spare time to make a poster about Marcus Rashford;
Alisha for intentionally being kind;
Jeramiah intentionally helping another child who had dropped things;
Lilly for her careful approach to her work;
Havana for intentionally using her artistic skills to cheer people up.
We have introduced a new award of Linguist of the Week for hard work in French lessons. Our very first linguist award goes to Ahmed in Year 3.
Keep safe this weekend
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear Parents
Thank you so much for the generous donations of chocolate on non-uniform day. The PTA will use this for hampers and other raffle prizes. Details of the raffle will be sent out next week. Every penny raised will go to the children's education.
Stars of the week are:
Reception: Aisha for her homework and Zydan for his Maths;
Year 1: Anas and Isaac for blending sounds together in phonics;
Year 2: Summer-Rae for phonics and Fariha for her levels of concentration in lessons;
Year 3: Maya for an excellent project on the Stone Age and Livia for her understanding of multiplication;
Year 4: Halima for explaining he predictions in Science and Haadiah for the consistent accuracy of her spellings;
Year 5: Mikhail for fantastic opening paragraph to a non-chronological report and Yusuf A. for engaging the reader in his non-chronological report;
Year 6: Taiyah for her fraction work in Maths.
The intentional and prophetic leaves on the Catholic Pupil Profile were awarded to:
Arthur for his answers during Reception's work on Advent;
Sophia for intentionally modelling making the right choices to help others;
Hanin for using her spare time to make a poster about Marcus Rashford;
Alisha for intentionally being kind;
Jeramiah intentionally helping another child who had dropped things;
Lilly for her careful approach to her work;
Havana for intentionally using her artistic skills to cheer people up.
We have introduced a new award of Linguist of the Week for hard work in French lessons. Our very first linguist award goes to Ahmed in Year 3.
Keep safe this weekend
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Thursday 26th November - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear All
I hope you and your families are well.
Reminder - Tomorrow (Friday 27th November), children may wear non-uniform in return for a donation of chocolate. The chocolate will be used for Parent Teacher Association hampers and raffle prizes. The PTA do an incredible amount of work that benefits all our children so please do support them with this and with the smile amazon accounts - see attachment. Please keep the art work coming in for the PTA exhibition about things we have missed in lockdown. We received a wonderful painting for the exhibition from one of our youngest children in Reception this week.
When we came back in September, one of our catch-up programmes was run by Miss Haydon through Birmingham School Games around physical activity. Every class concentrated on running, throwing and jumping in order to improve fitness. We were really pleased that 92% of children were present in the lessons and we heard today that our Reception children and Year 6s have been commended for being in the top 5 in their age group in Birmingham.
Many sports clubs/swimming baths closed again in this second lockdown. Once they are re-open, please do let us know by email with what physical activities your families engage.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear All
I hope you and your families are well.
Reminder - Tomorrow (Friday 27th November), children may wear non-uniform in return for a donation of chocolate. The chocolate will be used for Parent Teacher Association hampers and raffle prizes. The PTA do an incredible amount of work that benefits all our children so please do support them with this and with the smile amazon accounts - see attachment. Please keep the art work coming in for the PTA exhibition about things we have missed in lockdown. We received a wonderful painting for the exhibition from one of our youngest children in Reception this week.
When we came back in September, one of our catch-up programmes was run by Miss Haydon through Birmingham School Games around physical activity. Every class concentrated on running, throwing and jumping in order to improve fitness. We were really pleased that 92% of children were present in the lessons and we heard today that our Reception children and Year 6s have been commended for being in the top 5 in their age group in Birmingham.
Many sports clubs/swimming baths closed again in this second lockdown. Once they are re-open, please do let us know by email with what physical activities your families engage.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Monday 23rd November - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents,
I hope you are all well.
We have had a good day in school with 195 children in today and 12 children off. Well done to everyone coming from Wake Green Road for getting to school over the last few days as the roads have been heavily congested. A very kind parent asked us to share with those of you who come that way, a route along Stoney Lane and Merton Road which was lot quieter this morning.
At the end of the children's anti-bullying work last week, we received a message recorded for us by Jack Grealish, the Aston Villa and England footballer. The message came about after one of the staff sent him a request. We are delighted that he recorded it just for our children and you can view it here. If you have any concerns about bullying, please do not hesitate to ring me on 0121 464 5500.
A reminder that we have a non-uniform day this Friday (27th November) in return for the donation of a chocolate bar.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear Parents,
I hope you are all well.
We have had a good day in school with 195 children in today and 12 children off. Well done to everyone coming from Wake Green Road for getting to school over the last few days as the roads have been heavily congested. A very kind parent asked us to share with those of you who come that way, a route along Stoney Lane and Merton Road which was lot quieter this morning.
At the end of the children's anti-bullying work last week, we received a message recorded for us by Jack Grealish, the Aston Villa and England footballer. The message came about after one of the staff sent him a request. We are delighted that he recorded it just for our children and you can view it here. If you have any concerns about bullying, please do not hesitate to ring me on 0121 464 5500.
A reminder that we have a non-uniform day this Friday (27th November) in return for the donation of a chocolate bar.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Friday 20th November - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents
I hope you and your families are well. At the beginning of the week we heard from our Sikh and Hindu children about their celebrations of Diwali under lockdown regulations. It was great to hear that the festival was able to be celebrated and the hopes of the families for a much larger celebration next year when families could once again come together.
The children have had a great week working hard in school. Anti-bullying lessons have created lots of discussion and learning about how to stop ourselves bullying; how to avoid being the victim of bullying and what to if you are bullied. Some of the work is already on the website here.
We have also seen some very high quality work across curriculum subjects. Stars of the week are:
Reception: Ayesha for the brilliant Stickman she made at home; Damanika for her Maths work on counting to 10.
Year 1: Kazim and Kimarnie-Mae both for excellent use of descriptive language in writing story endings.
Year 2: Fatima for her geography work on our local environment and Beyonce for her growing independence in class.
Year 3: Ivy for excellent work on Advent in RE; Deen for a wonderful, detailed description of a troll in English.
Year 4: Anthony for accurate maths work converting units of length; Layla for the high standard of work on poetry.
Year 5: Finlay for his fantastic performance of his poem; Mem for creating a poem using portmanteau words (words that combine the meaning of two other words eg motel or brunch).
Year 6: Isabel for being a fantastic role model in class and around school.
For our Catholic Profile we are looking at the virtues of being intentional (living out our values) and prophetic (seeing how our world can stay close to God) this half term. Children nominated this week are:
Ibrahim in Reception for his thoughtful answers across the Early Years curriculum.
Fahad in Year 5 for his help around the classroom.
Dean in Year 5 for putting away all the hockey equipment before going to get his lunch.
Nabisha in Year 4 for standing on the pavement so others could go past.
Isabella in Year 3 for letting others go first.
We've had some excellent works of art for the PTA exhibition from children, parents and a grandparent - thank you to everyone. The theme is "things you've missed during lockdown" so please do submit something if you would like to.
To support the fantastic work they do for our children, we are having a non-uniform day for the PTA next Friday 27th November. In return for a chocolate bar, your child may come to school in non-uniform. The chocolate bars will be used in hampers and for raffle prizes etc. We will send a reminder message on Thursday.
The weather has definitely been colder this week. We have to follow the COVID guidance to keep windows open (ventilation is important to prevent virus transmission) whilst at the same time not letting children get too cold. Children are welcome to bring an extra jumper/hoodie to keep in school in case they get cold but please, please, put their name on it. This is better than wearing a coat that is difficult to write in.
Once again, we are grateful to parents who have kept us updated about possible COVID cases in households. It really helps keep our families safe. We are going to send packs home to be stored safely and used if your child has to isolate so look out for those.
This Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King which is always the last Sunday of the Church's year. The following Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent. We work very hard in school to observe Advent as a time of preparation for Christmas. This year we are going to put extra lights and decorations around the school to lift the children's spirits whilst keeping the season of Advent distinct from Christmas.
Have a safe weekend
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear Parents
I hope you and your families are well. At the beginning of the week we heard from our Sikh and Hindu children about their celebrations of Diwali under lockdown regulations. It was great to hear that the festival was able to be celebrated and the hopes of the families for a much larger celebration next year when families could once again come together.
