Nursery

This week in Nursery the children have been strengthening their fine motor skills. The preschool children have been using scissors to cut up pictures from our book of the week You Choose your dreams to make their own pictures. The toddler children have been practicing doing up their own zip, buttons and buckles. We also we given a beautiful new scenic picture along our garden fence which has stuck up lots of conversations. Thank you to Mr Doolan and Mr. Edwards for putting this up for us.

Visitors to school  

We always love to welcome visitors from other schools to St Paul's and over the last few weeks we have had a number of new visitors who have been very complimentary on the children's politeness, positive learning behaviour and the 'calm' feeling around the school.   Everyday your children bring joy and love to St Paul's and we are so proud of the difference they make to each other's lives.

Advent Appeal

Thank you all so much for all your valuable contributions for Mary's Meals with our collections on the gate last term, for Advent. We have raised another £112.93.  

New Communication App

We are updating our communication system to the Arbor app, a more cost-effective and efficient way to stay connected with you. To use the app, you will need an email address linked to your child.   

All future communication from the school will be sent exclusively via this app only.  

A letter was sent home last week requesting confirmation of your email address.  These wee due back today but we are still missing some.  Please ensure this is returned to Class Teachers no later than Monday 20 January 2025. 

School Uniform

A reminder to all Parents and Carers that you are expected to ensure your child has the correct uniform and PE kit. This week we had a new visitor to the school and we were complemented on how the children took pride in their uniform and looking incredibly smart.

NO Trainers black or white.  NO blue tights or cardigans - grey only. Ties must be worn at ALL TIMES

Further information and our policy can be found at the links below.

School Uniform Information

School Uniform Policy

Happy New Year

A huge thank you from all the staff of St Paul's to parents/carers and children for their thoughtfulness and kind words over the festive season.   We wish you and all you family a healthy and happy 2025.

Nursery

This week the children have been reading the story The Tiger who came to tea. The children made tiger masks and talked about what food they would have in the cafe that Sophie and her parents went to in the story. It was lovely to welcome new children and their families to the Nursery this week. 

Epiphany

Chalking the Door - An Epiphany Tradition

What Is Chalking The Door? This is a way of marking our homes/classes, usually at the front or main entrance, with sacred signs and symbols as we ask God’s blessing upon those who live, work, or visit throughout the coming year. In Exodus, the Israelites marked their doors with blood so that the Lord would pass over their homes; but in this service, we mark our doors with chalk as a sign that we have invited God’s presence and blessing into our homes. In Deuteronomy 6:9 God tells the people of Israel: “These words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house… You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

Chalking the door is a way to honour God in our lives. What do the numbers and letters mean? This year we will be writing: 20 + C + M + B + 25 The first and last numbers simply refer to the current year. The letters C M B come from the traditional names for the three kings: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. They also stand for the Latin sentence “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” which means, “May Christ bless this dwelling.

School Uniform

A reminder to all Parents and Carers that you are expected to ensure your child has the correct uniform and PE kit. This week we had a new visitor to the school and we were complemented on how the children took pride in their uniform and looking incredibly smart.

NO Trainers black or white.  NO blue tights or cardigans - grey only. Ties must be worn at ALL TIMES

Further information and our policy can be found at the links below.

School Uniform Information

School Uniform Policy

New Communication App

We are updating our communication system to the Arbor app, a more cost-effective and efficient way to stay connected with you. To use the app, you will need an email address linked to your child.   

All future communication from the school will be sent exclusively via this app only.  

A letter was sent home this week requesting confirmation of your email address please ensure this is returned to Class Teachers before Friday 17 Januray 2025. The class that returns all their forms first will receive an extra break time! 

Next Week's Popcorn Question: What would be your dream job? What jobs do you do at home?

Every Monday and Friday the children meet in circle groups across the school. The aim of this circle time is to improve relationships between all children and teaching staff. At the end of each session we ask a "popcorn question". We call it a "popcorn question" because the answers should 'pop' and any child can shout out at any time with their answer.  All questions this term are linked to our British values or to something that's currently going on in the world to encourage the children to talk about and share their opinions, feelings and ideas. 

We encourage you to discuss the above question with your children.

Attendance

This week, whole school attendance is 93% and 218 children had 100% attendance. Their names have been entered into the attendance raffle which will be drawn today in Celebration Assembly. 

The class with the highest attendance for the week is...St. Francis Class with 98%. You can come to school in non-uniform on Friday 17 Jan!  Please note this does not include pyjamas, slippers, any nightwear or makeup.

Reflective Thought

"What, then, does He desire from us? He desires a great intimacy. He wants us to share with him our joys and sufferings, desires and fears, hopes and sorrows, people and situations. Let us do this, with confidence: let us open our hearts to him, let us tell him everything. "

Pope Francis

Inset Days 2025

School will be closed to children on the following days:

• Monday 24 February 2025

• Tuesday 22 April 2025

• Friday 04 July 2025

Nursery

This week in Nursery we have had lots of festive fun! The children have enjoyed more arts and crafts, a yummy Christmas dinner on Wednesday and joining in with dancing, pass the parcel and meeting Father Christmas at our party on Thursday. 

The Nursery staff would like to wish all of our children, their families and everyone a very ‘Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year'.

Year R

On Tuesday Reception Class WOWED their visitors with their incredible performance of the Nativity. They spoke confidently and clearly and sang their hearts out! Mrs Killick was very impressed and the EYFS team were super proud. Well done Reception!  

Year 1

Year 1 thoroughly enjoyed performing their excellent Nativity to parents and carers this week. We are very proud of each and every one of them for their hard work and confidence in the retelling of this very important story. 

