St Paul's Newsletter
2024-2025
Embedded Files
Holy week assemblies
Holy week assemblies
Tuesday - Palm Sunday - St Thomas Class
St Thomas started our Holy Week exploration with the dynamic story of Palm Sunday, tracing Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem.
The children helped us to discover how the jubilant crowds welcomed Jesus as their King, waving palm branches and proclaiming "Hosanna!" while laying down their cloaks.
The class contributed to the school's reflection on the fleeting joy of Palm Sunday, acknowledging how Jesus's path was ultimately one of sacrifice.
Wednesday - The Last Supper - St Francis Class
St Francis class gave the school an opportunity to reflect upon the importance and solemnity of the Last Supper, where Jesus shared with his disciples his future betrayal and how they could remember Him through the sharing of his body and blood - known as the sacrament of Holy Communion.
The children also shared with the school that Jesus shared a new commandment - to love one another.
St Francis Class ask that we all try to share this message to make our school, homes and community a place of peace and kindness.
Thursday - Arrest of Jesus - St Pio Class
St Pio class retold the story of the arrest of Jesus. It depicted how Judas betrayed Jesus and how witnesses spoke against him. All children in the class had a role to play - whether as an actor or as a narrator. They did a fabulous job of retelling such a sombre event.
Friday - Veneration of the Cross - Year 5
We came together today as a school for our final day of Holy week.
Year 5 lead the veneration in memorial of Jesus's last day as he was crucified on the Cross.
This was a very respectful time for us to end our Holy Week and time for us all to understand the true meaning of Easter.
May I take this opportunity to wish all our families a very Holy, peaceful and happy Easter x
Stations of the Cross
During this week, the children had a time of reflection in our woodland area, contemplating at the the stations of the Cross.
The Stations of the Cross are a 14-stepdevotion that commemorates Jesus Christ's last day on Earth as a man.
The 14 devotions, or stations, focus on specific events of His last day.
Holy Week Writing
Holy Week Writing
Aiden from St Edith's Holy week writing based on Judas' confession to God
I have sold the Son of God. For thirty pieces of silver. I sold Him. I am trapped in a chasm of my guilt. No light can reach me. I am the catalyst. The betrayer. The serpent. O, Lord listen to a cry of a cursed man, if I am worthy. Am I worthy?
The day the devil entered me, greed saturated me, piercing my thoughts and soul. My heart was soured when I told them. Told them the place where my Lord was. No, He is not my Lord, I betrayed Him. I am not worthy. Thirty silver coins. Was He worth that? Was that what He deserved?
The Lord already knew. His prediction made me shudder to the core, yet I did not stop, not even hesitate. I am a treacherous fool. The clink of silver drowned out the words of love, hope and mercy. O, God I am drowning; I thought I was in control, that I held the strings of fate, but now I see- I was the puppet, dancing to the tune of greed, pride and fear. And when the music stopped, I was left alone in silence, with nothing, but the tune of my treachery.
I am the conductor leading an orchestra. Singing to the tune of Satan. A hideous chorus of despair. My guilt clings to me like an unwashable stain. I gave Him a kiss, not of love, but of betrayal. I stupidly felt invincible. For once, I was leading. He looked at me, not of wrath, not of despair but of sorrow. His gaze burned into mine. A flame that reveals not consumes. My ghastly actions will never be forgiven.
I revolt myself. I did not consider the consequences. I thought He would escape their grasp, but He let them take Him. He called me friend… I am no friend. I am a traitor, a deserter and a defector. I betrayed Him, yet all He shows is kindness. My pain is eternal.
Oh God, if you can still hear me, lead me to the rope to end my pain. I run away from your loving voice. May the Earth consume the name of Jesus - the betrayer.
St Paul's Pantry
This week the Year 6 children have loved running the St Paul's Pantry at the end of the day as part of their Lenten challenge.
Thank you to the parents who donated items and those who have supported the children at the end of the day.
