Our Catholic Mission: 'We do our best by following Jesus.'

Executive Head: Mrs E Brocklesby

Head of School: Mrs S Laskey

email: enquiry_amb@emmasumac.com

Contact number: 01562 823568

Our Catholic Mission: 'We do our best by following Jesus.'

Friday 9th February 2024

Dear Parents and Carers

The week started with a very excited Year Five as they prepared themselves to take part in the MAC Pyramid Concert at the Symphony Hall. From September the children have been practising their chosen song and the group numbers with Mr. Pitt and Mr. Mallinson, who is the Head of Music at Hagley. The theme this year was ‘Electric Dreams’ and we were celebrating its fourteenth year. Once the children and staff arrived, they had the afternoon practising with the other schools and then prepared themselves for the big event.  Mrs. Brocklesby and I attended and we were so proud of the children and their achievement for performing to an audience of over 1,400 people.  Their chosen song was Kim Wilde’s ‘Kids in America’ and then we enjoyed numbers like ‘I should be so lucky’ and ‘Gold’. Thank you to all the children for representing St. Ambrose so well and to Mr. Pitt, Miss Gawthorp and Mrs. O’Hara who supported the children.  The children said,

"It's the best time I've had in school for a long time!"

"It was a great opportunity to sing in front of over 1200 people."

"It was the best concert I have ever been too!"

"The atmosphere was amazing and I loved the experience of performing."

Tuesday was a very special day for the Parish of St. Ambrose as it was the installation of Father Lamb as an Honorary Canon of the Metropolitan Cathedral of St Chad. Myself and Mrs. Brocklesby joined the parishioners of St. Ambrose at St. Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham. the Most Reverend Bernard Longley, the Archbishop of Birmingham presided over the Mass and it was a wonderful celebration of recognition of Canon Lamb’s work within our parish and beyond.  During the Key Stage One Mass on Wednesday the children presented a card and present from all the children and staff.  

This week we held our parents’ evenings and I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all those parents who were able to attend. Positive relationships between a child’s Class Teacher and parents are instrumental in ensuring the very best for the children in our care.  Thank you to all the staff who always prepare thoroughly for these events. If you were unable to attend, then please ensure that you arrange a time after half-term to meet with your child’s Class Teacher. 

I wish you all a lovely half-term break and look forward to welcoming you back on Monday 19^th February.

Mrs. Laskey       

This half-term our virtues have been Compassionate and Loving.  All children have worked hard at demonstrating these virtues within their learning, friendships and the school community.  Congratulations to those who will receive their certificates on Friday 24th February. We would like to invite their parents/carers into school for the Virtues and Values Assembly at 9.05 a.m. on Friday 24th February.  

Safer Internet Day is held in February all around the world. Last year, over 170 different countries celebrated the day!

Safer Internet Day is a chance to think about any worries we might have about using technology and the internet, but it's also about celebrating all the fantastic things technology can help us with.

In assembly, we thought about how seeing things change online can make us feel a number of different emotions, and they're not always good! We recapped the trusted adults that children might turn to if they needed to speak to someone about something that might have happened to them online that didn't make them feel good.

Back in class, we completed activities linked to Safer Internet Day.

Here are some quotes from the children:

"Safer Internet Day is a great opportunity to focus on online safety with your child, whatever their age. This year’s theme is all about change and influence online and we have created a range of pages to help you talk about these issues and ideas with your child, no matter how much time you have and in an age-appropriate way."

These top tips have been written for you (parents and carers) to help you support your child to stay safe and happy online.

Take a look at https://saferinternet.org.uk/safer-internet-day/safer-internet-day-2024/parents-and-carers to find out more about what you can do to support your children online.

Once again the Bake Off was a huge success. We were amazed by the entries and everyone did such a wonderful job.

With the bake off, tombola & cake raffle you have helped to raise an amazing £344 for the children!!

Thank you to all the bakers and to Tapp, UCM and school staff volunteers who helped sell cakes and tickets.

Please see some of the amazing entries and the winners below.

Chinese New Year Day in Reception

The children in Reception had a wonderful day today celebrating Chinese New Year.  It was lovely to see them in their party outfits and especially those who chose to wear red and yellow as they are the traditional colours of the celebration. 

Please see the letter below regarding World Thinking Day. We would like to invite all Guides, Scouts, Cubs, Brownies, Beavers and Rainbows to come into school wearing their Guides uniform on Thursday 22nd February.

Regular attendance at school means that your child will make the most of their education and improve their chances later on in life. At St Ambrose, good attendance is of high importance and we strive to have at least 96% attendance. Please help us with this target. If you need any support, then school is here to help so that your child can get the very best out of the education we provide. 

We will continue sending out regular push notifications about attendance so that you are aware if you child falls below our 96% target and we are working with Louise Howles, our Education Welfare Officer to support us with improvements.

The Bee Hive Club is now open. The Club is based in the Bee Hive which is the nursery building currently.

Opening Times

The Bee Hive Club is open to children between 7.45am – 8.45am & 3.20pm - 6.00pm every school day.

There is a minimum of two qualified members of staff and a ratio of one member of staff to eight children under the age of eight years.

The Bee Hive Admissions Policy

The Bee Hive (Before and After School Club) will admit any child who attends St Ambrose School subject to availability of places, and the admissions criteria below.

The Bee Hive Morning Club will accept up to 20 children on any one day.  The Bee Hive Evening Club will accept up to 20 children on any one day. The club operates a minimum staffing of one adult per eight children under the age of 8 years.

Kind Regards,

Mrs Laskey and Mrs Brocklesby