Advent Appeal

This week children have been entering our competition to design a  mug for the children in Malawi to have their hot porridge from.  We have had some amazing entries and we can announce the winners of the competition are: 

Luka -Year 1

Isabella -Year 6 

Food Donation

We would like to say a big thank you to Oli and the South Soast team at Sky TV for their generous food donation. This will have a significant impact on helping our families over the Christmas Holidays. 

Thank You

Thank you to parents and carers for your ongoing support throughout this year.

We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

From all Staff at St. Paul's

Welcome Back

We are happy to welcome back Mrs Sharpe, our Music Teacher, from maternity leave.

Edith Stein Christmas Video 

The Catholic Primary School, Edith Stein Partnership has joined together to create a festive greeting for all schools, families, parishes and communities.  Thank you for everyone's hard work, enthusiasm and participation.

Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LqxSrcTwWw 

The Community Cornerstone Newsletter

https://mailchi.mp/60e24754129a/the-community-cornerstone-991?e=546d0c5bf7

Christmas Mass at St. Coleman and St. Paul's

• Christmas Eve Vigil Mass - 6pm, St Paul's for Families and Children

• Midnight Mass - St. Coleman's

• Christmas Day Mass - 11am, St Coleman's

Reflective Thought

"The invitation to joy is characteristic of the season of Advent: the expectation of Jesus’ birth that we experience is joyful, somewhat like when we await the visit of a person we love a great deal, for example, a friend whom we have not seen for a long time, a relative... We are in joyful anticipation. "

Pope Francis

Inset Days 2024-2025

School will be closed to children on the following days:

• Monday 24 February 2025

• Tuesday 22 April 2025

• Friday 04 July 2025

As the nights draw in and the weather gets increasingly colder, we find ourselves having more time to spend with our families and loved ones at home.  During this time in the liturgical calendar we focus on the importance of preparing for the Lord’s second coming. 

I have shared with the children at St Paul’s the many ways in which we can prepare for Christmas, but sometimes these can be lost when we focus on the modern world we live in – the rush to buy copious amounts of food, watching endless Christmas movies, spending money we don’t have on gifts for others.  Sometimes the key meaning of this time of preparation is lost.

Jesus' humble birth into the world, in a stable surrounded by cattle, visited by shepherds; presented with nothing except the reverence and obedience that they displayed, yet Jesus was presented with the highest offerings from the three wise men – Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.   Two different visitations yet two very important meanings behind both.  The virtues which Jesus brought to us the night of his birth are those that should remain as the focus for our time of reflection over this season of Advent - Hope, Love, Joy and Peace. 

I wish you all a very holy and joyful Christmas.

Mrs Killick

Nursery

We had our Christmas sing-a-long show on Thursday this week, in the school hall. 

The children were AMAZING and bravely performed the special festive songs we have been learning over the past few weeks.

THANK YOU to everyone who came and for joining in with a boogie to ‘I Wish it could be Christmas Everyday’ 

Year 2 

Year two have been working very hard practising their singing, actions and lines for their nativity over the last couple of weeks and this week they finally got to perform. They blew everyone away with their performance and should be really proud of themselves! Well done St Bernadette’s!  

Year 5

Year 5 enjoyed an excellent opportunity to participate in STEM day. Throughout the day, the children engaged in live lessons and learned what it takes to become an engineer, creating their own vehicles out of different materials.  

Nurture

On Wednesday, Nurture invited parents in for a Christmas themed craft afternoon. Parents joined their children to decorate biscuits and took part in Christmas colouring that was set up by the Nurture children. Thank you to all the parents that joined, we hope you enjoyed this festive time with your children! 

St Lucy Day 

On Wednesday we celebrate the feast day of St Lucy. It is a scandinavian tradition. We had our very own 'Lucys' who prossessed during our Swedish Lucy song.  St. Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and those with eye-trouble. She is also the patron saint of the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Her feast day is celebrated on December 13.

Candlelight Carol Service

We would like to invite parents to our Candlelight Carol Service on Friday 20 December at 2:30 in the School Hall.  

This is an opportunity to come together as a community for a quiet, reflective and peaceful preparation for the coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

This time needs to remain respectful and we therefore request if you do intend to join us and live this moment, that you arrive on time, switch off your mobile phones before you enter, that you do not eat or drink and that you remain quiet throughout.  We look forward to sharing this time with you.

Advent Appeal

Thank you all so much for all your generosity for our Advent Appeal for Mary's Meals. The total is being counted and we will let you know next week. There will be Christmas carols with the choir on the gate next week. 

Week 2

Our focus this week was to discuss the need and importance to be able to access a hot school dinner. Here is what some of our classes and children had to say about this. 

“Just a pound will feed 10 children and this encourages them to go to school,” – Brody 

“Every child deserves to be fed. Some of them don’t eat anything else at all. That meal is so important,” – Harper 

Week 3

This week children have been entering our competition to design a  mug for the children in Malawi to have their hot porridge from.  We have had entries from most year groups.  A KS1 and KS2 winner will be decided next week and they will have the opportunity to draw their design on a  mug to keep with the winning designs being sent to Mary''s Meals. 

'It's healthy' - Nelson 

'It makes you warm' - Abel

'You get more than a sandwich if you're hungry' - Rose

Christmas Card Competition

The children at St Paul's took part in the Portsmouth Digital City Christmas Card competition this year. On Monday we found out the winners across this city this week. We had two winners 

KS1 : Miss Welch's Class was selected as the winner for KS1 across the city. 