The children have had a great week working hard in school. Anti-bullying lessons have created lots of discussion and learning about how to stop ourselves bullying; how to avoid being the victim of bullying and what to if you are bullied. Some of the work is already on the website here.
We have also seen some very high quality work across curriculum subjects. Stars of the week are:
Reception: Ayesha for the brilliant Stickman she made at home; Damanika for her Maths work on counting to 10.
Year 1: Kazim and Kimarnie-Mae both for excellent use of descriptive language in writing story endings.
Year 2: Fatima for her geography work on our local environment and Beyonce for her growing independence in class.
Year 3: Ivy for excellent work on Advent in RE; Deen for a wonderful, detailed description of a troll in English.
Year 4: Anthony for accurate maths work converting units of length; Layla for the high standard of work on poetry.
Year 5: Finlay for his fantastic performance of his poem; Mem for creating a poem using portmanteau words (words that combine the meaning of two other words eg motel or brunch).
Year 6: Isabel for being a fantastic role model in class and around school.
For our Catholic Profile we are looking at the virtues of being intentional (living out our values) and prophetic (seeing how our world can stay close to God) this half term. Children nominated this week are:
Ibrahim in Reception for his thoughtful answers across the Early Years curriculum.
Fahad in Year 5 for his help around the classroom.
Dean in Year 5 for putting away all the hockey equipment before going to get his lunch.
Nabisha in Year 4 for standing on the pavement so others could go past.
Isabella in Year 3 for letting others go first.
We've had some excellent works of art for the PTA exhibition from children, parents and a grandparent - thank you to everyone. The theme is "things you've missed during lockdown" so please do submit something if you would like to.
To support the fantastic work they do for our children, we are having a non-uniform day for the PTA next Friday 27th November. In return for a chocolate bar, your child may come to school in non-uniform. The chocolate bars will be used in hampers and for raffle prizes etc. We will send a reminder message on Thursday.
The weather has definitely been colder this week. We have to follow the COVID guidance to keep windows open (ventilation is important to prevent virus transmission) whilst at the same time not letting children get too cold. Children are welcome to bring an extra jumper/hoodie to keep in school in case they get cold but please, please, put their name on it. This is better than wearing a coat that is difficult to write in.
Once again, we are grateful to parents who have kept us updated about possible COVID cases in households. It really helps keep our families safe. We are going to send packs home to be stored safely and used if your child has to isolate so look out for those.
This Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King which is always the last Sunday of the Church's year. The following Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent. We work very hard in school to observe Advent as a time of preparation for Christmas. This year we are going to put extra lights and decorations around the school to lift the children's spirits whilst keeping the season of Advent distinct from Christmas.
Have a safe weekend
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Friday 13th November - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear All
The children have been fantastic this week in their hard work and behaviour. They are such a credit to you. On Wednesday, the observation of the silence for those who have died in wars was impeccable. There have been children producing great work across the school and as always it is difficult to single out stars of the week but the staff have chosen the following:
Reception: Zydan for maths and Liam for phonics
Year 1: Ali and Mustafa for writing; Maira and Ismail for phonics; Naira for homework
Year 2: Adiyy for Maths and Raihan for reading comprehension
Year 3: Neha for independent writing and Eli for map work in Geography
Year 4: Amnah for concentration and Aatika for inverse operations in Maths
Year 5: Affi for using her knowledge of her Maori heritage to understand Mayan culture
Year 6: Omoruyi for his excellent progress in reading
The children will have homework to do at the moment and also, I hope, will be keen to enter the PTA art exhibition on the subject of something they have missed during lockdown. I have shared with them my own pen and ink drawing of Birmingham City's football ground in the hope that they will know that they can do better than I can so if they ask for paper and drawing materials, collage, modelling material etc this weekend, that is what they are up to.
Please remember that it is odd sock day on Monday for the beginning of anti-bullying week.
God bless
Mr Gray
Dear All
The children have been fantastic this week in their hard work and behaviour. They are such a credit to you. On Wednesday, the observation of the silence for those who have died in wars was impeccable. There have been children producing great work across the school and as always it is difficult to single out stars of the week but the staff have chosen the following:
Reception: Zydan for maths and Liam for phonics
Year 1: Ali and Mustafa for writing; Maira and Ismail for phonics; Naira for homework
Year 2: Adiyy for Maths and Raihan for reading comprehension
Year 3: Neha for independent writing and Eli for map work in Geography
Year 4: Amnah for concentration and Aatika for inverse operations in Maths
Year 5: Affi for using her knowledge of her Maori heritage to understand Mayan culture
Year 6: Omoruyi for his excellent progress in reading
The children will have homework to do at the moment and also, I hope, will be keen to enter the PTA art exhibition on the subject of something they have missed during lockdown. I have shared with them my own pen and ink drawing of Birmingham City's football ground in the hope that they will know that they can do better than I can so if they ask for paper and drawing materials, collage, modelling material etc this weekend, that is what they are up to.
Please remember that it is odd sock day on Monday for the beginning of anti-bullying week.
God bless
Mr Gray
Friday 6th November - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear All
The Parent and Teacher Association (PTA) have played an increasingly important role in school over the last 10 years with many hours of organising fundraising and social events. Your response has always been fantastic and incredibly generous. Every child has benefited from the money raised. On Monday, at 1pm, they are going to meet by video call to prepare for the next events. If you would like to join the call, please email me and I'll send the details.
We have had a very good week in school. The children have worked very hard and deserve their rest this weekend. Having said that, they do all have homework to do before next Friday and I know many do like to get it done over the weekend.
The stars of the week are:
Reception: Aisha for progress across all the areas of learning; Yiannis for his hard work in Mathematics;
Year 1: Arfa for Maths work on number bonds; Ibrahim for his reading;
Year 2: Uthman for independent work; Ismaeel for his phonics knowledge when reading;
Year 3: Holly for her progress in Maths; Isabella for her work in English on homophones;
Year 4: Hamza for accurate written methods when doing subtraction in Maths; Freya for the presentation of her work across all subjects;
Year 5: Faizan and Fahad for learning by heart and reciting the Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll;
Year 6: Kayden for using his wisdom to make excellent choices;
This half term, for our Catholic School Profile, we are looking at being intentional and prophetic. This is partly about living by your values so that whether your child is Christian or Muslim or Sikh or Hindu or a humanist, they know that their behaviours should intentionally reflect this. Being prophetic is also about being close to God and holding up a mirror to society to highlight injustice. When children are seen doing things which are intentional and prophetic they are nominated by staff to receive a leaf upon which their name is written. This week the following children have been nominated: Nevaeh, Tiana, Aamna and Harry.
We wish everyone a good weekend. Please stay safe in lockdown by not mixing with other households and following the guidelines.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear All
The Parent and Teacher Association (PTA) have played an increasingly important role in school over the last 10 years with many hours of organising fundraising and social events. Your response has always been fantastic and incredibly generous. Every child has benefited from the money raised. On Monday, at 1pm, they are going to meet by video call to prepare for the next events. If you would like to join the call, please email me and I'll send the details.
We have had a very good week in school. The children have worked very hard and deserve their rest this weekend. Having said that, they do all have homework to do before next Friday and I know many do like to get it done over the weekend.
The stars of the week are:
Reception: Aisha for progress across all the areas of learning; Yiannis for his hard work in Mathematics;
Year 1: Arfa for Maths work on number bonds; Ibrahim for his reading;
Year 2: Uthman for independent work; Ismaeel for his phonics knowledge when reading;
Year 3: Holly for her progress in Maths; Isabella for her work in English on homophones;
Year 4: Hamza for accurate written methods when doing subtraction in Maths; Freya for the presentation of her work across all subjects;
Year 5: Faizan and Fahad for learning by heart and reciting the Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll;
Year 6: Kayden for using his wisdom to make excellent choices;
This half term, for our Catholic School Profile, we are looking at being intentional and prophetic. This is partly about living by your values so that whether your child is Christian or Muslim or Sikh or Hindu or a humanist, they know that their behaviours should intentionally reflect this. Being prophetic is also about being close to God and holding up a mirror to society to highlight injustice. When children are seen doing things which are intentional and prophetic they are nominated by staff to receive a leaf upon which their name is written. This week the following children have been nominated: Nevaeh, Tiana, Aamna and Harry.
