Last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent. It appears Christmas is already in full swing. Lights, trees, santas, and so much more already crowd the shops. The first turkeys and mince pies are being eaten, and we are hearing carols and festive songs. Our churches give us an oasis of calm where we can reflect and take stock about what really matters. The readings for Advent and the liturgy of the season tell us to watch and wait. It’s a message at odds with our busy world where everything must be instant, immediate, and quick. We too are called to wait – for the return of Jesus in glory. We wait so that we can be even more joyful.  

Thank you so much to all of the families who kindly sent in donations for the Parish Christmas Bazaar which takes place this Sunday 5th December. It would be wonderful for as many families as possible to come along and join with the Parish to enjoy the Bazaar and help raise much needed funds for the school and Church.

Thank you to everyone who has already bought raffle tickets for the Staff Christmas Hamper - so far we have raised £83.50!

Miss Ballard will be on the playground again on Monday afternoon so please dig deep and purchase a couple more tickets - the raffle will be drawn on Thursday after school with the hamper given out on Friday!

The Memory Tree will be erected in Church on the morning of December 13th. If you have purchased a memory globe, you are invited to come to Church from 13th-16th of December to place it on the tree prior to the blessing at 3.45pm on the 16th December.

You are warmly invited to the Parish hall after the blessing for refreshments and mince pies.

On the Thursday 9th December, the school community will join together to witness the Year 6 confirmandi become full members of the Church through the sacrament of confirmation. We are extremely privileged to have Archbishop Bernard Longley as celebrant with Father Lamb on this momentous occasion.

The preparation began with a meeting for parents with Father Lamb, where they were given the opportunity to find out more about the sacrament itself and then to discuss the programme which their children would follow.

The children have also been prepared by staff. This shows that both parents and confirmandi are committed to take on the responsibilities placed before them. 

After months of preparation, all the children will receive the sacrament with thought and reverence, and I am sure be a credit to both families and St Ambrose school. 

During the ceremony, the Archbishop will call down the Holy Spirit to be with the children and to guide them on their journeys of faith. We pray that their commitment to the church will continue to grow, so that they may be witnesses of God's eternal love throughout the world.

Chrismas Cards will be delivered to classes on Monday 6th December, Monday 13th December and Friday 17th December.

Can all colouring competition entries be sent into school by no later than Friday 10th December. If you could like another sheet please come to the school office.

This week the Busy Bees were asked to bring R.E. books to the my office. I was bowled over by the work the children have produced and how they could all talk about what they have learnt.

We are really looking forward to Christmas this year and as, a school we have had to consider the impact of having large groups together in school and increasing cases of Covid-19 within our community. For this reason we have made the decision to hold class performances in Church to reduce the number of people coming together. We recognise the importance for the children to perform to an audience, the excitement that it brings them and indeed the joy that it provides to family members. Taking all of this on board, please note the performance dates in the letter below.

On Tuesday, it is a very important day for us because it is the feast day of our patron saint: Saint Ambrose. Year 5 will be attending Mass in Church and all other year groups will be celebrating virtually.We are asking children to come to school dressed in black and yellow and we will have a day filled with fun activities to mark this special occasion.

On Friday 10^th December it is our annual Christmas Jumper Day, and this year the children have a challenge!

London is always an amazing place at this time of year, so Miss Ballard has decided to challenge the school to work together to run a whopping 129 miles, the equivalent distance from here to the London Eye!

That means each class needs to cover 18.5 miles – so if every child runs 15 times round the playground we will get there!

We will be completing our Santa Dash Run in order to raise money for Kemp Hospice, so please dig deep and donate to the following Just Giving Page:

The weather forecast is for colder temperatures next week so once again this week we thought it would be helpful to remind parents of our arrangements for possible school closure due to severe weather conditions.

If the decision is taken to close school, a scrolling banner message will appear on our website homepage. We will also send a push notification via the App and we will Tweet. We will make this decision as early as possible and no later than 7:15am.

We will not close school once children have arrived, however, if during the school day weather conditions deteriorate significantly, we may ask parents to collect their child/children early but only when it is safe and feasible for the parent.

This week our School Ambassadors met Paige from Class Catering. She has asked the children to speak to their classmates and  answer the questions below.

If you have any ideas to improve school meals please email your ideas to ebrocklesby@st-ambrose.worcs.sch.uk

On Thursday 13th January the Eco-Council will be organising a NO ELECTRICITY DAY. We will attempt to save electricity and reduce our carbon footprint 👣 by not using our interactive whiteboards, not putting devices on charge, and making the most of the natural light in our classrooms! The children will have the opportunity for some creative lessons and some outdoor learning too!

Please see below the most recent parents booklet from Barnardo's.

Sadly, the expansion of internet-enabled technology means that bullying is no longer confined to its historical orbit of the school day. Victims can now be harassed through their phone, laptop, console or tablet at any time of day … or night. The positive flip side of this, however, is that it’s equally easy online to reach people with messages of encouragement and support. Please find attached the guidance from National Online Safety for Sharing Kindness Online, linked in with Anti-Bullying week. This guide brings you some easy ideas for brightening someone’s day the next time you’re online.

The website links for parental support ONLINE SAFETY have been updated to align with Keeping Children Safe in Education 2021, should you require additional guidance at home; especially on the run up to Christmas please contact Mrs Brocklesby-ebrocklesby@st-ambrose.worcs.sch.uk

You are most welcome to join us in church now that Covid restrictions have been lifted. Alternatively you can join using the live-streaming facility. Please note if cases rise in the area we may make the decision to not attend Church and access Mass via the livestream-parents will be informed ASAP.

We are delighted to inform you that we are planning to hold an assembly for every class in the Spring and Summer term. Please see the assembly dates below:

If you have a child that was born between 1st September 2017 and 31st August 2018 you need to now make an application for a reception school place for September 2022.

The deadline for the application process is 15th January 2022 and you are encouraged to do this online.

If you require any assistance with your application then please speak to the school office in the first instance.

Please see the poster below about this wonderful incentive that is being run by people within our school community.

The Emmaus Directors have agreed that for the Autumn Term that children can wear P.E. Kit on their P.E. days. 

Please ensure that your child comes to school in their correct P.E. kit. The P.E. uniform is as follows:

• Black shorts, black leggings, black track suit bottoms (unbranded if possible)
• Maroon round neck T-shirt with embroidered badge
• P.E pumps or black trainer

PLEASE NOTE: P.E. HOODIES CAN ONLY BE WORN ON P.E. DAYS.

Father Lamb extends a warm welcome to all families to continue to attend Mass over the summer. Please click on the link below which will take you to the Parish website where you can view newsletters and get information on Mass times.

Please follow the link below to access this week's Wednesday Word.

Kind Regards,

Mrs Brocklesby