"It feels so good to do something nice for others" - Jessica
"We managed to actually give a family a whole meal including pudding! We are all struggling at the moment so helping others in need is so important" Kenya
That's Cracking!
That's Cracking!
The wonderful staff at the Portsmouth Marriott Hotel, came to our school this week to donate an Easter Egg for every child in our school and nursery.
We are so very grateful for the wonderful gift and blown away by their generosity.
Thank you and we wish you all a peaceful and happy Easter.
Easter Raffle
Thank you to everyone that bought tickets for our Easter Raffle. We raised an outstanding £850.21, with funds going towards our breakfast club, giant out door games and other educational resources.
Thank you to Mrs Webb for all your hard work in collecting prizes and selling tickets, we would not have raised so much without you.
🤩
😀Could you be a winner? 😁
As many of you know, over the past two years our school has become a flagship school as part of the multi-award winning "Portsmouth: The Digital City" Project due to and that our Digital Lead, Mrs Nicci Sawdy. has recently been seconded to the project as Assistant Head of Digital, as well as being the first winner for "Technology Apprentice of the Year" in 2023 and the only Certified Google Innovator in Portsmouth.
Today we received the information that St Paul's has been shortlisted as "Primary School of the Year" at the upcoming Edufuturists Awards in June 2025 in recognition for our commitment to "excelling in creating a nurturing and innovative environment, where young learners are inspired to explore and grow in the digital age."
I am sure you will agree that this is a fantastic achievement for our school and we would like to invite you to support us by voting for us using the red button below.
You'll also notice that The City Of Portsmouth College have been shortlisted for their support with our Adult Education Offer within the "Portsmouth: The Digital City" Project, as has Sophie Kelleher at New Horizons as Skills Development Champion.
We would like to thank you again for your ongoing support and look forward to continuing to develop on our digital journey.
This week, the children have been taking part in lots of Easter crafts, made Easter cakes and also went on an Easter egg hunt.
On Friday the children took part in an Easter Bonnet parade with the children in Reception.
Congratulations to our Easter bonnet winners William, Reggie and Joshua.
A big thank you to all our families who took the time to create all the wonderful Easter bonnet.
Happy Easter everyone.
WooHoo
We are proud to announce that we are a myHappymind Bronze Accredited school!
This means that as a school we consider the mental health and wellbeing of our children as one of our top priorities. We have created a whole school culture that helps build our children's resilience, confidence and self esteem as well as teaching them how to self regulate in those stressful times.
This Accreditation badge has been awarded thanks to all the effort our staff, children, governors and parents have put in to bring the lessons of myHappymind to life all around our school!
To Learn more about the myHappymind for Schools programme visit their website here - https://myhappymind.org/
This week 221 children had 100% attendance, which is 79% of the school - well done everyone.
The class with this weeks winning attendance is St Edith with 97%
Well done you are able to wear non uniform on Friday 25 April .
Please note children cannot wear PJ's / crocs or unsuitable footwear.
Reflective Thought
"Let us allow God's constant help to make us new people."
Pope Francis
🐰 Easter Fun Day 🐣
A free family fun day!
At The Victory Primary School, Portsmouth
Please see link below
A Time of Reflection
As part of St Paul's Lenten journey, on Tuesday morning Mrs Killick, Mrs Were and Mrs Secci invited every class to have a tour of reflection through the Theological Virtues of the Catholic Church in our unique Stations of Faith, Hope and Charity.
Station of Faith
Faith is built on the word of God.
The children reflected on the parable of the sower. God is the sower we are the soil and the seed is the word of God. The children, after their time of reflection, planted some seeds trusting in God that he will help them to grow.
Station of Hope
Hope in the Lord is the message.
Pilgrims of Hope is the theme of this Jubilee year 2025 and the children reflected on how God listens to the people of Israel's prayers and provided Manna in the desert for them. The children reflected on what was good to ask of God and made their request.
Station of Charity
'Charity and Love is a virtue considered at the base of everything' said St Paul.