We wish everyone a good weekend. Please stay safe in lockdown by not mixing with other households and following the guidelines.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Thursday 22nd October - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents,
I hope that you are all keeping well. Tomorrow is a Teacher Day with the staff receiving training through a range of workshops on RE, English, Maths, Science and Computing delivered by Bishop Challoner Catholic College. The staff will also undertake their annual training in supporting children with asthma and anaphylaxis.
Dear Parents,
I hope that you are all keeping well. Tomorrow is a Teacher Day with the staff receiving training through a range of workshops on RE, English, Maths, Science and Computing delivered by Bishop Challoner Catholic College. The staff will also undertake their annual training in supporting children with asthma and anaphylaxis.
Our Parents and Teachers' Association (PTA) held a non-uniform day on Thursday 22nd October to help raise funds and to celebrate the diversity of our wonderful school community.
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Thank you for your generous donations to the PTA on our non-uniform day. The children were wonderful and enjoyed their day. In the assembly we talked about diversity and black history. We highlighted the artists Lubaina Himid and Keith Piper and from the sciences, Dame Elizabeth Anionwu. We talk about Piper and Anionwu not only as people who are brilliant in their chosen field but also because they were brought up in Birmingham. Our curriculum should also reflect the lived experiences of your families and if there is anything you feel we are missing or anyone inspirational in your family, please let us know.
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School returns on Monday 2nd November. When the children return, we are going to attempt to provide every class with hot meals (rather than have KS2 on a rota for sandwiches) which will be an interesting challenge with limited time, social distancing and the cleaning that is involved. Click here to view the 2 weekly menus.
Stars of the week this week were:
Reception - Arthur for his confidence; Aaryan for hard work
Year 1- Maryam and Ruqayyah for reading;
Year 2- Maleeya for a great Autumn poem; Diya for Maths work on inverse operations
Year 3- Lilly for Maths; Harun for being a great role model
Year 4 - Scarlett for fantastic work with Mrs Vaughan; Hanin for clear presentation in Maths; Tezzy for a story full of suspense
Year 5- Ayaan for plotting data on a line graph; Neveah - fantastic independent writing
Year 6 - Ishmail for division work in Maths
Leaves awarded for being Curious and Active:
Khalisa - actively helping her teachers
Tabitha- asking fantastic questions about God;
Jaydam, Oskar, Hamza and Kassim - actively caring for an injured child.
Shiv - curiosity about construction.
Despite all the challenges, it has been a great half term and a privilege to see the children's progress.
As well as all the class work that will be going on after the break, we are delighted that the PTA are organising an art exhibition during November (Read letter on the right). We are really looking forward to seeing not only the children's entries but also your own and those from members of your families.
Year 6 parents- there has been an email coming from Mrs Rafferty-Jones about Secondary application so please look out for that.
If you need any support over the half term break, please do not hesitate to email to this account.
Masses in Church this weekend and next weekend are 4pm Saturday and 9.30 am Sunday.
Take care and God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Stars of the week this week were:
Reception - Arthur for his confidence; Aaryan for hard work
Year 1- Maryam and Ruqayyah for reading;
Year 2- Maleeya for a great Autumn poem; Diya for Maths work on inverse operations
Year 3- Lilly for Maths; Harun for being a great role model
Year 4 - Scarlett for fantastic work with Mrs Vaughan; Hanin for clear presentation in Maths; Tezzy for a story full of suspense
Year 5- Ayaan for plotting data on a line graph; Neveah - fantastic independent writing
Year 6 - Ishmail for division work in Maths
Leaves awarded for being Curious and Active:
Khalisa - actively helping her teachers
Tabitha- asking fantastic questions about God;
Jaydam, Oskar, Hamza and Kassim - actively caring for an injured child.
Shiv - curiosity about construction.
Despite all the challenges, it has been a great half term and a privilege to see the children's progress.
As well as all the class work that will be going on after the break, we are delighted that the PTA are organising an art exhibition during November (Read letter on the right). We are really looking forward to seeing not only the children's entries but also your own and those from members of your families.
Year 6 parents- there has been an email coming from Mrs Rafferty-Jones about Secondary application so please look out for that.
If you need any support over the half term break, please do not hesitate to email to this account.
Masses in Church this weekend and next weekend are 4pm Saturday and 9.30 am Sunday.
Take care and God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Friday 16th October - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear All
Thank you for all your support this week. Please stay alert and keep safe by minimising social contacts this weekend. We have a number of families isolating at the moment and we pray for you. The latest data I have is from 12th October when there were 32 cases in Moseley; 26 in Sparkhill; 42 in Balsall Heath and 32 in Springfield.
It is essential that if someone in your household has a test that your children do not come to school until you have the test result. As soon as you have the result, please inform us. If children come into school while someone in the household is waiting for a test result, lives are potentially being put in danger. If you are in any doubt, please keep your child off and ring me for advice.
Please also remember in Ms Harkin in your prayers as she has been very ill but not with COVID. Sadly, she has had a bloodclot on her lung. We pray that she makes a full recovery.
In school, children have continued to work very hard. The stars of the week are:
Year 6 Alia for her work on long division
Year 5 Faizan for inferences he made about King Alfred the Great
Delilah for a well-thought out ending to an adventure story
Year 4 Usayd for his excellent vocabulary choices when describing a character's emotions
Habiba for being a great coach to others in PE
Year 3 Ivy for her retelling of the story of the Prodigal Son
Alveera for her excellent work in Music
Year 2 Lucas for outstanding Maths
Poppy also for outstanding Maths including accurately counting in 10s
Zak for outstanding grammar work in video lessons
Tabitha for excellent reading
Year 1 Maira for her accurate spelling
Insha for her Maths when doing part/part/whole (if you would like to know what that is an explanation can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9-5dxP_204 )
Reception - Kaliya for settling in so well
Emily for her excellent maths
The nominations for the Catholic virtues of being active and curious go to Wol, Sami, Oskar, Isabel and Aamna.
If your child has not been chosen, be assured that they will have done some brilliant work this week. Your children never cease to impress us in their work at school. We are blessed to have them with us.
Mass at church this weekend is on Sunday at 9.30 am and tomorrow at 4pm for families. In the gospel reading at Mass, Jesus answers a trick question about whether people should pay the Romans taxes by telling the pharisees to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar but give to God what belongs to God. Our lives belong to God so, this weekend, we place ourselves in his loving hands and devote ourselves to him.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Dear All
Thank you for all your support this week. Please stay alert and keep safe by minimising social contacts this weekend. We have a number of families isolating at the moment and we pray for you. The latest data I have is from 12th October when there were 32 cases in Moseley; 26 in Sparkhill; 42 in Balsall Heath and 32 in Springfield.
It is essential that if someone in your household has a test that your children do not come to school until you have the test result. As soon as you have the result, please inform us. If children come into school while someone in the household is waiting for a test result, lives are potentially being put in danger. If you are in any doubt, please keep your child off and ring me for advice.
Please also remember in Ms Harkin in your prayers as she has been very ill but not with COVID. Sadly, she has had a bloodclot on her lung. We pray that she makes a full recovery.
In school, children have continued to work very hard. The stars of the week are:
Year 6 Alia for her work on long division
Year 5 Faizan for inferences he made about King Alfred the Great
Delilah for a well-thought out ending to an adventure story
Year 4 Usayd for his excellent vocabulary choices when describing a character's emotions
Habiba for being a great coach to others in PE
Year 3 Ivy for her retelling of the story of the Prodigal Son
Alveera for her excellent work in Music
Year 2 Lucas for outstanding Maths
Poppy also for outstanding Maths including accurately counting in 10s
Zak for outstanding grammar work in video lessons
Tabitha for excellent reading
Year 1 Maira for her accurate spelling
Insha for her Maths when doing part/part/whole (if you would like to know what that is an explanation can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x9-5dxP_204 )
Reception - Kaliya for settling in so well
Emily for her excellent maths
The nominations for the Catholic virtues of being active and curious go to Wol, Sami, Oskar, Isabel and Aamna.
If your child has not been chosen, be assured that they will have done some brilliant work this week. Your children never cease to impress us in their work at school. We are blessed to have them with us.
