Year 6 Leavers Mass

Feast of St Peter and Paul

A special guest appearance from Fr Fergal on this wonderful feast day provided us with a reminder that members of our community are forever in our hearts. 

The messages of St Peter and Paul remind us of the work we have to undertake as disciples of Jesus. 

“Then he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” 

Mark 16:15

Corpus Christi

The Feast of Corpus Christi was led by our Year 3 and 4 children as they came together to celebrate their Holy Communion. Fr Mark joined us and blessed a rosary for those who had recently received the sacrament of the Eucharist and a card with messages of thanks to those peers who supported them on their journey.

“Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.”

Romans 15:7 

Pentecost Sunday

Continuing to promote our Building the Kingdom theme of dignity of the human person, our children used the opportunity of the Feast of Pentecost to touch the hearts of many within the community around them. For many in our community, a heartfelt message contained within a card can be all that is needed to let them know there are people who care for them deeply so our children took to the church to deliver messages of hope and faith as the church began it's new year.

“For through the Spirit, we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope” 

Galatians 5:5

Building the Kingdom - Caring for God's Creation

Our children continue to put into action their understanding of what it means to be a disciple of God. Two of our children took the time to write to their local council and Secretary of State to challenge them directly on issues facing our environment today. They really will be a voice of change and difference in our world.

"Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made."

John 1:3

Ascension Day Mass

The Feast of the Ascension was marked with a wonderful Mass as we welcomed Fr Jude to support our celebrations. The children worshipped together and we were all reminded of the spirtual journey that we are to undertake.

“Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."

John 20:17

Building the Kingdom - Dignity of the Human Person

As we moved into the Summer Term are children began to explore our Building the Kingdom theme of 'life and dignity of the human person'. Again, as a part of our drive on pupil voice and action for change, the children got hands on in supporting the residents of the Michael Flanders Centre prepare for the coronation of King Charles.

“Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God.”

Leviticus 19:32

Easter Reflection

Our Year 5 children led a wonderful Easter Reflection as we headed away on our Easter break. The entire school and local community was invited to join in what was a moving account of the passion of Our Lord. 

We wish everyone a wonderfully restful and peaceful Easter period. 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28

Building the Kingdom - Racial Justice

Continuning or significant work on racial justice and equality, our parents were invited to attend a session with Krystal Rubie regarding the work that the school has been doing on removing unconscious bias in our pracitce. Many parents found the event eye opening and understood this was a continuing learning process which we must all undertake together. 

"To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

Ephesians 4:22-24

Colours of the World Day

In promotion of Racial equality throughout our school community and, in support of our Building the Kingdom topic, the children took part in a Colours of the World Day. This was an opportunity for them to explore their heritage - dressing in traditional dress and researching people connected to their diverse range of cultures - before gathering together to have a shared meal provided by a range of parents donating a wealth of different foods.

“There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:28

Faith and Talent in Action

Our Lent fundraising opportunity was centred on 'Faith and Talent in Action' this academic year as we invited children to use their talents to help them raise funds for their collection boxes. 

Our staff kicked us off as our own Chef went about cutting costs of lunch to donate the proceeds to CAFOD.  Some of our children are using their talents of singing, bike riding, public speaking and artistic gifts all in the name of fundraising during Lent. The whole process will conclude with St Vincent's Got Talent Day orgainsed and hosted by our Year 6 ambassadors.

"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God."

Peter 4:10-11

Solidarity with Ukraine

The school community came together to mark one year since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. With many members of our staff and wider school community directly impacted by the events the children prayed together to Our Lady in hope that a peaceful resoultion can soon be found.

“You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor' and 'Hate your enemy. ' But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:43-45

St Vincent's Got Talent

As a part of our attempts to promote our 'Oracy for Advocacy' our Year 6 Executive Team came together to plan and organise a means of fundraising for Lent through our talents. 

This was presented to staff by the children and will be led in conjunction with our work with the Catholic Children's Society.

“Be careful that you don't look down on one of these little ones. I say to you that their angels in heaven are always looking into the face of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 18:20

Building the Kingdom

Reflecting on our Building the Kingdom theme of "Life and dignity of the human person" our children in Year 5 explored the concept of stereotyping during their PSHRE session. In our community, we challenge stereotypes and break down barriers in our community. 

"You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him."

Leviticus 19:16-17

Procession of the Three Kings

This year a number of our children joined the local Polish community in celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany through the Procession of the Three Kings. 

The children joined local schools across the deanery and came together singing a range of hymns and processing through Ealing toward Ealing Abbey.

"Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?" 