On this station the children listened to the Gospel about the feeding of the five thousand where Jesus, on the generosity of a boy who shared his meal, performed a great miracle. Then the children reflected with the words of St Mother Teresa of Calcutta " Small actions with great love change the life of someone" on what they have received and wanted to share with others writing on a fish shape that represents Jesus.
Infant Voices Showcase
On Wednesday our wonderful Year 2 children took part in the spectacular annual event, Infant Voices.
They sung their hearts out as part of a choir of 500 children from across the city. The show’s theme was ‘My Dream Job’ and they all looked wonderful in their dream job costumes singing lots of different songs about what they could be when they grow up!
Thank you to all the members of staff that supported with the rehearsal in the afternoon and the evening performance.
Also, thank you to parents for getting your children to and from the venue so that they could take part in such a special event! We hope you enjoyed the performance!
This week, the toddler children made Joe the scarecrow for the early years planter in the woodland area. The children worked together to stuff their scarecrow with newspapers. They all did an really great job.
They have also been practicing their performance for the Easter Bonnet Parade.
Our Easter Bonnet Parade and workshop is Friday 4 April 9:30am-11.00am.
We look forward to see you all.
Early Years
This week Reception Class have been retelling and writing about the story of The Gingerbread Man. We shared our story and delicious baking with our adults on Thursday to inspire our sentence writing.
Year 6
Year 6
We were honoured to welcome Martin from the charity Charlie’s Promise this week, to speak with our Year 6 children about the dangers of knife crime and the vital work the charity does to protect young lives. Martin shared his own personal experience along with powerful insights on the impact of knife crime, the importance of making positive choices, and supporting one another.
A huge thank you to Martin —your message has made a lasting impact!
Great Attendance
Great Attendance
On Monday the remaining children with 100% attendance (September to date) were invited for a reward to The Marriott Hotel for a cooked breakfast. The children met the Hotel Chef, Event Supervisor, Hospitality and many other members of the staff. They also received a gift during their visit. They had a wonderful time.
A big thank you to the hotel for their time and kindness with our children.
St Paul's is currently partnered with the Marriott.
"Best breakfast I have ever had!" Alice said as she hugged the Hotel Chef
Mrs Killick has also received the following email from Andrew Maunder at the Marriott Hotel
'Good Morning
I am glad the kids had a fantastic time!!
Both visits the students have been kind, polite and amazing! It is a joy to have the students at our hotel!'
Kind Regards,
Andrew Maunder
RRT Family Food boxes
RRT Family Food boxes
The Rapid Relief Team (RRT) has partnered with St Paul's Catholics Primary School and have very generously donated 20 food boxes this week for our families. Their mission is to serve people with care and compassion in their time of need and they help us to support our community and families.
A huge THANK YOU to Richard and the Team.
This week 232 children had 100% attendance, which is 83% of the school - well done everyone.
The class with this weeks winning attendance is St Anne with 100%
Well done you are able to wear non uniform on Friday 04 April .
Please note children cannot wear PJ's / crocs or unsuitable footwear.
St Paul's Award
St Paul's Award
This weeks award for being prayerful during Lent and praying for our local community goes to
St Peter Jaiden
St Anne Antonia
St John Eligh
St James Lily
St Bernadette Eniola
St Thomas Rhema
St Pio Frazer
St Francis Peach
St Scholastica Reggie
St Benedict Whole Class
St Teresa Ashish
St Edith Gabby
Prayer is one of the pillars of Lent
Well done to you all.
Let's Stop the Little Critters!
Let's Stop the Little Critters!
Please check the hair of everyone in the family at least once a week, as this ensures early detection.
Contact your local pharmacy for information on free treatments available to children.
Reflective Thought
Reflective Thought
“Pray and forgive. It is by forgiving that one is forgiven.”
St Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)
Thanks to the "Portsmouth Digital City Project" for this Parent/Carer guide to AI and Social Media
Lent Penitential Service
On Wednesday, KS2 had a Lent Penitential service in school with Fr Andrew and Fr Vincent. KS1 and Early Years had theirs with Mrs Were.