KS2: Arnela and Amelia-Grace were selected as the winning design for KS2 across the city

The winners will have their prizes delivered before Christmas set of their cards printed professionally to take home and share.

Mrs Sawdy would like to thank all the staff and children who made this possible using their digital Canva skills. 

Exciting News!

We are thrilled to share some fantastic news! As part of our school's commitment to the "Portsmouth: The Digital City" Project, Mrs Sawdy  has been seconded to the Digital City Team for the upcoming spring term for one day a week as Assistant Head of Digital.

This is a remarkable opportunity that not only recognises Mrs Sawdy's exceptional expertise and passion for innovation but also highlights the vital role our school is playing in shaping Portsmouth's digital future.

Mrs Sawdy will work alongside the Digital City Team to support our schools in the city and drive forward this transformative project: bringing new insights and experiences that will benefit both the school and our wider community.

We are immensely proud of this recognition and the impact it represents for education and innovation across Portsmouth and wish her the best of luck.

Request from Mrs Killick

As the Christnmas season approaches, I wanted to let you know that the staff at St. Paul's do not expect Christmas presents from the children. Instead, we encourage you to use this time to focus on spending quality moments with your family. Your child's presence and joy during this time are truly the best gift of all. 

Thank you for your understanding and continued support. 

Pre-Loved Uniform

Don't forget we have lots of pre-loved school uniform as well as coats and a few Christmas jumpers in our school office.  Please feel free to pop in and take a look.  We also encourage parents if they have any used coats, with lot's of life left in them still, we would be grateful for any donations.

Next Week's Popcorn Question: Your parents give you a gift you didn't want, what would you do?

Every Monday and Friday the children meet in circle groups across the school. The aim of this circle time is to improve relationships between all children and teaching staff. At the end of each session we ask a "popcorn question". We call it a "popcorn question" because the answers should 'pop' and any child can shout out at any time with their answer.  All questions this term are linked to our British values or to something that's currently going on in the world to encourage the children to talk about and share their opinions, feelings and ideas. 

We encourage you to discuss the above question with your children.

Attendance

This week, whole school attendance is 93% and 218 children had 100% attendance. Their names have been entered into the attendance raffle which will be drawn today in Celebration Assembly. 

The class with the highest attendance for the week is...St. Pio Class with 98%. You can come to school in non-uniform on Friday 20 Dec!  Please note this does not include pyjamas, slippers, any nightwear or makeup.

Reflective Thought

"The Gospel reminds us of something important: life has a task for us. Life is not meaningless; it is not left to chance. No! It is a gift the Lord grants us, saying to us: discover who you are, and work hard to make the dream that is your life come true! " 

Pope Francis

Inset Days 2024-2025

School will be closed to children on the following days:

• Monday 24 February 2025

• Tuesday 22 April 2025

• Friday 04 July 2025

Advent Appeal

This week the prayer leaders have been on the gates at the end of every day collecting money for Mary's Meals. The charity that we are supporting during Advent. Thank you all for your continued donations, It is very much appreciated. 

Joanna Blake from the charity also sends her warm wishes  'We so appreciate all you’re doing to support the children we feed.'

We have also been busy making and sending Christmas cards to the charity and the children in Malawi who they support. 

We will continue to be on the gates fundraising next week. 

Advent Penitential

On Wednesday we celebrated our Advent Penitential with Father Andrew and Father Jeremy from Sacred Heart in Waterlooville. The children were invited to reflect on their wrongdoings and share these with God. Our KS2 children, who have made their First Holy Communion then had their confession with Father Andrew and Father Jeremy. 

Father Jeremy was impressed with the children's reverence during this service and their understanding of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  

My Happy Mind

We are very proud to announce that our school were awarded second place in the myhappymind Christmas competition. Schools had to send in evidence of the impact of the program on our children and out of all the schools that follow the program we came second! The children are now following the 'celebrate' module and learning about their key characteristics and how they can celebrate themselves. If you haven't signed up for the parent app, please do so. There are a huge number of resources that will help you to support your child's mental wellbeing at home. 

Christmas Jumper Raffle

Christmas Jumper Day will be the 18 & 19 December. All children can wear their festive jumpers on both days and if they bring in a £1 donation they will receive a ticket to enter into our Christmas Raffle.  The Raffle will be drawn on Friday 20 December.

Don't Forget

The school will be closed for an Inset Day on Monday 2 December.

Santa Dash

On Friday 6 December The School Games National Santa Dash returns for another fun-filled day of festive fun! As in previous years, the Santa Dash is all about having fun whilst being active.  

Children can wear santa hats to complete the run and hopefully we might have a special guest joining us.

Nursery

This week the children have enjoyed listening to and joining in with ‘The Gingerbread Man’ story. 

On Thursday we made some yummy gingerbread people and shapes. The children helped to measure and mix all of the ingredients together, then roll and cut out the dough. When they were ready they decorated them with icing sugar and chocolate drops. 

Year 5

St Scholastica enjoyed a fantastic field trip to the river Wallington. Luckily, the bad weather had passed and the recent storm gave the children an excellent opportunity to see where the river had burst its banks onto the floodplains. St Scholastica loved working scientifically to take depth / width measurements and record the physical features of the river, so they could complete a detailed sketch map when the returned to class.  

Year 6

On Wednesday morning, Year 6  were joined by Father Andrew who led a Celebration of the Word with them. The children learnt that as the true King, Jesus leads us by His Word and His Spirit to the truth of God the Father’s love for us. Following the celebration, Father blessed both Year 6 classrooms with Holy Water from Italy. Thank you to the parents who were able to join the children on this special morning. 