Matthew 2: 1-2

Epiphany Mass

The Feast of the Epiphany gave our school community the opportunity to welcome Fr Mark who has recently joined St Aidan's Parish in East Acton. 

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Matthew 2: 5-6

Community gift donations

A kindness at Christmas as volunteers came into school to help support the sharing of a range of gifts donated to the school to help families at this Christmas time. 

May we all have a blessed and joyful time as we welcome Jesus into the world.

Solidarity at St Vincent's

Solidarity was truly in action at St Vincent's as we ended the term with a wonderful day of celebration of all that our staff provide. The children voiced their love and thanks for the members of our school community in specially written messages and, with the support of our Governors and parent volunteers, managed to give our staff an extended morning break. 

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Catholic Children's Society Advent Service

Our fabulous choir was given the honour of singing at the Catholic Children's Society's Advent Service at Westminster Cathedral. A fantastic way to mark this season of preparation for our children.

"Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation." Psalms 95:1

Advent Mass

The children marked the beginning of Advent as they came together to celebrate Mass and light the first of our Advent candles. Our mass opened witht he following message:

Advent is a time when we are called to prepare a way for the Lord, to reflect and make changes so that we are ready for the coming of Christ who is the light of the world. At this time, we are called to deepen our understanding of our faith and to continue to strive to share this gift with others.

This Advent let us continue to pray that we may be ready to be merciful, to show compassion, and to help build a society that shows understanding to others.

Building the Kingdom - Solidarity

Solidarity filters into all areas of our curriculum at St Vincent's as the emphasis was on the importance of standing together during anti-bullying week.

"Living rightly means to love one another." Romans 13:8-10  

Our Lady of Lourdes Mass

A momentous occasion this week as our children returned to Our Lady of Lourdes for the first time following two years away due to the constraints of covid. One year group of children will be in attendance on Thursday most weeks during the academic year and we hope to see as many of our community as we can. 

"We go to Mass because we are sinners and we want to receive God’s pardon, to participate in the redemption of Jesus, in his forgiveness.” Pope Francis

St Vincent's fundraiser for Bliss

Once again, our children demonstrated their true understanding of really making a difference with their actions. Inspired by events that impacted one of our community, our Year 4 team came together to run 3k to mark World Prematurity Day and raise funds for the charity Bliss. These inspiring pupils and staff managed to raise  an incredible £1,300. If you would like to add to their collection you can do so here.

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”  Matthew 18:1-5

British Legion Fundraising

Throughout the first weeks of November, our Mini Vinnie team has been heading up the Year 6 Executive Team in fundraising by selling products for the British Legion.

"If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?" 1 John 3:17

Oracy for Advocacy

Fellow Deanery schools were invited to join us for an example of how we are inspiring our children to use their oracy skills to make a change in the world. Working together, having a unified voice, we believe our children can be the difference makers in the world.

““I have no greater joy than this: to hear that my children are living according to the truth.” 3 John 1:4

All special, all unique and all a part of God's family

Our commitment to Building the Kingdom at St Vincent's starts at the very beginning. It is our duty to ensure our children love their uniqueness and understand that God has a place for everyone. Our children will always have a place here at St Vincent's, we are truly one family.

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19  

Feast of All Souls and Remembrance

To mark the Feast of All Souls and the beginning of the month of November our community was invited to write the names of those they wished to remember.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." Matthew 5:4

Feast of All Saints

Our school community came together to celebrate the Feast of All Saints as we were joined by Fr Patrick for his first mass at St Vincent's. The Mini Vinnie's led the Mass beginning with this truly wonderful explanation of the significance and importance of this feast day. 

We celebrate national holidays to honour the heroes and heroines of our country, and we also have special days to honour those who fought and died in our wars. We celebrate the feast of All Saints for a similar reason, but the people we honour were heroic not because of great deeds they did, but because they lived good lives. 

Mostly they lived and died for God and others. They put their energy, their intelligence, their talent, and often their material goods at the disposal of God and other people. Even when life was very hard for them, when there was sickness or poverty or suffering of any kind in their lives, the Saints praised God.

The Abolition of Slavery and Windrush Plaques Ealing

Due to our commitment to Building the Kingdom, as well as being at the forefront of Borough led projects ensuring inclusiveness within our curriculum, a selection of our choir were invited to sing at the unveiling of  The Abolition of Slavery and Windrush Plaques in Ealing.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8

Mini Vinnie Team - Oracy for Advocacy

Our Mini Vinnie Team embarked on their year as representatives of the values held most dear within our school by undergoing training led by Sister Judith at St Joseph's Primary School. It was an opportunity for our children to display their oracy skills and begin to plan not only what they wish to speak up about this year but how they are going to put it into action.

"Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." Proverbs 22:6

The Month of the Rosary

Throughout the Month of October we focus on the importance of the Rosary within our lives. Our Year 4 and Year 1 children took part in an inter year group act whilst across the school, all children focused on it's importance.  

“The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers; it is the prayer that touches most the Heart of the Mother of God" Pope Saint Pius X

Harvest Festival

Our RE and Catholic Life Ambassadors kicked off the collection for Harvest by introducing the children to our collection.

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-8.

Building the Kingdom - Solidarity

As we move through the Autumn Term, our inspiring curriculum continues to be rooted in the principles of Catholic teaching. This term the children are focusing on the theme of solidarity. 

Solidarity refers to the fact that we are one human family. We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, wherever we may be. Loving our neighbour has global dimensions. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace. Our love for all our brothers and sisters calls us to seek a peaceful and just society where goods are distributed fairly, opportunity is promoted equally and the dignity of all is respected. 

St Vincent's Day Celebration

Following a wonderful Mass celebrated by Fr Jude, the children began their day of celebration to mark St Vincent's Day. The weather did nothing to deter our BBQ lunch and ice cream donated by our local ice cream vendor Marcelo. Mr Grear hosted an inter-house quiz and this was supported by our Year 6 House Captains.  

Welcoming our Reception Children

St Vincent's Day provided an opportunity for our school community to welcome our Reception children as they begin their journey with us. Fr Jude and the school community joined together to ask God to bless them on their journey and support their ability to learn and do the right thing as children of God.

St Vincent's Day Mass

To mark the Feast of St Vincent - our school patron - the children joined together in prayer. With the help of one of our new priests - Fr Jude - the children came together in prayer providing us this beautiful message: 

"Today we are celebrating the feast of our school patron, St Vincent De Paul. As we celebrate our Mass may we think about St Vincent’s example, always ready and willing to help others, - and let us think about what we can do, as individuals and as a school to help those who need our help. 

As we come together as one community it is vital we reflect on our continuous mission to live out the message of St Vincent helping those around us as best as we can during these challenging times." 

Seasons of Creation

With the beginning of the new year, our school community kicked of their first oracy for advocacy initiative. The seasons of creation reminds us of Pope Francis' message of Laudato Si and caring for our common home. We know at St Vincent's though that our words are not enough so our children will be becoming plastic detectives for the coming weeks to raise awareness of the damage plastic is doing to our oceans.

“If we approach nature and the environment without this openness to awe and wonder, if we no longer speak the language of fraternity and beauty in our relationship with the world, our attitude will be that of masters, consumers, ruthless exploiters, unable to set limits on their immediate needs"  - Pope Francis, Laudato Si

St Vincent's 10k Charity Challenge

As a part of our staff wellbeing, the Friday running club decided to take part in a 10k charity challenge. These wonderful individuals managed to raise over £1,000 for the following causes: 

In memory of Chris Shakesby, a member of my family, the Brain Tumour Charity

&

In memory of Ian Stuart Brown, father of Mr McLelland and dear friend to St Vincent's, The Oesophageal Cancer Charity

Queen Elizabeth II Memorial

As with the rest of the nation, our school community was rocked and saddened by the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen herself was an extremely spiritual individual who encapsulated the values which we hold so dear at St Vincent's - tolerance, acceptance and a duty to God. May she rest in eternal peace.

"Let us not take ourselves too seriously. None of us has a monopoly of wisdom and we must always be ready to listen and respect other points of view" - Queen Elizabeth II

Farewell to Fr Fergal

Following our mass to welcome back the children for the new academic year, the children, staff and community of St Vincent's joined together in a mark of respect to the departing Fr Fergal. The children delivered the following beautiful message: 

"Today, we also come together to thank God for the support that Fr Fergal has shown to St Vincent’s over the 12 years he has been part of our school. We are sad that we have to say goodbye to him but we want him to know that he will always be in our heart and in our prayers." 

The choir, led by Miss Linda, offered three beautiful songs in celebration of Fr Fergal's time and devotion to the school community.

Welcome Back Mass

The children begun the year with the following message: "We pray for each other, and for the whole school. We will be asking God's help with our study, our friendships, our sport, our hobbies, and with everything that is part of our school.

We might feel a bit afraid of the coming year, especially if it's an exam year, or if we feel we don't get on too well in the class.  Or we can feel very confident and glad to start again. No matter what, we put ourselves before God and ask his help in the coming year. "