Mass at church this weekend is on Sunday at 9.30 am and tomorrow at 4pm for families. In the gospel reading at Mass, Jesus answers a trick question about whether people should pay the Romans taxes by telling the pharisees to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar but give to God what belongs to God. Our lives belong to God so, this weekend, we place ourselves in his loving hands and devote ourselves to him.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Thursday 15th October - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents
It is wonderful to have all our classes back in school. Thank you for all the work that has been going on at home, not just in Year 2 and Reception but across the school. Our children will never really appreciate the support they are given and the sacrifices you make until they are parents themselves so, in the meantime, take it from me, that you are doing a great job especially with the support you give to reading.
Please remember that if anyone in your household has a COVID test, the rest of the household should self-isolate until the test results are back. This means that children cannot come to school if someone in the household is waiting for a test result. Thank you for all the messages keeping us up-to-date with your household's situation.
The Governing Body's Staffing, Teaching and Learning Committee met online last night and discussed a wide range of agenda items including the developments in online learning as we strive to support children at home. The governors freely give of their time to do an invaluable job in holding the school to account for the education we provide for your children.
Dear Parents
It is wonderful to have all our classes back in school. Thank you for all the work that has been going on at home, not just in Year 2 and Reception but across the school. Our children will never really appreciate the support they are given and the sacrifices you make until they are parents themselves so, in the meantime, take it from me, that you are doing a great job especially with the support you give to reading.
Please remember that if anyone in your household has a COVID test, the rest of the household should self-isolate until the test results are back. This means that children cannot come to school if someone in the household is waiting for a test result. Thank you for all the messages keeping us up-to-date with your household's situation.
The Governing Body's Staffing, Teaching and Learning Committee met online last night and discussed a wide range of agenda items including the developments in online learning as we strive to support children at home. The governors freely give of their time to do an invaluable job in holding the school to account for the education we provide for your children.
Another group who work tirelessly for your children are the Parents and Teachers' Association. Attached to this email is a letter about a non-uniform day the PTA are proposing to hold next Thursday 22nd October to help raise funds and to celebrate the diversity of our wonderful school community (read letter on your right).
Next Friday 23rd October is a Teacher Day organised by Bishop Challoner. The staff will be undertaking training in a range of topics around the teaching of English, Maths, Science and Computing. In the afternoon we are having our annual training in supporting children who have asthma or anaphylaxis.
On Monday 16th November we begin our annual Anti-Bullying Week. During the week we will be listening to children about their experiences and their understanding of bullying. Crucially, children need to understand that bullying is (repeated, deliberate behaviour aimed at hurting another person) and what bullying is not (an argument between two friends) so that they can protect themselves from being bullied and avoid bullying someone else.
The media like to portray the world as being made up of a group of people labelled bullies and a group of victims whereas the reality is that we can all be guilty of bullying if we do not stop ourselves and that we can all avoid being victims if we know how to respond to bullying behaviour. The most important messages we give children are: first, always tell your parents everything that is happening. Secondly, always acknowledge the things we ourselves do wrong. Thirdly, never highlight what is different about someone else in order to put them down. On the first day of anti-bullying week, 16th November, we are taking part in the "wear odd socks to school". There are more details here https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/anti-bullying-week-2020-united-against-bullying.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Next Friday 23rd October is a Teacher Day organised by Bishop Challoner. The staff will be undertaking training in a range of topics around the teaching of English, Maths, Science and Computing. In the afternoon we are having our annual training in supporting children who have asthma or anaphylaxis.
On Monday 16th November we begin our annual Anti-Bullying Week. During the week we will be listening to children about their experiences and their understanding of bullying. Crucially, children need to understand that bullying is (repeated, deliberate behaviour aimed at hurting another person) and what bullying is not (an argument between two friends) so that they can protect themselves from being bullied and avoid bullying someone else.
The media like to portray the world as being made up of a group of people labelled bullies and a group of victims whereas the reality is that we can all be guilty of bullying if we do not stop ourselves and that we can all avoid being victims if we know how to respond to bullying behaviour. The most important messages we give children are: first, always tell your parents everything that is happening. Secondly, always acknowledge the things we ourselves do wrong. Thirdly, never highlight what is different about someone else in order to put them down. On the first day of anti-bullying week, 16th November, we are taking part in the "wear odd socks to school". There are more details here https://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week/anti-bullying-week-2020-united-against-bullying.
God bless
Justin Gray
Headteacher
Monday 12th October - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents
I hope that everyone is keeping well and safe. We are looking forward to welcoming back Reception tomorrow and Year 2 on Thursday. Year 2's lessons will continue online until Wednesday. We would be very interested in hearing from parents about their children's experience of remote learning. As time goes on, the technology is improving along with our use of it. We pray that no other classes have to isolate but it will be important to ensure everyone can access the lessons.
Thank you to those parents who have kept us up-to-date with information about people in their family being tested. It is essential that you let us know as soon as anyone in your household develops symptoms or has a test. If you have any doubts, please do not send your child in but phone or email us. Last week there were 25 COVID cases in Moseley; 31 in Balsall Heath; 31 in Sparkhill; 20 in Springfield and 23 around Moseley Bog. Remember to look out for a high temperature, new and persistent cough or a change/loss of taste or smell.
We have assessed the children's attainment since they returned and are now looking at ways of sharing the information with you along with how we are going to help any who have fallen behind to catch up. As always, the key is reading which can unfortunately be one of the hardest battles for parents in an age of screens, playstations, etc. We are an exceptional school for teaching children how to read. We know this because no child has ever failed the national phonics screening check. The difficulty for you, and for us, is persuading children to use their reading skills to read as much as possible. We keep coming up with ways to encourage the children to read but we need parents to find time to talk about books and read to children as well as listen to them read. When we, as adults, spend so long looking at our phones rather than reading books, it is unsurprising that children prefer screens. Part of me thinks that the future is reading from screens rather than books and we should just accept it but all the research shows that if we want our children to be successful in their lives, the one thing we can do, as parents, is encourage them to read as much as possible.
Mrs Guiden and Mrs Laird are working on a plan to return to all classes being offered hot meals after half-term with new menus to go with colder weather and shorter days.
God bless
Mr Gray
Dear Parents
I hope that everyone is keeping well and safe. We are looking forward to welcoming back Reception tomorrow and Year 2 on Thursday. Year 2's lessons will continue online until Wednesday. We would be very interested in hearing from parents about their children's experience of remote learning. As time goes on, the technology is improving along with our use of it. We pray that no other classes have to isolate but it will be important to ensure everyone can access the lessons.
Thank you to those parents who have kept us up-to-date with information about people in their family being tested. It is essential that you let us know as soon as anyone in your household develops symptoms or has a test. If you have any doubts, please do not send your child in but phone or email us. Last week there were 25 COVID cases in Moseley; 31 in Balsall Heath; 31 in Sparkhill; 20 in Springfield and 23 around Moseley Bog. Remember to look out for a high temperature, new and persistent cough or a change/loss of taste or smell.
We have assessed the children's attainment since they returned and are now looking at ways of sharing the information with you along with how we are going to help any who have fallen behind to catch up. As always, the key is reading which can unfortunately be one of the hardest battles for parents in an age of screens, playstations, etc. We are an exceptional school for teaching children how to read. We know this because no child has ever failed the national phonics screening check. The difficulty for you, and for us, is persuading children to use their reading skills to read as much as possible. We keep coming up with ways to encourage the children to read but we need parents to find time to talk about books and read to children as well as listen to them read. When we, as adults, spend so long looking at our phones rather than reading books, it is unsurprising that children prefer screens. Part of me thinks that the future is reading from screens rather than books and we should just accept it but all the research shows that if we want our children to be successful in their lives, the one thing we can do, as parents, is encourage them to read as much as possible.
Mrs Guiden and Mrs Laird are working on a plan to return to all classes being offered hot meals after half-term with new menus to go with colder weather and shorter days.
God bless
Mr Gray
Friday 9th October - Message from Mr Gray:
Thank you so much for generosity in sending in food and cleaning items for the Harvest. Everything you have given will be kept for 72 hours under our COVID arrangements and then boxed up and taken to Anawim who work from the site that used to be the school next to our Church on George St, Balsall Heath. Your kindness will make a huge difference to some very vulnerable people in Birmingham.