KS1 thought about their wrong doings during Lent and spent some time saying sorry to God. They said a special prayer together called the Act of Contrition.
KS2 children had the opportunity to go to confession with Father Andrew as part of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Thank you to both Fr Andrew and Fr Vincent.
Thank you also to Year 1 and the Prayers Leaders for reading.
Lent Community Project
Lent Community Project
This week, our Year 1 children have taken part in their Lent almsgiving project.
The aim was to give back to our local community by cleaning our church.
The children loved going in small groups with their cleaning cloths to give our church a lovely Spring spruce!
Toras, "Now everyone can pray in a clean church."
Christabel, "Cleaning the church is fun because God will love that!"
Lent Community Compassion Blooms at St. Paul's!
Lent Community Compassion Blooms at St. Paul's!
This week, St Thomas and St Francis classes have been busy cultivating compassion and beauty as part of our Lent Community Compassion project, "St Paul's Gardening."
Our young gardeners have been hard at work transforming our outdoor spaces!
First, children joined forces to diligently weed the areas surrounding the school, preparing the ground for new life. Then, with enthusiasm and care, they planted their specially made flower seed bombs.
It was a wonderful experience to see our students working together, demonstrating teamwork and a shared commitment to enhancing our school environment. We eagerly anticipate the vibrant display of beautiful flowers that will soon grace St Paul's, a testament to their hard work and a gift for our entire school community to enjoy!
lent homework
lent homework
This week we have been sent some pictures and messages from parents letting us know what their children have been doing for their Lent homework.
"Joseph has been following the lent pathway he brought home from school at the start of lent. He's been doing amazing surprising me by going without watching TV all day one day last week!
This weekend his task was to collect a piece of litter on his way home. Joseph went outside our home and went up and down a space of about 20 houses and collected lots of rubbish. He saw some of his friends when collecting rubbish and when they asked why, he told them "because God doesn't want rubbish ruining his creation". We are really proud of Joseph for his dedication to completing all of the challenges he's been set for lent. "
"Lent tasks for Rosco-James . We went for a walk up the hill and Rosco found a huge stick and began riding it like a broomstick in Harry Potter, he also wrote me a thank-you note for all the help I have given him. He also set up an alarm to get up earlier which he did manage! "
What Sweet Music!
On Monday, 26 year 5 pupils travelled to the Portsmouth Guildhall for a music concert. The musicians were a wind quintet made up of a flute, oboe, French horn, bassoon and clarinet. They played a variety of pieces of music spanning the last 300 years. The children learnt about dynamics, pitch, mood and speed, as well as more about each instrument and a number of composers.
Thank-you to Mrs Sharpe for organising this amazing opportunity for our children and the staff and parents who accompanied us.
Year 2 have a LE-Go at Robots!
Year 2 have a LE-Go at Robots!
On Thursday, we had a visitor come in to teach us how to create robots using LEGO spike.
We logged onto our computers and went on the LEGO spike website, which then allowed us to choose a theme and build our creation.
We all had different roles; finding the correct pieces of Lego, saying the instructions and building it. Then, we connected the computer to it and programmed movements for our 'buses'.
We had lots of fun working together and having a go!
This week, the children went on a pirate adventure. They used the resources in the garden to make a pirate ship. They had so much fun singing songs and looking for treasure. The children have also been using foam shapes, Dolice was very proud of a chick she made.
This week 239 children had 100% attendance, which is 85% of the school - well done everyone.
The classes with this weeks winning attendance is St Edith with 97.9%
Well done you are able to wear non uniform on Friday 28 March .
Please note children cannot wear PJ's / crocs or unsuitable footwear.
