DATE: Friday 13th March 2020

Good Afternoon,

A MESSAGE FROM ST NICHOLAS OWEN ACADEMY:

The Directors of the St Nicholas Owen Academy have decided that non-essential events, sporting fixtures, trips and parent's evenings are to be cancelled or postponed for the immediate future. School Masses and assemblies will continue as normal. 

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK:

Desr Lord Jesus, please help our family grow in your love and to share your love with others through the way we live our lives.

Amen.

CORONAVIRUS

I would just like to take this opportunity to reassure you that the St Nicholas Owen MAC is monitoring the situation closely and we receive a daily update from the DfE on any steps we need to take. We are following guidance from the UK government, Public Health England and the local authority.

We are conscious that giving clear, accurate and timely communication is key to keeping all staff, pupils/students, parents and the general public informed about the current development of the Coronavirus outbreak.

How to prevent spread of infection & what to do?

The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus. There are general principles everyone can follow to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including: washing hands often - with soap and water, or using alcohol sanitiser if handwashing facilities are not available. This is particularly important after using public transport.

St Nicholas Owen MAC will seek to follow medical advice in relation to any outbreak of infectious disease amongst staff, pupils/students and visitors. If you are worried about your symptoms or those of a pupil/student or colleague, who exhibit flu-like symptoms including a fever, cough or difficulty breathing, advise them to self-isolate and please call NHS 111. Do not go directly to a GP or other healthcare environment - see further information on the Public Health England and the NHS UK website. 

Please make sure you are signed up and logged in to the school life app so as to receive important news and updates.

If children are not permitted in school, then we will utilise the ‘homework’ section of the platform to distribute any work to meet the needs of the curriculum.

CELEBRATION ASSEMBLY:

Congratulations to all of the children who received an award this week, they were;

Honey B, FFion B, Antonio C, Alicia E, Sandra E, Sandra G, Jack G, Gracie G, Ethan P, Franky P, Jakub R, Agata S, Molly S, Kian T-M, Lacie T-M.

If your son or daughter is selected to receive an award at a Celebration Assembly this year you will receive two invitations from school on a Thursday. The first invitation is a push notification and the second invite is a slip in your son or daughter's book bag.

CATHOLIC LIFE: YEAR OF THE WORD

This week our journey with St Matthew continues to discover the Mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven revealed to us through the parables – the stories Jesus told by Jesus. Matthew states, “He would not say a thing without using a parable” … to  “tell them things unknown since the creation of the world.” In the Parable of the Mustard Seed Matt 13: 31 – 33 we hear how the smallest of all the seeds grows into the biggest of all the plants, becoming a tree where birds come and make their nests. The Kingdom of God is compared to the growth of the plant: the seed of love is sown in our hearts and grows slowly and silently within each one of us.

Jesus promised that from something small, slowly over time, amazing things will grow. Every time we do something good, no matter how small, it is a sign that God’s love is alive in our hearts. In this Year of the Word taking time to read the stories in the Bible helps to strengthen our faith and understanding; the more we learn how we are formed in the image and likeness of God, the more we let God’s love grow within us and so we can reach out to others sharing his love. The more we experience and share God’s love, the happier we become. Pope Francis’ message for us this week is, “We pray that the Church may always be a true family that brings God’s love to everyone,” just like the birds made their home in the branches of the mustard tree.

SOMETHING FOR THE ADULTS TO THINK ABOUT:

For your own personal development try reading the Bible in a year using an app such as Bible in One Year.

FATHER HUDSON ASSEMBLY:

On Monday Lucy from the Father Hudson Society joined us for an assembly to introduce our Lenten Charity appeal: the Good Samaritan boxes. She explained to the children the wonderful work that Father Hudson’s do locally and throughout the world with a particular focus this year on the support they give to Refugees. Every child brought home a little collection box which they are asked to collect spare change in over the weeks of Lent. Their generous offerings will then be presented by our Year 5 children to the Father Hudson Charity at a special Mass in Worcester after Lent. Please encourage the children over this Lenten period to think of others by putting any spare change you have in the box, a second one is available if they fill one up! Thank you for supporting school in this act of Almsgiving.

HOCKEY:

This morning we took two hockey teams to Stourport for a big competition, with more than 20 teams!

Both teams performed excellently, showing fantastic skill and teamwork.  Whilst neither team placed in the top three of their competitions, both teams had some wins along with some losses, and Woody and James each scored a hatrick!

A massive well done to the children, and big thanks must go to the parents for helping to make these events happen.