We look forward to Reception and Year 2 returning next week on Tuesday (Reception) and Thursday (Year 2). We have a number of other people in our community who are self-isolating at the moment and we pray especially for them. Please do everything you can to keep your families safe by not mixing, washing hands frequently, keeping a 2 metre distance from other adults and wearing a mask in shops and at the school gates.
Thank you so much for generosity in sending in food and cleaning items for the Harvest. Everything you have given will be kept for 72 hours under our COVID arrangements and then boxed up and taken to Anawim who work from the site that used to be the school next to our Church on George St, Balsall Heath. Your kindness will make a huge difference to some very vulnerable people in Birmingham.
We look forward to Reception and Year 2 returning next week on Tuesday (Reception) and Thursday (Year 2). We have a number of other people in our community who are self-isolating at the moment and we pray especially for them. Please do everything you can to keep your families safe by not mixing, washing hands frequently, keeping a 2 metre distance from other adults and wearing a mask in shops and at the school gates.
Year 2's live lessons have been going well this week as we all get used to the technology. There are normally about 10 children online each day. Reception have been receiving video lessons which are on our school website each day. If you are unable to watch the videos, access the website or join in with live lessons please let us know. Also if you have any feedback, please send it to d.symons@st-martindeporres.bham.sch.uk.
A lot of homework is now online including maths. Again if your child has any trouble accessing their homework please let us know or if you have any feedback, please email it to us. Please do everything you can to find time to read to your child especially at bedtime. There is plenty of research that reading to your child makes a bigger difference to our child's education than anything else we do as parents. If you need ideas for books to read with your child, have a look at the class page on the school website.
Well done to all the children for their work this week in school.
Our stars of the week so far are Esa and Leah in Yeah 1; Destiny and Sophia in Year 4; Deen and Taimoor in Year 5.
The children who have been nominated for being curious and active are Maryam in Year 4 and Finlay in Year 5.
St John Wall House won the house points competition this week - well done to the children in that house and to all the children who earned house points.
Well done and thank you to everyone who walked to school this week. Please keep it up.
Mass at St John and St Martin's Church this weekend is on Saturday at 4pm and Sunday at 9.30 am. Everyone is welcome but if you're Catholic, please make every effort to attend.
God bless
Mr Gray
A lot of homework is now online including maths. Again if your child has any trouble accessing their homework please let us know or if you have any feedback, please email it to us. Please do everything you can to find time to read to your child especially at bedtime. There is plenty of research that reading to your child makes a bigger difference to our child's education than anything else we do as parents. If you need ideas for books to read with your child, have a look at the class page on the school website.
Well done to all the children for their work this week in school.
Our stars of the week so far are Esa and Leah in Yeah 1; Destiny and Sophia in Year 4; Deen and Taimoor in Year 5.
The children who have been nominated for being curious and active are Maryam in Year 4 and Finlay in Year 5.
St John Wall House won the house points competition this week - well done to the children in that house and to all the children who earned house points.
Well done and thank you to everyone who walked to school this week. Please keep it up.
Mass at St John and St Martin's Church this weekend is on Saturday at 4pm and Sunday at 9.30 am. Everyone is welcome but if you're Catholic, please make every effort to attend.
God bless
Mr Gray
Wednesday 7th October - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents,
I hope you are well. We have two classes and a number of families self-isolating this week and we remember all of them in our prayers. The children in school are praying the Rosary this week and will include all our absent friends in their intentions.
When a class has to go into isolation, we provide remote learning through videos as well as suggested activities that can be found on the website. To support children who do not have access to technology, we are putting together a learning pack for every child which we will send home for you to keep in case your child has to isolate. As we no longer have access to food vouchers, Mrs Guiden is providing food parcels for families in isolation who are in receipt of benefits. Although this is based on the families who received vouchers in lockdown, we will provide a parcel for any family in isolation who would benefit from one. Please contact Mrs Symons if you need any support.
Well done everyone in the classes in school who walked to school this morning. It makes a great difference to the safety of our children on the roads; to the health of the children who walk and to the quality of air around school.
Tomorrow is our harvest festival. The children will be watching an online celebration from CAFOD. All the details are here https://cafod.org.uk/News/Events/Harvest-assembly We will be collecting tins, dried food and other non-perishables at the gates before and after school. All donations are going to Anawim http://anawim.co.uk/
Over the next two weeks, Ms Hayden will be introducing children to The Birmingham School Games virtual/online personal best challenges for 2020-21. This is being run by Bishop Challoner and aims to promote engagement with exercise and fitness for all children.
The PTA will be contacting you soon with information about an art competition and a non-uniform multicultural day on Thursday 22nd October.
A reminder that Friday 23rd October is our first Teacher Day of this academic year and school will be closed. In the morning, the staff are undertaking professional development with Bishop Challoner and 9 other primary schools. In the afternoon, learning packs in case of class isolations will be prepared.
God bless
Mr Gray
Dear Parents,
I hope you are well. We have two classes and a number of families self-isolating this week and we remember all of them in our prayers. The children in school are praying the Rosary this week and will include all our absent friends in their intentions.
When a class has to go into isolation, we provide remote learning through videos as well as suggested activities that can be found on the website. To support children who do not have access to technology, we are putting together a learning pack for every child which we will send home for you to keep in case your child has to isolate. As we no longer have access to food vouchers, Mrs Guiden is providing food parcels for families in isolation who are in receipt of benefits. Although this is based on the families who received vouchers in lockdown, we will provide a parcel for any family in isolation who would benefit from one. Please contact Mrs Symons if you need any support.
Well done everyone in the classes in school who walked to school this morning. It makes a great difference to the safety of our children on the roads; to the health of the children who walk and to the quality of air around school.
Tomorrow is our harvest festival. The children will be watching an online celebration from CAFOD. All the details are here https://cafod.org.uk/News/Events/Harvest-assembly We will be collecting tins, dried food and other non-perishables at the gates before and after school. All donations are going to Anawim http://anawim.co.uk/
Over the next two weeks, Ms Hayden will be introducing children to The Birmingham School Games virtual/online personal best challenges for 2020-21. This is being run by Bishop Challoner and aims to promote engagement with exercise and fitness for all children.
The PTA will be contacting you soon with information about an art competition and a non-uniform multicultural day on Thursday 22nd October.
A reminder that Friday 23rd October is our first Teacher Day of this academic year and school will be closed. In the morning, the staff are undertaking professional development with Bishop Challoner and 9 other primary schools. In the afternoon, learning packs in case of class isolations will be prepared.
God bless
Mr Gray
Monday 5th October - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear All
After a further positive test result received today, we now have Reception and Year 2 children isolating at home. Please pray for all the children especially those who are poorly. In order to reduce risk for our families and each other, it is essential to follow the guidance New coronavirus restrictions in Birmingham – frequently asked questions | Birmingham City Council and minimise social contacts even within families.
Thank you to all the parents who have kept us informed about their children's health and the testing that is going on. Please do continue to tell us as soon as anyone in your household is poorly and if anyone has a test.
This week, for those not self-isolating, we have "Walk to School" day on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone who already walks to school - it makes the roads around school safer, our air cleaner and your children healthier. There are some families who travel long distances to come to St Martin's and we appreciate all the children being here, however for those of you who live closer, please do everything you can to walk. If you do have to drive, please park away from the school and do not park on the pavements. Even two wheels on the pavement is a danger to our children and this morning we had a near miss for one of our youngest children on a pavement. Also if we park with two wheels on a pavement, we are making social distancing more difficult and creating an obstacle for one of our neighbours who is blind. To sum up, please try to get up earlier, leave the house earlier, park further away and walk.
On Thursday the children are joining in a Harvest assembly with CAFOD. The details are here CAFOD national assembly: A harvest like no other | CAFOD
As part of the harvest thanksgiving celebration, on Thursday morning and afternoon, we will be collecting tins and dried food at the gates. These donations will be stored for 72 hours to avoid transmission of the virus before being sent on to Anawim who play such an important role supporting very vulnerable people in our community http://anawim.co.uk/
Anawim - Women Working Together
If you are able to donate, there will be large containers on the gates.