Local Offer Live
Local Offer Live
Cosham Community Centre
Cosham Community Centre
To reserve your space, please register for a ticket using the link below
https://portsmouthlocaloffer.org/events/local-offer-live/?utm_medium=Email&utm_source=GovDelivery
St Paul's Award
St Paul's Award
This weeks award for being prayerful during Lent and praying for our school community of St Paul's goes to
St Peter Sienna
St Anne Leo
St John Luna
St James Lily
St Bernadette Amelia
St Thomas Tofunmi
St Pio Benas
St Francis Elsie
St Scholastica William
St Benedict Roko
St Teresa Lola
St Edith Oscar
Prayer is one of the pillars of Lent
Well done to you all.
Inset Days
School will be closed to children on the following days:
Tuesday 22 April 2025
Friday 04 July 2025
2025-2026
Wednesday 03 September 2025
Friday 05 December 2025
Friday 13 February 2026
Monday 13 April 2026
Monday 29 June 2026
Reflective Thought
Reflective Thought
"To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often."
St John Henry Newman
FWAS St Paul's
Farlington Wrap Around (our After School care provider) recently had an Ofsted visit
Please read their report here: https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/16/2710954?utm_source&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=report
Some of the highlights are
Children receive a warm welcome as they arrive from their classrooms
Staff promote positive behaviour
Children enjoy a wide range of activities
Staff work closely with other professionals that are involved in children's care
Parents speak highly of the after-school club. They explain how strong the communication is from staff
British Science Week
This week in school we celebrated British Science week with a day full of science activities across the school. The children mixed together to take part in 12 amazing activities including Crime scene, Oobleck, Lava lamps, Dissolving skittles and Lego spike. All of the children have completed a passport which contains QR codes so families can find out more about the activities their child took part in. If you scan the code you can try some of these fun activities for yourselves.
KS1's Science Bonanza with Mini Professors!
Wednesday was a whirlwind of discovery for KS1, as they joined Professor Georgia’s captivating Mini Professor workshop. The focus? The fascinating world of bird adaptations, specifically, why birds have such different beaks. Through interactive activities, they explored how beak shape directly relates to a bird's diet and lifestyle. They learned about the delicate beaks of seed-eaters and the powerful, hooked beaks of birds of prey, understanding the perfect design for each purpose.
The excitement peaked with a thrilling "popping" experiment. Combining vinegar and bicarbonate of soda, Professor Georgia created a fizzing, bubbling reaction that captivated the children, providing a memorable introduction to chemical reactions.
Year 5 UTC Visit
On Monday, 6 children from Year 5 were selected to attend at UTC Portsmouth.
'We had to figure out how to make a bridge out of trapezium wooden blocks using friction then we made a Lego bridge to see how much weight it could hold. In the afternoon we made a building out of pasta and marshmallows and it had to survive an earthquaker (rocking table). We also made a plane out of styrofoam and had a competition with our planes. We had the most scientific day ever!!" Coden - St. Benedict
This week, we have been taking part in British Science Week.
Each day the children took part in different science experiments. Steph used washing up liquid, food colouring, water, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to make a volcano. Phoenix said, “that’s amazing.”
Kirsty made slime using glue bicarbonate of soda, water, contact lens solution and food colouring. Georgie made a prediction that if we mixed the red and blue food colouring together it would make purple slime.
Melissa used water washing up liquid and glycerine to make bubbles the children we so excited to pop the bubbles.
This week 247 children had 100% attendance, which is 88 % of the school - well done everyone.
The classes with this weeks winning attendance is St Anne, St. Peter and St. Benedict with 100 %
Well done you are able to wear non uniform on Friday 21 March .
Please note children cannot wear PJ's / crocs or unsuitable footwear.
Arbor Messaging
Thank you to all the parents that are now using our new Arbor messaging App.
The school office has asked, that when you reply to a message to give consent for a trip/event, please would you add the name of the trip/event in your response. This is to help the school office identify which trip you are consenting your child to take part in.
Thank you.