LENTEN OBSERVANCE:

Traditionally Lent is a time, where during the 40 days leading up to Easter, we think about Jesus’ time in the desert refusing to give into temptation, so we give up something such as chocolate or crisps. Father Lamb also reminded the children that this is a time where we can also do something extra, particularly in this Year of the Word. He suggested they think of it in terms of the 3 R’s: Repent, Reflect and Retreat – saying sorry to God and each other, taking time to think about what Jesus tells us in the Bible about how God wants us to behave towards each other and  spending quiet time to get to know God better and think about how we should follow Jesus’ example.

At St Ambrose Lent is always a time where we think of others. Traditionally during Lent each class has decided on a fundraising event for a charity of their choice. This year we are making our Lenten Observances through three whole school events:

Bric-a-Brac sale

Sponsored Readathon

Foodbank Friday

KEY STAGE 1:

Date Activity
May 2020 Key Stage 1 test period
Week commencing Monday 8th June 2020 Phonics screening check week

KEY STAGE 2:

Date Activity
Monday 11th May 2020 English grammar, punctuation and spelling papers 1 and 2
Tuesday 12th May 2020 English reading
Wednesday 13th May 2020 Mathematics papers 1 and 2
Thursday 14th May 2020 Mathematics paper 3

BELLE PLATE RALLY:

On Saturday 7th March seven children had the wonderful opportunity to take part in a Belle Plate Rally held at Salwarpe Village Hall. The children joined with other groups of adult Belle Plate ringers to play a long and extremely complicated piece of music en masse, before entertaining everyone with two solo pieces. They were commended for their talent and impeccable behaviour and Mrs Stewart was extremely proud of the way they represented school. It was impossible to tell that it was the first time that some of the children had attended such event and we hope it will be the first of many; their hard work on a Friday evening at Belle Plate Practice really paid off! A huge thank you to Mrs Lloyd for sharing her expertise and for providing the opportunity for the children to showcase their talents out in the community and to the parents for supporting the children at the event. It was a wonderful occasion. Well done to Michael, Jacob, Rosie, Jess, Lacie, Catherine, Luke and also to Teresa (who came back to join us for the day).

SCHOOL COUNCIL:

Our next meeting date has been set for Friday 20th March.

READATHON LENTEN CHARITY CHALLENGE:

On World Book Day we launched our 'Readathon' challenge to help raise money for disadvantaged children in schools and hospitals across the country and each child received a sponsorship form to bring home. The money we raise will help these children enjoy brand new books and inspiring storyteller visits. We will also get brand new books for our school! Please can we ask you to support your child with this challenge. All sponsorship forms and monies need to returned to school by Monday 20th April.

ACTIVE LIVES SURVEY:

You will have received a letter already about our school taking part in the Active Lives Survey.  Completing this will allow St Ambrose to work towards a number of awards linked to Physical Education and also, in the future, Healthy Eating.  We are asking all parents of Year 1 and Year 2 children to complete the survey, it will be very much appreciated! 

Many thanks, Miss Ballard

FOOD BANK DONATIONS:

The Y6 SVP will be collecting food donations for the foodbank, from each class every Friday during Lent. Please contribute generously as always.

 Once again, a sincere thank you for all your support with helping the children to think of others less fortunate than themselves during Lent.

SCIENCE WEEK 9TH - 12TH MARCH:

Children have today been sent home with a letter asking them to design a poster in recognition of Science Week. Please click the link below to view the letter.

We will update you next week on the exciting things that children completed for Science week.

SCHOOLS VOCATION COMPETITION:

This spring the Diocese are running a competition for children in all diocesan schools, with the theme of ‘The God Who Speaks’. They are asking pupils to build a Lego scene of Vocation based on Scripture and to send pictures to office@st-ambrose.worcs.sch.uk

All entries will be shared at the weekly Gospel Assembly on a Friday. We have already recieved our first entry and remember there will be prizes for winning pupils. The closing date is Thursday 19th March (St. Joseph’s Day), with the winners announced on the Solemnity of the Annunciation (25th March). Please see below the poster and rules and entry information.

EXCITING BAKE OFF OPPORTUNITY:

Channel 4 are looking for the UK's best young bakers for their tv show. They are accepting applications until the 5th of April.

Interested bakers can apply online at - WWW.APPLYFORJUNIORBAKEOFF.CO.UK 

CURRENTLY POSTPONED - NEW DATE TO BE CONFIRMED

In a similar format to the Reverse Advent Calendar, from next week, each child will be given a day when they are encouraged to bring in an item to sell – book, toy, hairband etc. (NOT FOOD or CLOTHING) to contribute to a whole school Bric a Brac sale on Friday 3rd April with the money raised being divided between supporting pupils in school and a charity of the children’s choice. Any leftover items will also be donated towards helping a charity such as Kemp or Oxfam.

POSITIVE PARENTING PROGRAMME:

Please click on the below links for information on the positive parenting courses that are delivered by Wyr Forest and Hagley Project

TWITTER:

Please don't forget to follow us on Twitter where you can see all the wonderful tweets that the teachers share.