Speaking of harvest, a film was made in August all about our newly extended school gardens. The film is well worth a watch as it stars Mrs Braithwaite and gives you an idea of the scale of the gardens and how they will impact on your child's learning. Mrs Braithwaite had no idea that the company would want to interview her on film and is very articulate about her vision for the gardens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zc_pjCC26o
God bless
Mr Gray
Dear All
After a further positive test result received today, we now have Reception and Year 2 children isolating at home. Please pray for all the children especially those who are poorly. In order to reduce risk for our families and each other, it is essential to follow the guidance New coronavirus restrictions in Birmingham – frequently asked questions | Birmingham City Council and minimise social contacts even within families.
Thank you to all the parents who have kept us informed about their children's health and the testing that is going on. Please do continue to tell us as soon as anyone in your household is poorly and if anyone has a test.
This week, for those not self-isolating, we have "Walk to School" day on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone who already walks to school - it makes the roads around school safer, our air cleaner and your children healthier. There are some families who travel long distances to come to St Martin's and we appreciate all the children being here, however for those of you who live closer, please do everything you can to walk. If you do have to drive, please park away from the school and do not park on the pavements. Even two wheels on the pavement is a danger to our children and this morning we had a near miss for one of our youngest children on a pavement. Also if we park with two wheels on a pavement, we are making social distancing more difficult and creating an obstacle for one of our neighbours who is blind. To sum up, please try to get up earlier, leave the house earlier, park further away and walk.
On Thursday the children are joining in a Harvest assembly with CAFOD. The details are here CAFOD national assembly: A harvest like no other | CAFOD
As part of the harvest thanksgiving celebration, on Thursday morning and afternoon, we will be collecting tins and dried food at the gates. These donations will be stored for 72 hours to avoid transmission of the virus before being sent on to Anawim who play such an important role supporting very vulnerable people in our community http://anawim.co.uk/
Anawim - Women Working Together
If you are able to donate, there will be large containers on the gates.
Speaking of harvest, a film was made in August all about our newly extended school gardens. The film is well worth a watch as it stars Mrs Braithwaite and gives you an idea of the scale of the gardens and how they will impact on your child's learning. Mrs Braithwaite had no idea that the company would want to interview her on film and is very articulate about her vision for the gardens https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Zc_pjCC26o
God bless
Mr Gray
Thursday 1st October - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents,
I hope that you are well. As I mentioned on Tuesday, we do have adults in our school families with COVID so please continue to pray for them. Please also remain very cautious when out and about as the infection numbers for Moseley and Sparkhill are very worrying so we must keep our families safe through frequent handwashing, not mixing households, wearing a face mask in shops and keeping our distance from other adults.
We have 190 children in school today out of a possible 205. A few children have upset stomachs which we are hoping the increased washing of hands for COVID will help suppress.
We were alerted by one of our parents to a large open drain outside LaVelle, a shop on Woodbridge Road this morning. Please take extra care if you are walking that way with your children.
We are delighted to hear that Father Mario is saying an additional Mass at weekends particularly aimed at families. This will be on Saturdays at 4pm starting this weekend. The Sunday morning Mass is at 9.30am.
Dear Parents,
I hope that you are well. As I mentioned on Tuesday, we do have adults in our school families with COVID so please continue to pray for them. Please also remain very cautious when out and about as the infection numbers for Moseley and Sparkhill are very worrying so we must keep our families safe through frequent handwashing, not mixing households, wearing a face mask in shops and keeping our distance from other adults.
We have 190 children in school today out of a possible 205. A few children have upset stomachs which we are hoping the increased washing of hands for COVID will help suppress.
We were alerted by one of our parents to a large open drain outside LaVelle, a shop on Woodbridge Road this morning. Please take extra care if you are walking that way with your children.
We are delighted to hear that Father Mario is saying an additional Mass at weekends particularly aimed at families. This will be on Saturdays at 4pm starting this weekend. The Sunday morning Mass is at 9.30am.
The children have continued to have a great week in school. I was particularly impressed by Year 1's artwork in the style of environmental artist Andy Goldsworthy http://www.artnet.com/artists/andy-goldsworthy/. Click on the photo to view Year 1's work.
Their work creating leaf sculptures continued even when the rain came. Year 3 were also outside this week and their work in the gardens is captured on our twitter feed https://twitter.com/St_Martin_Sch
Most of the children have been learning skills relating to athletics in PE lessons and making good progress with their running, jumping and throwing.
Tomorrow sees the end of our work on the season of Creation. The topic has stimulated some excellent questions and discussions in classrooms.
From Monday, classes will be using the Rosary as a form of prayer. This very old form of meditation using beads to count prayers helps children to learn about the key events in Jesus' life.
Their work creating leaf sculptures continued even when the rain came. Year 3 were also outside this week and their work in the gardens is captured on our twitter feed https://twitter.com/St_Martin_Sch
Most of the children have been learning skills relating to athletics in PE lessons and making good progress with their running, jumping and throwing.
Tomorrow sees the end of our work on the season of Creation. The topic has stimulated some excellent questions and discussions in classrooms.
From Monday, classes will be using the Rosary as a form of prayer. This very old form of meditation using beads to count prayers helps children to learn about the key events in Jesus' life.
October is Black History Month and we will be using our time to ensure our curriculum, across all subjects, throughout the year, draws on the experiences, knowledge and expertise of a range of black, asian and mixed heritage communities. We do this by looking not just at the topics and resources used to teach in October but also reflecting on planning throughout the year to ensure children learn about people from different communities. If anyone has any family stories/experiences or resources that would enrich our curriculum, please let me know. To support us, we are drawing on the work of The Catholic Association for Racial Justice https://www.carj.org.uk/2020/09/14/workshops-on-diversity-inequality-and-racism-in-the-uk/
At the end of October, we will put a report on our work on the school website.
God bless
Mr Gray
At the end of October, we will put a report on our work on the school website.
God bless
Mr Gray
Tuesday 29th September - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear All
Thank you for all your kind messages. The end of the day seemed less congested today so thank you to everyone who parked well away from the school and walked. Tomorrow will be difficult as it is forecast to rain. Please make sure the children have coats (with names in) and still park away from the school.
We had 192 children in school today out of 205 we now have on roll which is great. We did hear of positive tests for adults in one of our families so we are praying for them and for their children who are now isolating. Each case is a reminder that we must continue to be very cautious to keep each other safe by washing hands, keeping our distance and not mixing.
We had a great day in school. Some of the highlights were: Reception doing dance with ribbons in their PE lesson; Year 1 getting to grips with the technology in the computer suite in preparation for their work on algorithms; Year 2 making and decorating clay pots; Year 3 in the gardens looking at, and giving praise for God's creation this afternoon; Year 4 learning about the Rosary in preparation for October; Year 5 learning the song "Living on a Prayer" using sign language and Year 6 playing glockenspiels tunefully.
God bless
Mr Gray
Dear All
Thank you for all your kind messages. The end of the day seemed less congested today so thank you to everyone who parked well away from the school and walked. Tomorrow will be difficult as it is forecast to rain. Please make sure the children have coats (with names in) and still park away from the school.
We had 192 children in school today out of 205 we now have on roll which is great. We did hear of positive tests for adults in one of our families so we are praying for them and for their children who are now isolating. Each case is a reminder that we must continue to be very cautious to keep each other safe by washing hands, keeping our distance and not mixing.
We had a great day in school. Some of the highlights were: Reception doing dance with ribbons in their PE lesson; Year 1 getting to grips with the technology in the computer suite in preparation for their work on algorithms; Year 2 making and decorating clay pots; Year 3 in the gardens looking at, and giving praise for God's creation this afternoon; Year 4 learning about the Rosary in preparation for October; Year 5 learning the song "Living on a Prayer" using sign language and Year 6 playing glockenspiels tunefully.
God bless
Mr Gray
Friday 11th September - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear All
At the end of a very challenging week, we can draw breath and reflect upon how brilliant your children have been. Reception began on Monday and have settled in so well you would think that they had been here for years. Mrs Llewellyn, Mrs Brewer and Ms McArdle are undertaking the baseline assessment which will be shared with parents before half-term.
All our other classes have been really focussed on their work and their behaviour has been all but impeccable. Attached to this email is the study plan for this term; please do take time to read it so you can discuss the learning with your children. The children will have received homework today for the week which is due in next Friday.
Year 3 have been very patient with technology this week as we have piloted video lessons for them during their self-isolation.
