A - 24th Ordinary

Christ Forgives

In Celebration of the Word this week, we have been looking ahead to the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) and the parable of the unforgiving servant. We learn that God is generous with his mercy and forgiveness and we are called to be similarly minded. Our Xavier Behaviour Policy has at its heart a culture of relational and restorative practice - a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness across our school family is what we seek to live out every day.

It has been a joy to hear children this week talk about the patience, understanding and forgiveness that is essential in learning to work and play together as a school family. Things will go wrong from time-to-time but we will try to learn from mistakes, put things right and move forward through forgiveness and reconciliation.

Starting with our School Mission

As we begin a brand-new school year, Year 6 have taken some time to reflect on something very important: our school motto and the values at the heart of our school community.

Our motto comes from the words of Jesus in John’s Gospel: “I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.” - John 14:6

The children explored what these words mean and, more importantly, how we can put them into action in our everyday lives.

The Way – Capturing Hearts

We discussed the importance of building happy, healthy relationships with one another and with God. Year 6 reflected on how we can show kindness, compassion, forgiveness and respect, helping to make our school a welcoming and supportive place for everyone.

The Truth – Inspiring Minds

We thought about how learning helps us to grow in confidence and independence. The children considered the importance of being curious, asking questions, challenging themselves and making the most of the many opportunities our broad curriculum provides.

The Life – Awakening Souls

Finally, we explored how every person has their own unique gifts and talents from God. Year 6 reflected on the things they are good at and how they can use their talents to make a positive difference to others.

It was wonderful to see the children thinking deeply about our school mission and considering how they can be role models for the rest of our school community. As our oldest pupils, Year 6 have an important part to play in setting an example and helping others to live out The Way, The Truth and The Life every day.

Where it all begins...

The new Reception children started school this week and have settled in beautifully. It has been wonderful to support them to follow daily routines and learn more about the school and our mission. We have been learning the actions for the School Prayer and thinking about our gifts and talents.

Guess Who?

This week, the children in Year 2 developed their understanding of dynamics in Music by creating short sounds to represent different animals. They explored how changing the volume of a sound can create different effects and experimented with producing a range of dynamics using the same instrument. Working collaboratively in groups, the children combined their sounds to create short musical sections that represented their chosen animals.

This learning addresses the National Curriculum for Music in Year 2, as the children experimented with, created, selected and combined sounds to communicate an idea. They developed their ability to play instruments with increasing control and expression, while exploring how musical elements such as dynamics can be used to create different effects. Working together also supported the children in developing their ensemble performance skills, listening and responding to one another as they created and performed their musical ideas.

A great start to art!

To begin our new Art unit in Year 3 - Developing Drawing skills, children looked around the class noticing objects in shapes. We then talked about shading techniques and how to create a light and dark effect. After looking at some nature images, the children applied their learning to create their own sketches. A brilliant start to Year 3 art!

The Gift of Creation

It has been such a delight to welcome the children into Year 1! This week in RE, we have been learning about the Creation Story. The children were wonderful at remembering what happened on each day and could explain why God gave us such a beautiful gift.

We linked our learning to Catholic Social Teaching, thinking about how we are called to care for God’s creation, look after our world and be responsible for the wonderful gifts God has given us. We are so proud of the children’s thoughtful ideas and understanding!

Busy at Book Club!

The term is off to a flying start in Year 5 as we dive headfirst into our first text of the year - Tom's Midnight Garden. We spent the first few days focusing on recapping the important reading skills we'll be using throughout the year and this week we are tackling our reading routine in earnest. Tuesday is Book Club day when we have the wonderful opportunity to come together in groups across the class, asking each other questions and comparing predictions and summaries. It leads to some fabulous discussions and enthusiastic participation!

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