On Tuesday, six of our Year 6 children, joined others from across the city at the UTC Sciences Day. The children participated in many different hands on activities including experiments, habitat building, a coding task and even got to build their own electronic car. The children had a great day and demonstrated the St Paul's principles of being supportive and ambitious. "I loved the day so much. I might try to go to UTC when I am older now," - Brody. 

Prayer Leaders

On Monday 25th November the year 5 and 6 prayer leaders went to Oaklands with our fellow schools in the St Edith Stein Partnership- Oaklands, St Mary's , St Thomas Mores, St Peter's , St John's and Corpus Christi. 

We were invited to take part in singing two Christmas hymns for a virtual Christmas Card. The children enjoyed learning and performing these new hymns and we were recognised for our wonderful singing and bright smiles! 

Watch this space for the final recording coming your way very soon! 

Advent Appeal

As we move into Advent we will be collecting money on the gate for our Advent Appeal Mary's Meals. You may remember we launched our Advent appeal a few weeks ago with our porridge morning. We appreciate any contribution you can make. 

Mary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals to children living in some of the world’s poorest countries. The promise of a good meal attracts these hungry children into the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future.

Christmas Card Competition

Children have been working on their designs for the Portsmouth City Council Digital Christmas Card Competition! They have been learning to use an online design platform called Canva which is developing their digital skills.  We will be selecting designs to be submitted for the citywide competition in the coming week and showcasing those chosen to enter the competition in next weeks newsletter.  Here are some of the fantastic entries the children have created so far.

Next Week's Popcorn Question: What do all people need to stay alive?

Every Monday and Friday the children meet in circle groups across the school. The aim of this circle time is to improve relationships between all children and teaching staff. At the end of each session we ask a "popcorn question". We call it a "popcorn question" because the answers should 'pop' and any child can shout out at any time with their answer.  All questions this term are linked to our British values or to something that's currently going on in the world to encourage the children to talk about and share their opinions, feelings and ideas. 

We encourage you to discuss the above question with your children.

Attendance

This week, whole school attendance is 94% and 225 children had 100% attendance. Their names have been entered into the attendance raffle which will be drawn today in Celebration Assembly. 

The class with the highest attendance for the week is...St. Pio Class with 98%. You can come to school in non-uniform on Friday 6 Dec!  Please note this does not include pyjamas, slippers, any nightwear or makeup.

Reflective Thought

"From the words of Christ, we see that vigilance is tied to alertness: be alert, do not get distracted, that is, stay awake! Vigilance means this: not to allow our hearts to become lazy or our spiritual life to soften into mediocrity." 

Pope Francis

Inset Days 2024-2025

School will be closed to children on the following days:

• Monday 02 December 2024

• Monday 24 February 2025

• Tuesday 22 April 2025

• Friday 04 July 2025

Portsmouth Museums

Below is alink to the events programme for Portsmouth Museums highlighting events taking place at The D-Day Story, Charles Dickens' Birthplace, Portsmouth Natural History Museum and Portsmouth Museum and Art Gallery.

 All museums, except for The D-Day Story, are free and have a host of activities taking place either free or low cost for families to take part in. 

Click for events at Portsmouth Museums

Christmas Dates

• 6 Dec - Santa Dash

• 6 Dec - Year R Christmas Crafts

• 12 Dec - Year 2 Nativity

• 12 Dec - Nursery Christmas Show

• 17 Dec - Year R Nativity 

• 18 Dec - KS1 Christmas Lunch

• 18 Dec - Year 1 Nativity

• 19 Dec - KS2 Christmas Lunch

• 20 Dec - Whole School Carol Service

Nursery

This week in nursery the children have enjoyed being out in the Autumn weather. Cloda and Elena decided to collect leaves and make sand and leaf birthday cakes. On Thursday they were very excited to see the snow! “Wow it’s snowing lots” commented Guillermo. 

The Nursery are also running a competition details are at the bottom of this weeks newsletter, please speak to the Nursery for more details.

Year 3 & 4

Year 3 and 4 had a brilliant trip to Buster Ancient Farm this week. We were able to experience, first hand what it might be like to have lived in the stone age. We were able to experience different homes made using authentic stone age tools and materials. We carved chalk, made string from hay, created jewellery and dug up artefacts just like archaeologists. It really brought our history learning to life.  

On Tuesday, our Year 3/4 students led a beautiful Celebration of the Word, sharing Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan and reflecting on our half-termly Catholic Social Teaching focus: We All Matter. They reminded us of the importance of loving and caring for all our neighbors and recognizing the dignity of every person. A heartfelt thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us—it was wonderful to see so many of you there!   

Year 6

Some Year 6 Children were taught 3v3 for basketball skills to compete in a tournament . They played against other local schools in Portsmouth and enjoyed practicing and learning basketball skills in order to play against another team. The children tried extremely hard to learn the skills and should be proud of themselves. 

Parliament Week

As part of our British Values learning, we had Parliament Week in school this week. The children have learnt that the UK Parliament is held in the House of Commons in London. The children have learnt more about the work of our government and all the different people who make up parliament in order to look after our country. 

Look at some of the amazing work our children have produced this week. I think we have some mini politicians in the making!

Parent Check In Circles

On Monday we had our first parent check in circles! Thank you to all the parents that joined their children's circles and got involved. The children loved sharing this with you. If you couldn't make it this time, we will be inviting parents in every half term, dates to be confirmed.  

Inclusion Coffee Morning

We are sorry we didn't see you at our inclusion coffee morning on the 21st November. We look forward to seeing you all at our next one in the new year. If you would like to speak to any of us to discuss any inclusion concerns please arrange an appointment at the front office.  Further information can be found at the link below.