Well done to the stars of the week:
Reception - the whole class
Year 1 - Abu Bakr and Ereshva
Year 2 - Poppy
Year 3 - Ismail and Livia
Year 4 - Scarlett and Kassim
Year 5 - Ayaan and Nevaeh
Year 6 - Havana
For our Catholic Pupil Profile, we are focussing on the virtues of being curious and active this half-term. Well done to Insha (Y1), Yusuf Ahmed (Y5), Muhammad (Y6) and Subhaan (Y6) for the curiosity they have shown this week.
Good luck to: the Year 6s taking the 11+ examination this weekend; to William and Edie who are playing cricket for Moseley Ashfield CC and to you all whatever endeavours you are undertaking. Please stay safe.
Mrs Symons is delighted to have received contact forms for 84 families - thank you. Obviously these forms are crucial at anytime but particularly in the context of the coronavirus. Well done to the Reception parents who have already signed up to Squid. If you have any questions about Squid, please email Mrs Symons d.symons@st-martindeporres.bham.sch.uk
At some point over the next 2 weeks, Mr Coley is going to dig up the treacherous path from Oakland Road to the office. We will give you plenty of notice of which day he is going to do this.
Further restrictions are coming in on Tuesday from when we will not be able to visit other people's houses or mix with other households outside of school. This will also mean that we cannot share lifts with other households. With Hall Green and Springfield being the two worst affected areas in Birmingham this week, we all have a responsibility to keep safe and be very careful.
Remember if your child has a new and persistent cough, a temperature or a change to taste/smell you must get them tested even though tests are proving difficult to access. I am attaching a useful table one of my colleagues created to show the different scenarios and actions that are taken.
God bless
Mr Gray
Dear All
At the end of a very challenging week, we can draw breath and reflect upon how brilliant your children have been. Reception began on Monday and have settled in so well you would think that they had been here for years. Mrs Llewellyn, Mrs Brewer and Ms McArdle are undertaking the baseline assessment which will be shared with parents before half-term.
All our other classes have been really focussed on their work and their behaviour has been all but impeccable. Attached to this email is the study plan for this term; please do take time to read it so you can discuss the learning with your children. The children will have received homework today for the week which is due in next Friday.
Year 3 have been very patient with technology this week as we have piloted video lessons for them during their self-isolation.
Well done to the stars of the week:
Reception - the whole class
Year 1 - Abu Bakr and Ereshva
Year 2 - Poppy
Year 3 - Ismail and Livia
Year 4 - Scarlett and Kassim
Year 5 - Ayaan and Nevaeh
Year 6 - Havana
For our Catholic Pupil Profile, we are focussing on the virtues of being curious and active this half-term. Well done to Insha (Y1), Yusuf Ahmed (Y5), Muhammad (Y6) and Subhaan (Y6) for the curiosity they have shown this week.
Good luck to: the Year 6s taking the 11+ examination this weekend; to William and Edie who are playing cricket for Moseley Ashfield CC and to you all whatever endeavours you are undertaking. Please stay safe.
Mrs Symons is delighted to have received contact forms for 84 families - thank you. Obviously these forms are crucial at anytime but particularly in the context of the coronavirus. Well done to the Reception parents who have already signed up to Squid. If you have any questions about Squid, please email Mrs Symons d.symons@st-martindeporres.bham.sch.uk
At some point over the next 2 weeks, Mr Coley is going to dig up the treacherous path from Oakland Road to the office. We will give you plenty of notice of which day he is going to do this.
Further restrictions are coming in on Tuesday from when we will not be able to visit other people's houses or mix with other households outside of school. This will also mean that we cannot share lifts with other households. With Hall Green and Springfield being the two worst affected areas in Birmingham this week, we all have a responsibility to keep safe and be very careful.
Remember if your child has a new and persistent cough, a temperature or a change to taste/smell you must get them tested even though tests are proving difficult to access. I am attaching a useful table one of my colleagues created to show the different scenarios and actions that are taken.
God bless
Mr Gray
Friday 4th September - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents
The children this week have been brilliant and surpassed all our hopes for them with their maturity and hard work - thank you so much for sending them.
It is an incredibly difficult task to choose stars of the week from a school full of well-behaved children focused on learning however congratulations to:
Year 1 - Lillian and Safa; Year 2 - Umar and Tye; Year 3 - the whole class; Year 4 - Jaydam and Maryam; Year 5 Wol and Aidan; Year 6 Omoruyi.
This half term we are focussing on the Catholic virtues of being curious and active. Well done to Sami (Year 5) for his curiosity about words, Harry (Year 4) for his range of questions; Ismael Khan (Year 6) for his interest in World War 2 and Zakariyah (Year 1) for the thoughtfulness of his questions.
Aamna (Year 6) kept physically active throughout the lockdown by engaging with the activities from Bishop Challoner Sports College and posted on our website by Ms Haydon. I was delighted to receive this message from Ms Haydon:
"In your next assembly could you please mention Aamna Zafar and her brilliant achievement of being the most engaged pupil across the whole of Birmingham. For 7 weeks she participated in different virtual physical activities competing against other children which was organised by Sport Birmingham and Bishop Challoner. For her efforts she was awarded a brand new tablet. We are all very proud of this achievement. "
So many of our children participate in sports outside of school and it is great to be able to start PE lessons again in school. With children coming to school in tracksuits/jogger/t-shirts/sweatshirts/trainers on their day for PE, you need to know which day that is so:
Year 1 & 2 - Monday
Year 3 & 5 - Thursday
Year 4 & 6 - Wednesday
You'll still see Reception children with PE bags because getting changed is part of their curriculum. If you have an older child who finds getting changed difficult, please support in becoming independent - including doing up laces and ties.
If your child has a birthday and you would like to send chocolates (it's very generous of you, but you don't have to) please send a sealed packet or box eg Celebrations etc. and we will hand them out carefully to reduce risk of virus transmission.
God bless
Mr Gray
Dear Parents
The children this week have been brilliant and surpassed all our hopes for them with their maturity and hard work - thank you so much for sending them.
It is an incredibly difficult task to choose stars of the week from a school full of well-behaved children focused on learning however congratulations to:
Year 1 - Lillian and Safa; Year 2 - Umar and Tye; Year 3 - the whole class; Year 4 - Jaydam and Maryam; Year 5 Wol and Aidan; Year 6 Omoruyi.
This half term we are focussing on the Catholic virtues of being curious and active. Well done to Sami (Year 5) for his curiosity about words, Harry (Year 4) for his range of questions; Ismael Khan (Year 6) for his interest in World War 2 and Zakariyah (Year 1) for the thoughtfulness of his questions.
Aamna (Year 6) kept physically active throughout the lockdown by engaging with the activities from Bishop Challoner Sports College and posted on our website by Ms Haydon. I was delighted to receive this message from Ms Haydon:
"In your next assembly could you please mention Aamna Zafar and her brilliant achievement of being the most engaged pupil across the whole of Birmingham. For 7 weeks she participated in different virtual physical activities competing against other children which was organised by Sport Birmingham and Bishop Challoner. For her efforts she was awarded a brand new tablet. We are all very proud of this achievement. "
So many of our children participate in sports outside of school and it is great to be able to start PE lessons again in school. With children coming to school in tracksuits/jogger/t-shirts/sweatshirts/trainers on their day for PE, you need to know which day that is so:
Year 1 & 2 - Monday
Year 3 & 5 - Thursday
Year 4 & 6 - Wednesday
You'll still see Reception children with PE bags because getting changed is part of their curriculum. If you have an older child who finds getting changed difficult, please support in becoming independent - including doing up laces and ties.
If your child has a birthday and you would like to send chocolates (it's very generous of you, but you don't have to) please send a sealed packet or box eg Celebrations etc. and we will hand them out carefully to reduce risk of virus transmission.
God bless
Mr Gray
Wednesday 2nd September - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents
Thank you for everything you did this morning to support your children and the school. We had 95% attendance which was fantastic. The new system at the gates went very smoothly. The only hold ups were when children were carrying things in their hands which delayed sanitising and therefore please could we ask that you put everything in your child's bag - water bottles are best inside a plastic bag first in case they leak. If the children wear their bags over their shoulders, their hands are free to be sanitised on the way in without delay. The way parents moved away from gates as soon as they had handed children really helped us - thank you.
The end of the day may be chaotic today with 7 gates in operation but we will all get used to where we need to be. Read below for more details.
