Justice with Christ

At the celebration of Pentecost, we hear Jesus describe to his disciples, "Receive the Holy Spirit - those whose sin you forgive, they are forgiven." We have have been thinking this week about the Catholic virtue of justice (respecting the rights of the others and the consequences of those rights). We have thought about how our school rules, "To be ready, respectful and safe" play an important part in ensuring everyone receives their just right to a happy and safe education in school. We have also reflected on how we can use our relationships to help us when things go wrong, engaging meaningfully in restorative conversations and logical consequences to help demonstrate that justice means putting things right when they sometimes go wrong.

A - Pentecost

Swimming Lessons

The excitement has continued in Nursery this week as the children returned after the weekend amazed at how much the ducklings had already grown! The classes have loved observing the changes in their fluffy little visitors and noticing how much more active and confident they have become each day.

One of the highlights has been watching the ducklings enjoy their very first swim in the classroom. The children were fascinated to see how easily the ducklings moved through the water and this led to lots of wonderful discussions about how ducks are specially adapted for swimming. We compared the ducklings’ webbed feet to our own feet and talked about how their webbing helps them paddle and move smoothly in the water.

There have also been plenty of gentle cuddles and close-up opportunities for the children to interact with the ducklings, helping to build confidence, care and understanding of living things. This hands-on experience has created so many meaningful learning moments across the Nursery, encouraging curiosity, conversation and excitement every day. The ducklings have certainly become very special little members of our classes!

Grow Your Own

In Science, Year 3 have been investigating the conditions required to grow healthy cress. Some groups left out one condition (soil, water or light) and two groups gave their cress seeds all the conditions. To remove the light, children suggested covering the pot with foil or putting it in the cupboard. After making their predictions about which pot would grow the most healthy, strong cress, we placed most pots on the windowsill and observed them for a week. The results were fascinating. Children recorded their observations in a table and came to a conclusion. It was lovely to see the children present their write-ups so clearly.

Facing the Challenge

Year 1 have been exploring portraits in Art this week. We looked at the main features of a face, their positioning and the different proportions before drawing a portrait of our partner using pencils. Later in the week, we then explored different media (felt tips, paint and charcoal) and how this has an impact on the final piece. Well done, Year 1! We have some budding artists amongst us!

KS2 Swimming Gala

We are incredibly proud of all of the children who took part in the recent swimming gala. The relay and squadron teams performed brilliantly, showcasing both skill and teamwork throughout the event. We certainly have some excellent swimmers in our school, and it was wonderful to see so much talent on display.

A special mention must go to our Year 3 swimmers, who truly shone and demonstrated fantastic confidence and determination as they swam as part of our Year 4 team.

The children are a real credit to our school; showing resilience, positivity and great sportsmanship from start to finish. We are delighted that their efforts were recognised with the Spirit Award, which reflects their attitude and encouragement of one another so well.

We also celebrate the success of our Year 5 girls, who achieved an impressive third place, and as a team, we finished fourth overall out of six schools; a fantastic achievement.

We could not be prouder of our pupils’ effort, behaviour and team spirit. Well done to everyone involved!

Quizzing with Computers!

In Year 5 this week, we’ve been learning about how to programme a quiz, including setting conditions and outcomes. We’ve been using “if, then, else” statements and combining all our testing and learning to create quizzes about our other curriculum subjects. We’ve had questions about gravity, vikings, discipleship and characters in our class novel! There has been such engagement in this project, with collaboration and resilience really shining through in our classroom!

Rosary Group - Month of Mary

We are very proud of Emmanuel in Year 6 who has been leading our Rosary Club with such reverence and confidence. During the month of May, dedicated to Mary, this has been a particularly special time for us to come together in prayer.

Through praying the Rosary, our pupils are deepening their faith, reflecting on the life of Jesus, and honouring Mary as our Mother. It offers a peaceful moment in the day for reflection, helping pupils to grow spiritually and strengthen our sense of community.

Vehicle Design

This week in DT, Year 2 have been making moving vehicles! We designed an emergency vehicle, with specific criteria that it had to meet, such as an axle that moves freely and the ability to carry two small toy people and a cup of water! The children had great fun sawing dowel, sticking together boxes and painting and decorating their vehicles. The final stage involved testing, to see if the brief had been fulfilled or whether further adjustments were needed.

Science of Refraction

This week, Year 6 became scientists as they explored the fascinating phenomenon of refraction in their Science lesson. The children began by learning what refraction is and discussing how light changes direction when it travels through different materials such as air and water. They used careful observation skills and linked their ideas to previous learning about how light travels.

To start the investigation, the children placed a straw into a beaker of water and were amazed to notice that the straw appeared bent or broken. This sparked lots of thoughtful discussion as they considered why this might be happening.. The children then carried out a second experiment using a coin and a beaker. They placed the coin at the bottom of the beaker before moving back so that the coin was no longer visible. Working carefully with a partner, they slowly poured water into the beaker and watched closely as the coin appeared to “reappear”. The children were fascinated by the effect and used scientific vocabulary to explain how refraction caused the light to bend, allowing them to see the coin again.

Throughout the lesson, the children showed excellent teamwork, curiosity and detailed observation skills. They were able to make thoughtful conclusions and confidently link their findings to their previous learning about light. It was wonderful to see Year 6 so engaged and enthusiastic as they explored Science through hands-on investigation!

The Spirit of St Kolbe's

Congratulations to St Kolbe's Class for leading a fabulous whole school worship this moning, sharing with us again the events of Pentecost. The children explained how the Holy Spirit gave the early Church the confidence to speak out about the Good News of Jesus Christ and to change the face of the earth by providing a new vision of justice. They sang and danced, explaining how justice means that we stand by the sides of people whose rights needs to be protected and promoted. It was a very inspiring time of prayer!

Just Witnesses

Well done to our Witness Award winner this week - these children have all gone above and beyond the high expectations already placed on them to demonstrate the virtue of justice in their daily lives. They have been responding with confidence and conviction when they see situation that are not good or right, upholding the dignity of all in our community and building God's Kingdom through their words and actions. Thank you and God bless you children!

Food for Thought

Some of the Reception children visited the allotment this week. The sun shone down as they set to work de-weeding and watering! We are looking forward to every Reception child having this wonderful opportunity in the next half term. We have been growing plants in our classrooms, but there's something truly special about putting hard work in and seeing the result.