Inclusion Team Overview

My Happy Mind Workshop

On Thursday we held our myhappymind parents workshop where we discussed our new initiative to support children's wellbeing and mental health. Please do download the parent app which has a wealth of resources to help you support your children at home with their own worries. We want to give your children the skills they need to support their future and need your help too! If you have any questions then please do reach out to Mrs Burgess who will be happy to help you with this new fantastic resource. 

Click here to download

Poppy Appeal

A BIG thank you to all children and staff who purchased poppies from our sellers over the past few weeks.  As a school we raised a HUGE £250.63. Special thanks to our sellers from Year 6 Ruta, Sharon and Clara.

Christmas Card Competition

We will be entering in to the Portsmouth City Council Digital Christmas Card Competition! There are three categories of winners (EYFS, KS1, KS2), and the chosen winner of each category will have their design printed and delivered to their school as well as featuring in an E Christmas Card Collection.  Children will be completing this in school using an online platform called Canva which will also help develop their digital skills.  We will share some of the amazing designs with you over the coming weeks.

Next Week's Popcorn Question: How are all children respected at St Pauls?

Every Monday and Friday the children meet in circle groups across the school. The aim of this circle time is to improve relationships between all children and teaching staff. At the end of each session we ask a "popcorn question". We call it a "popcorn question" because the answers should 'pop' and any child can shout out at any time with their answer.  All questions this term are linked to our British values or to something that's currently going on in the world to encourage the children to talk about and share their opinions, feelings and ideas. 

We encourage you to discuss the above question with your children.

Attendance

This week, whole school attendance is 94% and 249 children had 100% attendance. Their names have been entered into the attendance raffle which will be drawn today in Celebration Assembly. 

The class with the highest attendance for the week is...St. Teresa Class with 96.9%. You can come to school in non-uniform on Friday 29 November!  Please note this does not include pyjamas, slippers, any nightwear or makeup.

Reflective Thought

"The Lord does not give the same things to everyone in the same way: He knows us personally and entrusts us with what is right for us; but in everyone, in all, there is something equal: the same, immense trust. God trusts us, God has hope in us! And this is the same for everyone. Let us not disappoint Him! Let us not be misled by fear, but let us reciprocate trust with trust! "

Pope Francis

Nursery

This week in nursery the children have been exploring different textures. Such as, dry rice, shaving foam and gloop. The Ladybird and Dragonfly groups also had fun investigating a sensory farm tuff tray, linked to the book ‘Noisy Farm’ by Rod Campbell. 

Nurture

The Nurture children went to Vue Cinema on Thursday morning to watch Despicable Me 4  for the Into Film Festival. Miss Podyma and Miss Standley were incredibly proud of how sensible they walked through the community and their amazing behaviour in the cinema. Well done Nurture! 

Military Children

This week in hour of Remembrance Day our Military Children Group wrote a heartfelt prayer to commemorate those who have served and continue to serve for our Country.

" Dear Lord,

Please watch us thrive in school safely because of those who died to save us. Please take care of the soldiers who have passed during protecting us. Also watch over the soldiers who are actively protecting us now.

Amen."

Year 1

Liturgy

Year one had a lovely liturgy with Father Andrew this week to reflect on Jesus's message of kindness. The children brought bread and water to show that we can show kindness by feeding the hungry and thirsty. They also shared their love through their individual, beautiful love hearts. 

Father Andrew then followed the children back to their classrooms to bless their rooms with Holy water. The children loved sharing their space with Father.

Thank you once again to all the parents that joined us for this special occasion. 

Remembrance Day

On Monday, we gathered together as a whole school to pay our respects on Remembrance Day to the men and women who fought for us in the war all those years ago. They listened to the Bible where Jesus commands us to "LOVE ONE ANOTHER." The children then reflected  beautifully on how lucky they are today to live such happy, peaceful lives where they have the freedom to love one another everyday.  

RE Next Week

Next week in our RE lessons, year one will be learning about solidarity and how we are connected to our brothers and sisters across God's world. We would like children to bring into school any photographs of any of their families/friends who live in other places across the world so we can discuss further how we are all connected as God's family.

Year 5

Liturgy

On Tuesday this week Year lead a remembrance liturgy in the church for parents and families. The children lead the service, sharing scripture and prayers alongside observing a 2 minute silence when they showed such  respect and reverence.  At the end of the service each child presented a poppy which have now been made into a wreath. TIt was lovely to see so many families attending this special service,

Handball

On Friday last week a group of 8 year 5 pupils went to the new John Jenkins Stadium to take part in a handball event organised by PiTC. The children were inspired by the talk from one of PFC's very successful amputee football team and especially liked seeing his medals and trophies. They then played a series of games against 6 other schools and had a range of results. In every game the children played brilliantly as a team, supporting each other and using the skills they had practised during their lunchtimes that week. A number of our team were picked out and given certificates for demonstrating values such as teamwork and being inspiring. The award for the player of the day from our team was Jack who had played in every position on the pitch and demonstrated all of the values superbly. Well done to Jack, Oland, Jacob, Erin, Phoenix, Mika, Cruz and Reggie.

Year 6

Year 6 have had a fantastic and fun filled stay at Kingswood this week.  They have enjoyed lots of exciting activities including a 3G swing, archery, fencing, climbing and a zipline which Mr Payne and Mrs Jones even braved.  They were fuelled by great food and were able to share evenings around the campfire and dancing with their friends.  They will most certainly be exhausted but fulfilled from such a special experience.

Next Week's Popcorn Question: What do we have to thank our service men and women for?