St Paul's Award
St Paul's Award
This weeks award for being prayerful during Lent and praying for their family go to
St Peter Riley
St Anne Dollyanna
St John Reeva
St James Abel
St Bernadette Arija
St Thomas Rose
St Pio Evie
St Francis Nayana
St Scholastica Leo
St Benedict Florence
St Teresa Vernique
St Edith Tristan
Prayer is one of the pillars of Lent
Well done to you all.
Inset Days
School will be closed to children on the following days:
Tuesday 22 April 2025
Friday 04 July 2025
2025-2026
Wednesday 03 September 2025
Friday 05 December 2025
Friday 13 February 2026
Monday 13 April 2026
Monday 29 June 2026
Reflective Thought
Reflective Thought
"If God can work through me, he can work through anyone."
St Francis of Assisi
"Lent is a 'powerful' season, a turning point that can foster change in each of us. Let us deny ourselves something every day to help others."
Pope Francis
On Wednesday the school community came together to mark the start of Lent by celebrating Mass in the church.
All children received ashes marked on their forehead with the words ' Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.'
After Mass, members of the parish congregation spoke to Mrs Killick to comment on how wonderful the children were; their reverence, their immaculate behaviour and their beautiful singing.
'I am so immensely proud of our school community.' ♥️
Lent
Our Lenten journey started with the celebration of the Ash Wednesday Mass in St Paul's Church and this is the beginning of many actions that we can do to get ready for the grace of Christ Risen at Easter.
To work together with our children and families, we have sent home a Lent Calendar with different actions you can make in this journey of growing your faith.
A great opportunity to have good family time.
In school the children will be taking part in community based activities with a different activity each week
Week 1 – Collecting tins/ long life food for our very own St Paul’s Pantry
Week 2- Gardening around the school and in the community
Week 3- Clean the church
Week4- Litter picking school site and local area
Week 5- St Paul’s Pantry- each day ran and organised by Y6
News from St Paul’s Prayer Leaders!
Our prayer leaders are:
Poppy,Hetty,Indy,Jana,Blaize,Phoenix,Ola,Mercedes,Arija,Harper,Lucus,Favour,Sharon,Ara,Olivia,
Teddy,Vernique,Isabelle,Darcie,William,Isabella,Natalia,Vinnie,Ruta,Lola,Kaitlin,Clara,Joseph J.
What have we been up to this week ?
Lent
Lent started on Wednesday 05 March and we went to Mass at the church for our Ash Wednesday Mass. We were all marked with ashes on our foreheads as Father Andrew said the words:
“Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
This is a reminder that we are not afraid of death and that we will be reborn during Lent.
During Lent people are supposed to pray, fast and give.
This Lent everyone has been given homework to do.
On Monday we had a CAFOD assembly about the Big Lent walk and how we can help not just Portsmouth but other countries like Kenya. In Kenya CAFOD gave the villagers chicken to ensure they had food to eat.
Search https://cafod.org.uk/education/primary-teaching-resources/lent-resources-for-children
if you would like to find out more.
This week, some of the children have been planting seeds. They learnt that for seeds to grow they need water and sunshine. We will keep you informed how our seeds are getting on.
Thursday was world book day and the children dressed up as characters from their favourite stories. Everyone looked amazing. We would also like to thank you for your kind donations to St Paul’s Food Pantry.
World Book Day
What a wonderful World Book Day we had! There were so many exciting activities for every year group. From live lessons with the BBC to book hunts, we were busy all day exploring our love of reading. One of the many highlights of the day was the Year 6 vocabulary catwalk. We all agreed that they looked amazing, as did all of our children.
As a celebration of the day, every child was given a book of their very own to keep to further encourage and support their reading at home.
Throughout the day, we saw lots of varied and interesting costumes - thank you to everyone who contributed! And finally, thank you all so much for your reading competition entries.
I am pleased to announce that the winner was Sion - well done!
We would also like to thank Rubies for a donation of costumes, which helped to ensure that every child who wanted to participate in our dressing up was included.
Have Your Book - and EAT it!