The children have been brilliant in class and it is so good to have them back. We will send timetables and study plans so you know which lessons are when.
At lunchtime we had a couple of glitches caused by me. It was Year 4 not Year 3 in the hall today (this matters because each class have a different number of meals prepared) along with Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6 over a staggered lunchtime. Year 3 and Year 5 had sandwiches with a choice of cheese, jam and tuna. Year 3 and Year 5 will be in the hall next week. All the menus are on the website (click here) with the hot meals today being fish, cheese pastie or jacket potatoes with tuna, beans or cheese fillings. The children also had a doughnut for pudding today.
God bless
Mr Gray
Dear Parents
Thank you for everything you did this morning to support your children and the school. We had 95% attendance which was fantastic. The new system at the gates went very smoothly. The only hold ups were when children were carrying things in their hands which delayed sanitising and therefore please could we ask that you put everything in your child's bag - water bottles are best inside a plastic bag first in case they leak. If the children wear their bags over their shoulders, their hands are free to be sanitised on the way in without delay. The way parents moved away from gates as soon as they had handed children really helped us - thank you.
The end of the day may be chaotic today with 7 gates in operation but we will all get used to where we need to be. Read below for more details.
The children have been brilliant in class and it is so good to have them back. We will send timetables and study plans so you know which lessons are when.
At lunchtime we had a couple of glitches caused by me. It was Year 4 not Year 3 in the hall today (this matters because each class have a different number of meals prepared) along with Year 1, Year 2 and Year 6 over a staggered lunchtime. Year 3 and Year 5 had sandwiches with a choice of cheese, jam and tuna. Year 3 and Year 5 will be in the hall next week. All the menus are on the website (click here) with the hot meals today being fish, cheese pastie or jacket potatoes with tuna, beans or cheese fillings. The children also had a doughnut for pudding today.
God bless
Mr Gray
Tuesday 1st September- Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents
We hope you are well. If you have any doubts about your child's health tomorrow (and in the weeks ahead), it is essential to keep him or her at home.
Beginning of the day
Click here for details on how and where to drop your children off.
Staff will be on the gates and in the playground to direct your child into school. It is important that we keep socially distanced at the gates and avoid congestion so once you've handed your child over, walk back to your car or wherever you need to go. If you have any messages or questions rather than passing them on at the gate, please email me j.gray@st-martindeporres.bham.sch.uk The first thing we will do is sanitise hands so please ensure everything is in a bag and your child's hands are free.
Please wear face masks at the gate. Your child does not need to wear a face mask. If you do send a mask, you will need to send a plastic bag for them to keep it in during the day.
PE Kit
Your child will discover his/her timetable this week. On the day s/he does PE, s/he will come to school in tracksuit/jogging bottoms and trainers so that there is no need for PE bags to go back and forth.
At the end of the day
Click here for details on how and where to pick up your children.
Please arrive in plenty of time, park away from school if driving, keep socially distanced, wear a face mask and, as soon as your children are collected, move away from the gates.
God bless
Mr Gray
Dear Parents
We hope you are well. If you have any doubts about your child's health tomorrow (and in the weeks ahead), it is essential to keep him or her at home.
Beginning of the day
Click here for details on how and where to drop your children off.
Staff will be on the gates and in the playground to direct your child into school. It is important that we keep socially distanced at the gates and avoid congestion so once you've handed your child over, walk back to your car or wherever you need to go. If you have any messages or questions rather than passing them on at the gate, please email me j.gray@st-martindeporres.bham.sch.uk The first thing we will do is sanitise hands so please ensure everything is in a bag and your child's hands are free.
Please wear face masks at the gate. Your child does not need to wear a face mask. If you do send a mask, you will need to send a plastic bag for them to keep it in during the day.
PE Kit
Your child will discover his/her timetable this week. On the day s/he does PE, s/he will come to school in tracksuit/jogging bottoms and trainers so that there is no need for PE bags to go back and forth.
At the end of the day
Click here for details on how and where to pick up your children.
Please arrive in plenty of time, park away from school if driving, keep socially distanced, wear a face mask and, as soon as your children are collected, move away from the gates.
God bless
Mr Gray
Friday 28th August - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents
I am writing to add further detail so you know what to expect on Wednesday 2nd September when children return to school.
Before school
If you have any doubts about your child’s health, do not send them to school. Any sense of a high temperature, persistent cough or change in taste/smell will need your family to self-isolate until tested.
Dropping off and Collecting
Click here for details on dropping off and collecting.
During the School Day
There will be no assemblies or mass in the first few weeks nor will there be after school sports clubs.
Children will be taught in rooms with the windows open and will wash their hands at least six times every day. We will make as much use as possible of the outdoors especially our new garden area and the improved key stage 2 seating area. Equipment will be sanitised between use by different classes. Additional cleaning of surfaces in classrooms and corridors will go on through the day. Playtimes and lunchtimes will be staggered.
There will be assessments of the children’s learning in the first two weeks and this will be used to plan to catch up any learning missed since March.
Playtimes
Playtimes will be staggered and equipment sanitised when used. To begin with there will be no toast in Key Stage 2 so please send in a piece of fruit.
Lunchtimes
All Reception and Key Stage 1 children will have a meal in the hall. To enable us to stagger the lunches, Key Stage 2 children will be on a rota in the hall and classrooms.
Uniform
Initially, do your best with uniform but please do not worry as we have seen the queues at the shops. Tracksuit bottoms instead of trousers are fine and plain top if your child’s jumper no longer fits. The important thing is that your child is healthy and in school.
Kind regards
Mr Gray
Dear Parents
I am writing to add further detail so you know what to expect on Wednesday 2nd September when children return to school.
Before school
If you have any doubts about your child’s health, do not send them to school. Any sense of a high temperature, persistent cough or change in taste/smell will need your family to self-isolate until tested.
Dropping off and Collecting
Click here for details on dropping off and collecting.
During the School Day
There will be no assemblies or mass in the first few weeks nor will there be after school sports clubs.
Children will be taught in rooms with the windows open and will wash their hands at least six times every day. We will make as much use as possible of the outdoors especially our new garden area and the improved key stage 2 seating area. Equipment will be sanitised between use by different classes. Additional cleaning of surfaces in classrooms and corridors will go on through the day. Playtimes and lunchtimes will be staggered.
There will be assessments of the children’s learning in the first two weeks and this will be used to plan to catch up any learning missed since March.
Playtimes
Playtimes will be staggered and equipment sanitised when used. To begin with there will be no toast in Key Stage 2 so please send in a piece of fruit.
Lunchtimes
All Reception and Key Stage 1 children will have a meal in the hall. To enable us to stagger the lunches, Key Stage 2 children will be on a rota in the hall and classrooms.
Uniform
Initially, do your best with uniform but please do not worry as we have seen the queues at the shops. Tracksuit bottoms instead of trousers are fine and plain top if your child’s jumper no longer fits. The important thing is that your child is healthy and in school.
Kind regards
Mr Gray
Friday 10th July - Message from Mr Gray:
Dear Parents
If your child is learning at home, try and keep to a routine including bedtimes and make use of the excellent materials on our website, the Oak National Academy programme https://www.thenational.academy/ and the BBC. Most of all, read with your children everyday.
Mrs Braggs, one of our governors, spoke to Father Dominic on the phone last week and he sends his best wishes and prayers to everyone.
School dates for next year:
Dear Parents
If your child is learning at home, try and keep to a routine including bedtimes and make use of the excellent materials on our website, the Oak National Academy programme https://www.thenational.academy/ and the BBC. Most of all, read with your children everyday.
Mrs Braggs, one of our governors, spoke to Father Dominic on the phone last week and he sends his best wishes and prayers to everyone.
School dates for next year:
|
Autumn Term
Autumn 1: Wed 2nd Sept - Thurs 22nd Oct Autumn 2: Monday 2nd Nov - Fri 18th Dec |
Spring Term
Spring 1: Tues 5th Jan - Fri 12th Feb Spring 2: Mon 22nd Feb - Thurs 1st April |
Summer Term
Summer 1: Mon 19th April - Fri 28th May Summer 2: Tues 8th June - Tues 20th July |
Teacher Days: 1st Sept, 23rd Oct, 4th Jan, 7th June, 21st July