Every Monday and Friday the children meet in circle groups across the school. The aim of this circle time is to improve relationships between all children and teaching staff. At the end of each session we ask a "popcorn question". We call it a "popcorn question" because the answers should 'pop' and any child can shout out at any time with their answer.  All questions this term are linked to our British values or to something that's currently going on in the world to encourage the children to talk about and share their opinions, feelings and ideas. 

We encourage you to discuss the above question with your children.

Attendance

This week, whole school attendance is 95% and 251 children had 100% attendance. Their names have been entered into the attendance raffle which will be drawn today in Celebration Assembly. 

The class with the highest attendance for the week is...St. Teresa Class with 99%. You can come to school in non-uniform on Friday 22 November!  Please note this does not include pyjamas, slippers, any nightwear or makeup.

Reflective Thought

"If we persevere, Jesus reminds us, we have nothing to fear, even in the sad and ugly events of life, even in the evil we see around us, because we remain grounded in the good. Perseverance is the reflection in the world of God’s love, because God’s love is faithful, it is persevering, it never changes."

Pope Francis

Nursery

This week in nursery the children have enjoyed lots of creative arts and crafts. They have made bright, colourful and glittery firework pictures and beautiful remembrance poppies.  

Year 1

Year 1 had a fantastic time visiting the Portsmouth Museum & Art Gallery on Thursday this week.  They learnt about how toys have changed over time and were able to compare toys from the past to toys from today.  The trip was linked to their new History topic this half term. 

Thank you to the parent helpers who came and supported them on this trip.  

Prayer Leaders

This week the prayer leaders have led class worships for the first time across the school. Each prayer leader has been given a 'buddy' class to deliver a class worship around the theme of 'All saints day'. The prayer leaders planned this in their own time and enjoyed spending time in prayer with the children today. The prayer leaders were given feedback by the teacher on their worship so they can make improvements next time. 

The prayer leaders will continue to lead class worships every two weeks. We hope your children enjoyed this time with the prayer leaders of St Paul's. 

Rosary Challenge

During the month of October all the children embraced the invitation from Pope Francis to pray the rosary and as a school we had a challenge to pray at least 30 community rosaries in our prayer corner.  AMAZINGLY we beat our challenge and we managed to pray 48 complete rosaries. Thank you to our Prayers Leader and all the children that have contributed with even just one Hail Mary. 

Stories Before Snuggles

Yesterday evening was our Stories Before Snuggles event.  It was absolutely amazing to see so many families sharing stories whilst enjoying hot chocolate and cookies.  Reading is such an important skill to have and, according to research by the National Literacy Trust, sharing stories regularly can improve children's confidence and self esteem.  I hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did! 

Anti bullying week and Odd Sock Day

For Odd Sock Day on Tuesday 12th November, we are asking all children and staff to wear two different socks so they come into school wearing odd socks. It is a fun opportunity to encourage people to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique! We are not asking for a monetary contribution for this.

Next Week's Popcorn Question: How do you show respect wearing a poppy?

Every Monday and Friday the children meet in circle groups across the school. The aim of this circle time is to improve relationships between all children and teaching staff. At the end of each session we ask a "popcorn question". We call it a "popcorn question" because the answers should 'pop' and any child can shout out at any time with their answer.  All questions this term are linked to our British values or to something that's currently going on in the world to encourage the children to talk about and share their opinions, feelings and ideas. 

We encourage you to discuss the above question with your children.

Attendance

This week, whole school attendance is 95% and 249 children had 100% attendance. Their names have been entered into the attendance raffle which will be drawn today in Celebration Assembly. 

The class with the highest attendance for the week is...St. Teresa Class with 99%. You can come to school in non-uniform on Friday 8 November!  Please note this does not include pyjamas, slippers, any nightwear or makeup.

School Uniform

A reminder to all Parents and Carers that you are expected to ensure your child has the correct uniform and PE kit. 

NO Trainers black or white.  NO blue tights or cardigans - grey only.    Ties must be worn at ALL TIMES

Further information and our policy can be found at the links below.

School Uniform Information

School Uniform Policy

Parking

A reminder to all parents and carers that it is NOT permitted for anybody to park or drop off in the small car park at the front of the school.  This car park requires access at all times.

Reflective Thought

"Jesus taught once and for all that love for God and love for neighbour are inseparable; moreover, they sustain one another. Even if set in a sequence, they are two sides of a single coin: experienced together they are a believer’s strength!"  

Pope Francis

Nursery

This week in nursery the children have had fun making 'spider biscuits', to link with the nursery rhyme ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ and our book of the week 'Spinderella' by Julia Donaldson and

Sebastien Braun. 

They have also been using their senses to explore pumpkins! 

"It smells sweet" said Dolcie. 

"You can grow the seeds" commented Georgie.

"It feels sticky" said Guillermo. 

Reception Class

To end our half term of learning about 'God's Creation' we visited the Dog groomers, Muttkuts, in our local area. 

The children were fantastically behaved and really enjoyed seeing the dogs get washed, dried and trimmed.  

Advent Appeal

On Tuesday 22nd October we launched our Advent appeal with 'Mary's meals.' 

We had an assembly with Joanna from the charity Mary's meals who helps children receive one hot meal a day at school. Mary’s Meals serves nutritious school meals to children living in some of the world’s poorest countries. The promise of a good meal attracts these hungry children into the classroom, giving them the energy to learn and hope for a better future.

We then had a porridge reading breakfast on Wednesday 23rd October where all children received a cup of porridge with various toppings for a £1. Parents were invited to join their child for this and read with them in their classroom.

It was wonderful to see so many parents support our Advent Appeal. 