A huge thank you to Tom Jones, our Head of Kitchen, who also got truly involved in World Book Day by baking our very own School Book Cake for lunch
Say Cheese
On Monday 10 March our school photographer will be in to take class pictures of our Reception and Year 6 children.
Don't forget to bring your best smile that day
This week 242 children had 100% attendance, which is 86% of the school - well done everyone.
The class with this weeks winning attendance is St Benedict with 100%
Well done you are able to wear non uniform on Friday 14 March .
Please note children cannot wear PJ's / crocs or unsuitable footwear.
St Paul's Award
St Paul's Award
This weeks award for being prayerful during Lent and praying for themselves go to
St Peter Rose
St Anne Renee
St John Leo
St James Loki
St Bernadette Kingsley
St Thomas Skyla
St Pio George
St Francis Tilliana
St Scholastica Mercedes
St Benedict Favour
St Teresa Deborah
St Edith Julia
Prayer is one of the pillars of Lent
Well done to you all.
Inset Days
School will be closed to children on the following days:
Tuesday 22 April 2025
Friday 04 July 2025
2025-2026
Wednesday 03 September 2025
Friday 05 December 2025
Friday 13 February 2026
Monday 13 April 2026
Monday 29 June 2026
Reflective Thought
Reflective Thought
"Lent is a time for drawing near to Christ by listening to the word of God and celebrating the sacraments."
Pope Francis
As we come together
As we come together
On Monday, our INSET day started as a school community in the presence of the Lord. It gave staff the opportunity to think deeply and reflect on the meaning of our school mission
'Do everything with Love.'
We listened to the words of St Paul and looked at how we have lived out the school mission in our lives and the times when it has been hard to do. This allowed us to really reflect on, as a school, how we need to ensure that we are role models for living out the words of St Paul's in all that we say and do.
RE Survey
Thank you all so much for completing our recent RE survey. We had 40 parents respond and we are very pleased with the results.
All respondents to the survey feel that their child(ren) are happy and safe at St Paul's and that St Paul's is a joyful and supportive community.
Parents feel that the children of St Paul's behave respectfully and staff are positive role models.
Parents understand our mission statement and are supportive of this.
' I am very pleased with the Catholic life of St Paul's and absolutely a big thumbs up for Father Andrew and the way he has welcomed me as a parent to practise the word of the Bible'.
All staff at St Paul's also took part in our recent RE survey and feel that Christ is at the heart of our school and that Catholic life and mission is evident throughout the school.
Pupils also took part in the survey and this is what they said:
'It helps us to deepen our relationship with God'
'It is part of what we do and would be weird without it'
'Praying makes me feel calm'
'When I pray it helps me send a message to Jesus and that makes me feel that I am filled with kindness'
Catholic Social Teaching Ambassadors
On Thursday The Catholic Social Teaching (CST) Ambassadors for St. Paul's had the opportunity to spend time with the CST ambassadors from Oaklands School, to deepen their knowledge and understanding about how important it is to have faith. They found ways of how to bring our school closer to faith through CST. St. Paul's and Oaklands Ambassadors combined ideas to embrace the meaning of CST in our daily lives. They enjoyed using their creative ideas to come up with projects that could improve our school through CST.
The feedback from the students from Oaklands was really positive.
"Today we got to work with St Paul's students and getting to know the students was very rewarding. We not only taught the younger students about CST values, but we were able to improve our own leadership and communication skills too. The children engaged really brilliantly with the activities. We are looking forward to helping them with their projects at their own school. Thank you St Paul's!"
"The children we worked with today were very engaged and humourous. They all contributed with great effort and we all got to know each other really well."
Mary's Meals
We have received a letter from Mary's Meals to thank us for our contribution.
'Thank you so much for your precious gift of £112.93, which is helping to transform lives of the hungry children around the world with a nutritious daily meal in school.
Your kindness is bring food, joy and hope to the children who east Marys Meals allowing them to make the most of their education and giving them the chance of a better future
Our meals make a huge difference to children like Mary, in Liberia, where more than half of children do not finish primary school, and poverty and gender inequality continue to hinder education.