@ambrose_primary

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY:

PLEASE REGULARLY CHECK THE DIARY DATES FOR ANY UPDATES.

CAN WE PLEASE REMIND YOU THAT VIOLIN LESSONS ARE ON A MONDAY AND CLARINET LESSONS ARE ON A FRIDAY. PLEASE CAN YOU ENSURE THAT YOUR CHILD BRINGS THEIR INSTRUMENT INTO SCHOOL WITH THEM ON THE RELEVANT DAYS. MANY THANKS.

DATE TIME EVENT
23rd March 5.30 - 7pm Parents' Evening 1 - POSTPONED
27th March 6.15 - 7.15pm KS1 School Disco - POSTPONED
27th March 7.20 - 8.30pm KS2 School Disco - POSTPONED
30th march 3.30 - 6pm Parents' Evening 2 - POSTPONED
2nd April 2pm Easter Performance KS2 School Hall - POSTPONED
6th - 17th April Easter Break
8th May May Day Bank Holiday
25th - 29th May Half Term
1st June TED Day
13th June 12pm First Holy Communion
14th July 9.15am KS1 Sports Day
12.45pm KS2 Sports Day
15th July Back Up Sports Day
3.30-6pm Drop in Parents' Meeting

CLASS ASSEMBLIES:

Year Group Date Time
Year 2 20th March 9am
Year 3 7th May 9am
Reception 19th June 9am
Year 6 Leavers Assembly 16th July 9am

FIRST HOLY COMMUNION:

First Holy Communion Day is Saturday 13th June 2020 at 12pm

The preparation classes for your child this academic year will be held after school on a Wednesday 3.10-4pm (see below for the dates).

CHILDREN'S MEETING DATES:

DATE
Wednesday 1st April 2020
Wednesday 22nd April 2020
Wednesday 29th April 2020
Wednesday 6th May 2020
Wednesday 20th May 2020
Wednesday 10th June 2020

Father Lamb will lead the evening meetings for parents at 6.30pm in the Parish Centre. 

PARENT'S MEETING DATES:

Wednesday 18th March
Wednesday 29th April
Wednesday 13th May
Wednesday 10th June

SCHOOL MASS:

Please see below the Mass dates for the Spring and Summer terms.

Date Time Year Group
18th March 2020 9.30am Y4
25th March 2020 9.30am Rec, Y1, Y2 & Y3
3rd April 2020 (Friday) 10.30am Whole School
22nd April 2020 9.30am Whole School
29th April 2020 9.30am Y6
6th May 2020 9.30am Y5
20th May 2020 9.30am Y4
3rd June 2020 9.30am Y3
10th June 2020 9.30am Rec, Y1, Y2
17th June 2020 9.30am Y6
24th June 2020 9.30am Y5
1st July 2020 9.30am Y4
8th July 2020 9.30am Rec, Y1, Y2 & Y3
16th July 2020 (Thursday) 6pm Y6 Leaver's Mass
17th July 2020 (Friday) 10.30am Whole School Mass

THE ALTAR SERVERS' ROTA HAS BEEN DISTRIBUTED. IF YOU REQUIRE ANY FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT THE SCHOOL OFFICE.

SCHOOL PLACES:

We have places available in Years Reception, 1, 4, 5 & 6. If you know of anyone who would be interested, please refer them to the School Office in the first instance.

ATTENDANCE:

Year Group This Week This Term This Year
Whole School 92.8% 94.9% 94.9%
YR 91.5% 93.9% 94.6%
Y1 92.4% 93.3% 93.8%
Y2 96.3% 93.6% 94.9%
Y3 86.3% 96.2% 95.1%
Y4 96.4% 94.9% 94.7%
Y5 95.0% 96.6% 95.3%
Y6 91.8% 95.7% 95.4%

Well done Year 4 !!

PARISH BABY AND TODDLER GROUP:

If you or anyone you know would be interested in going along to the Parish's Baby and Toddler group, the sessions are held on Wednesdays in term time from 9-11 am (except the last Wednesday of the month). We welcome newborn up to pre-school children and their parents. Your first session will be free of charge and thereafter will be 80p. This cost includes refreshments for you and your child. We have an array of toys and activities for you and your child to enjoy and this is also a great opportunity to meet and socialise with other families. If you have any enquiries, please see the Facebook page 'St Ambrose Toddlers Kidderminster'.

MASS TIMES AND PARISH INFORMATION:

St Ambrose

Sunday 11am & 6pm

CONFESSION:

Saturday 11:45 am - 12:45 pm, and by request.

Please see the attached poster detailing the Montini Group meetings for 2019/2020.

Kind regards,

Mrs Brocklesby

Emmaus CMAC
St Ambrose Catholic Primary School Ofsted
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