We have raised £175 so far and will have more fundraising for this amazing charity during the weeks of Advent! 

Popcorn Questions

Every Monday and Friday the children meet in circle groups across the school. The aim of this circle time is to improve relationships between all children and teaching staff. At the end of each session we ask a "popcorn question". 

We call it a "popcorn question" because the answers should 'pop' and any child can shout out at any time with their answer.  All questions for next term will be linked to our British values or to something that's currently going on in the world. This is to encourage the children to talk about and share their opinions, feelings and ideas. 

For next term we would like to share these questions with you in advance of our circle time to offer you the chance to discuss them at home with your child.   Look out on the newsletter for the first popcorn question after half term.

Staff Update

We say a big thank you and good luck to Miss Mooney as she moves on to a new role and congratulations to Miss Standley who will be joining the Nurture Team with Miss Podyma.

Welcome back to Miss Boyejo and welcome to our St. Paul's family to Miss White who starts with us as a Teaching Assistant after the half term.

School Uniform Offer

10% Discount on uniform up until 20 December 2024 PLUS free delivery on all school uniform orders at MyClothing this weekend between 6am Saturday 26 Oct until 11:59pm Sunday 27 Oct.  

Here is a link to the schools ordering page and the codes to access the discounts;

https://myclothing.com/collections/st-pauls-catholic-primary-school-7584?t=1586266110380

• 10% Discount Code - UNIFORM10

• Free Delivery Code - FREESHIP

Attendance

This week, 234 children had 100% attendance. Their names have been entered into the attendance raffle which will be drawn today in Celebration Assembly. 

The class with the highest attendance for the week is...St. Teresa Class with 99%. You can come to school in non-uniform on Friday 8 November!  Please note this does not include pyjamas, slippers, any nightwear or makeup.

Reflective Thought

"God calls us not to think according to the categories of ‘friend/enemy’, ‘us/them’, ‘those who are in/those who are out’, ‘mine/yours’, but rather to go beyond, to open our heart in order to be able to recognize God’s presence and action, even in unusual and unpredictable environments that are not part of our circle."

Pope Francis

Book Club

The Owl Babies by Martin Waddell and Patrick Benson 

A gentle tale of three baby owls reassures young children that Mummy will always come home. Three baby owls, Sarah, Percy and Bill, wake up one night in their hole in a tree to find that their mother has gone. So they sit on a branch and wait...Darkness gathers and the owls grow anxious, wondering when their mother will return. But, at last, she does and they bounce up and down with joy, welcoming her home.

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

In the deadly chaos of the First World War, one horse witnesses the reality of battle from both sides of the trenches. Bombarded by artillery, with bullets knocking riders from his back, Joey tells a powerful story of the truest friendships surviving in terrible times. One horse has the seen the best and the worst of humanity. The power of war and the beauty of peace. This is his story.

Portsmouth School Library Service

Please click the link below for some exciting, low cost, local events for children and young people coming up during the holidays. 

Autmun Parent Newsletter

Nursery

To link with our book of the week 'A Squash and a Squeeze’ by Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler; We talked about different farm animals, what noises they make and how we can get eggs from chickens and milk from cows. 

The children also had great fun using their senses to explore the ‘muddy farm animals’ tuff tray activity. We mixed cocoa and water together to make the 'mud' and when we had finished they took turns to wash the animals clean. 

“The mud smells like hot chocolate” said Dolcie (aged 4yrs 1mth.) 

"They're having a bath" said Aria (aged 3yrs 3mths.) 

Reception Class

The Portsmouth News is delighted to be bringing back our special ‘First Class’ souvenir edition on the 20th November, marking your son or daughter’s all-important first days at primary school.

This edition will feature full colour photographs of Reception classes sent in from schools across the area. This is a fantastic opportunity to commemorate your child’s early years in school, and a keepsake that you and your family can treasure for years to come.

To make this special moment even more memorable we are offering discounted copies of the newspaper for parents and guardians who would like to purchase it.

Discounted Price: £1.00 per copy (Regular price £1.30)

Order by Phone: Call 0330 403 3004, lines open 9.30am - 4.30pm Monday to Friday

Order Online: Visit thenews.eventbrite.co.uk. Please note that website orders are subject to additional fees which are set and charged by Eventbrite.

Order Deadline: 11th November 2024

Delivery: Copies will be delivered directly to the school on the day of publication for your child to bring home.

Photographs will be published in the newspaper and may also feature on our website. 

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us on 0330 403 3004 or via email at specialeditions@nationalworld.com.

Year 1 & 2

It would be wonderful to see as many parents from year 1 and 2 join your children this Tuesday for our Read Write Inc. workshop at 8.45am. It will be a chance to recap the sounds your child will learn this year and strategies for you to use at home with them. 

Catholic Social Teaching (CST) Ambassadors

On Monday, 5 children from St Paul’s, accompanied by Mrs Secci (Our Prayer and Liturgy Coordinator), were selected to attend a day at Oakland’s Catholic School to become Catholic Social Teaching (CST) Ambassadors. During the day the children worked with other children from our Catholic Primary School’s to learn about the strengths of CST and designed a poster to share with others. This was hung in Oakland’s school. All children were presented at the end of the day with a ‘Oscar Romero Ambassador’ Badge to wear with pride and that they will go forward energised to share with others.

‘I really enjoyed expanding on my knowledge of CST and loved sharing ideas with year 10 pupils from Oakland’s.’ 

Ruta from year 6.

‘I enjoyed my visit to Oakland’s. The year 10’s who guided us were very kind and respectful. I very much enjoyed secondary school food!’ Sharon from year 6.