Mary says "i have been eating Mary's Meals for more than six year now, the meals make me active and strong. I would like to be a lawyer to plead cases and make sure that everyone receives justice."
From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your incredibly generosity.'
A few reminders from Mrs Killick
A few reminders from Mrs Killick
CAR PARK
A reminder that the church car park is for staff only and should not be used by parents. On a number of occasions recently staff have been blocked in by parents who have abandoned their cars to collect children and not been able to attend meetings or courses due to this. This is not acceptable. Please park on neighbouring roads or walk to school to collect your children. Thank you
BIKES/SCOOTERS
It is wonderful to see our children being active and riding their scooters and bicycles to school. Please would you remind your children that when they arrive at school they must dismount off their scooters/bicycle as they approach the KS2 path leading to the entry gates and walk into school. Thank you.
PICKUP
Please would you ensure that if older siblings come onto school site, they behave in the manner that is appropriate for our school. I do not expect to see and hear that they have entered the school building without consent. As you are aware this is a safeguarding issue and we want to keep everyone safe.
Thank you.
Nursery
Nursery
The children were really excited to see their friends again, after the half term holiday.
The toddler children have been working hard on their fine motor skills by threading cheerio's on to spaghetti, which is really tricky, takes a lot of skill and concentration.
The preschool children have started their transition visits to big school this week. The Reception children were so welcoming and enjoyed showing us around the classroom and garden.
News from St Paul’s Prayer Leaders!
Our prayer leaders are:
Poppy,Hetty,Indy,Jana,Blaize,Phoenix,Ola,Mercedes,Arija,Harper,Lucus,Favour,Sharon,Ara,Olivia,
Teddy,Vernique,Isabelle,Darcie,William,Isabella,Natalia,Vinnie,Ruta,Lola,Kaitlin,Clara,Joseph J.
What have we been up to?
We have been writing prayers of Hope on Butterflies and displaying these on our Jubilee year Pilgrims of Hope door. We have been planning and leading liturgies in classes all over the school and we share the scripture and the word about God.
What have the teachers said about us ?
They have said that the liturgies have gone well.
We have appropriate videos to talk about the scripture.
Clear questions and answers
The liturgies have improved over the last two months.
The children have engaged more into the scripture.
This week 255 children had 100% attendance, which is 90% of the school - well done everyone.
The class with this weeks winning attendance is St Benedict AND St Teresa with 100%
Well done you are able to wear non uniform on Friday 07 March .
Please note children cannot wear PJ's / crocs or unsuitable footwear.
St Paul's Award
St Paul's Award
This weeks awards go to
St Peter Jasmine
St Anne Maddison
St James Alice
St John Kara
St Bernadette Lana
St Thomas Celina
St Pio Erin
St Francis Primrose
St Scholastica Zemirah
St Benedict Lucas
St Teresa Swara
St Edith Rosie
who have been able to identify "That's not fair" and ensured equality and fairness for all.
Well done to you all.
Inset Days
School will be closed to children on the following days:
Tuesday 22 April 2025
Friday 04 July 2025
2025-2026
Wednesday 03 September 2025
Friday 05 December 2025
Friday 13 February 2026
Monday 13 April 2026
Monday 29 June 2026
Reflective Thought
Reflective Thought
"Actions speak louder than words; let your words teach and your actions speak."
St Anthony of Padua
Dust off your apron!
Love Productions; the production company behind The Great British Bake Off, The Great British Sewing Bee and The Great Pottery Throw Down have opened applications for the 11 series of Junior Bake Off; a Channel 4 programme that celebrates the culinary talent and ambition of the younger generation in Britain.
Any interested bakers can apply online at - www.applyforjuniorbakeoff.co.uk . They are looking for young budding bakers between 9-15 years old.
Filming would take place from July 2025, but applications close on Sunday 23 March 2025.
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