I was so proud to have received an email from Oakland’s that evening about your children…….

‘Thank you for selecting and sending such wonderful students to the event today!  They have been a true credit to you and to your school. They were all really engaged and joined in all the tasks set with enthusiasm and energy. They led their own student worship, entirely created by themselves, and hopefully they can share this with their class and or the school. ‘

Harvest Mass

Our annual Harvest Mass took place on Wednesday with the whole school gathered together in the school hall.  Father Andrew talked about the parable of the sower and how we can be the soil to receive the seed, representing the word of the Lord.  Our school kitchen created a harvest loaf which was shared at the Offertory as well as a box of seasonal crops.  

Father also shared his wishes that every child could dress as an angel or saint for Halloween, to celebrate the Feast of All Saints and All Souls.

Flu Vaccination

Your child is eligible to have the annual nasal flu vaccination, this is offered to all children and young people in Reception to Year 6. The Flu vaccination is important as it helps protect children and other vulnerable family members against flu, which can be a serious or life-threatening illness.

The School Nursing Team will be in School on 22 November 2024 to administer the vaccination to all pupils.  Further information will be sent home today with your child and sent to you via the My Ed App.  Please ensure you read all the information and follow the relevant instructions to ensure your child is registered to receive their vaccination.  We have also linked all relevant information below. 

Parent Letter 

Flu Leaflet 

Further Information 

If you have any questions or require help completing the consent form contact the School Immunnisation Team direct on

Email: Portsmouth.SAI@solent.nhs.uk Phone: 0300 123 5074

Book Club

The Hobbit by J R R Tolkein

The Hobbit is the unforgettable story of Bilbo, a peace-loving hobbit, who embarks on a strange and magical adventure. A timeless classic. Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet and contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf and a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly and enlist his services – as a burglar – on a dangerous expedition to raid the treasure-hoard of Smaug the dragon. Bilbo’s life is never to be the same again.  

Funny Bones by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

This children's classic centres on the adventures of a big skeleton, a little skeleton and a dog skeleton. They venture out from their dark, dark cellar in the hope of finding someone to scare. However, since everyone is asleep in bed, they have to make do with scaring themselves. The results of which are hilarious.

Attendance

This week, 252 children had 100% attendance. Their names have been entered into the attendance raffle.

The class with the highest attendance for the week is...St. Teresa Class with 99%. You can come to school in non-uniform on Friday 25 October! Please note this does not include pyjamas, slippers, any nightwear or makeup.

Reflective Thought

"Prayer is the medicine for faith, it is a tonic for the soul."

Pope Francis

Job Vacancy

We are looking to appoint reliable, hardworking and enthusiastic school cleaners to join our friendly team.  This post is for 10 hours per week (3:30 - 5:30pm) term time plus weeks in the school holidays.  An ability to maintain high standards of cleanliness and safety is essential.  Previous experience is desirable but not necessary as full training will be provided. 

For more information and to apply please visit Portsmouth City Council website at the below link.

Click here to apply 

World Mental Health Day

On Thursday 10th October we celebrated World mental health day. We connected with nature in our woodland walk and supported each other through our tea and talk. Children were mixed between year groups and had the opportunity to reflect on what they are grateful for. We had a whole school assembly where all children took part in happy breathing to help us feel calm, happy and relaxed. The children all took home a green ribbon to show everyone that we took part in world mental health day 2024! 

Nursery

For Mental Health Day On Thursday we talked about what makes us happy, healthy and helps our brains to grow. We listened to Berty and Betty’s Play Date by Laura Earnshaw and watched ‘Our Happy Healthy Brains’ music video. This is all part of the My Happy Mind - Meet Your Brain. 

“You eat health food to give you energy and to make your heart go boom boom” said Cloda aged 3yrs 9mths. 

We also encourage healthy eating in nursery and provide a choice of fruits, vegetables, etc and milk/oatmilk or water for snack times. 

Reception Class

Thank you to all the parents that attended the Reception phonics workshop this week. The links below will help you support your children at home.

How to say set 1 sounds

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/view/SZ4HezHV/nkJAqjHs

How to help your children read green words

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/units/56

How to help your child form the letters correctly 

https://schools.ruthmiskin.com/training/units/56

Year 1

On Monday, Year 1 had the opportunity to take part in a fantastic science 'Awe and Wonder' workshop. They absolutely loved watching the hands-on experiments to capture the magic of science and bring science to life!

"I really enjoyed it when we exploded a bottle of coke by putting Mentos in it! It was amazing!" - Luna (St John)

"I loved making the Mento volcano!" - Loki (St James)

A big thank you to UTC for this opportunity. 

Year 1 & 2

Our KS1 children recently enjoyed an exciting trip to the Active 60 Festival at the Mountbatten Centre Sports Hall. They had a fantastic time participating in a variety of physical activities that were both fun and energizing! It was a wonderful opportunity for them to explore new sports and stay active.   Thank you to our parent helper who made this possible.

Year 3 & 4

Year 3 and 4 visited Queen Elizabeth Country Park on Thursday.  It was wonderful for so many children to enjoy the open air: exploring the colours in nature, creating poetry, finding minibeasts, creating natural art work and den building.  It was lovely to see how well the children worked as a team and how much they enjoyed the experience.  Thank you to all the parents who were able to support us.   

Attendance

This week, 234 children had 100% attendance. Their names have been entered into the attendance raffle.

The class with the highest attendance for the week is...St. John Class with 100%. You can come to school in non-uniform on Friday 11 October! Please note this does not include pyjamas, slippers, any nightwear or makeup.