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Our Annual Summer Fair was a fantastic community event, despite a rather damp start. In total we made almost £3800, half of which will go to PTA funds, with the other half to the church.
Thank you so much to everyone who attended. Thank you to our sponsors and stall holders. But, most of all, thank you to the small PTA ‘Planning and Delivery Team’. Your tireless efforts are greatly appreciated. People often talk about what a vibrant community St Joseph's was, in the past. Our Christmas and Summer Fairs prove we remain a vibrant community. Thank you.
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  Thank you to everyone who was involved in today’s wonderful celebration of First Holy Communion. It was perfect.
Well done to our special children. We are all very proud of you. ‘Grow in Love’  You may or may not be aware that our school library is run by a group of School Librarians, under the close supervision of Mrs Linda Beagan. Mrs Beagan kindly volunteers to come in every Friday to keep the team (and the library) in good working order. She also organises a range of reading related activities for pupils, teaches children how to search for books and listens to groups of readers. Her enthusiasm and dedication help to foster a lifelong love of reading in our young people. Several years ago, another significant impact of her involvement was the purchase of the Junior Librarian computer system. The system allows us to catalogue all the books and carry out issues and returns, digitally. The only drawback with this clever system is that it requires an annual licence fee! As you know, money is very tight and this year we were considering not renewing our licence. Mrs Beagan doesn’t just foster a love of reading in our school, as she (alongside her husband) runs Colwyn Books on Abergele Road. When she heard that we were struggling to renew the licence, she kindly offered, on behalf of Colwyn Books, to pay for it herself. For this kindness, we cannot thank her enough! So, if you are passing Colwyn Books, please pop in, say thank you and maybe buy a second hand book or two.  On Sunday, our parish celebrated Pentecost Sunday with our annual, shared lunch. This is one of the highlights of our parish calendar - an event which demonstrates our diversity and the cohesive nature of our community.
In a special mass, we heard many different languages and the church was bright with traditional costume and flags from around the world. After mass, in the school hall (which was also wonderfully decorated) there was a Pentecost slideshow and our meal began with a prayer from Fr Frank. Young and old helped themselves to food from all around the world, provided by the families in our parish. It was all delicious. It’s not often you find yourself eating West African rice, with Malaysian Curry and Greek and Polish Side Salads. As is usual, with any successful event, there was an awful lot of hard work going on behind the scenes. On behalf of St Joseph’s school, thank you to all those who thought so carefully about this event and worked so hard to make it such a wonderful celebration of our church community. As Margaret rightly said, just before our meal, ‘St Joseph’s is a special place!’  In a week, where many teachers have attended preliminary training sessions regarding the new Curriculum for Wales, it is fitting that we have been reminded of the joy of music and singing. It is great news that the new curriculum will emphasise the importance of the Creative Arts, alongside other areas of learning.
On Thursday, Foundation Phase pupils sang a beautiful new song, with actions, in their mass on the theme of Pentecost. The church was filled with light, colour, smiling faces and angelic voices. It was genuinely a privilege to be there. Meanwhile, in Year 6, pupils are auditioning for lead roles in this year’s Summer Play. Acting and singing (solo) in front of a panel of three teachers is a daunting prospect and yet half the class put their names forward. Whilst all were fantastic, some were REALLY special. It must be an odd experience for a 10/11 year old child to look up at the end of a singing audition and see three of your teachers in tears! We can’t wait for the show! Mr J Wilkinson Da iawn, pawb!
Today, we celebrated our school Eisteddfod. Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 put on a fantastic show in the morning and Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 performed equally well in the afternoon. This included an excellent variety of singing, acting and poetry. Special praise must go to the brave children in Years 2-6 who learnt and performed poetry recitals, solo, on stage, in front of a big audience. We also presented certificates for handwriting and Art competitions.Thank you to everyone who contributed to a wonderful day, especially the staff who prepared for the event and served as judges and the PTA for refreshments. (More photos will follow next week) I am delighted to announce the final totals for our school/parish efforts to raise funds to support Play Therapy in our school. This has been a massive collective effort involving pupils, parents, family, friends, parishioners and the wider community. (The figures below do not include further sums raised by Garth Butcher’s Crosswalk Snowdon)  On behalf of each child and family, who will receive vital support as a result of your generosity, thank you.
Mr J Wilkinson  What this man did, for our school, today, was simply awesome. Nothing more needs to be said.
Thank you, Garth.  Today, Key Stage 2 celebrated mass, for Mary, in the month of May. It was beautiful and provided an opportunity to reflect on many of the changes we have made, in order to further develop children’s experience and understanding of mass. Compared to the ‘not too distant past’, there were several striking contrasts.
Firstly, the quality of the music and singing has greatly improved. For this, huge thanks to Mrs Davila and Miss Copp. Secondly, the Gospel included a ‘drama’ to watch, as well as words to listen to, meaning that the children reflected more on the Word. For this, thanks to Fr Frank, the children involved and Miss Copp. Next, the addition of the screen and Power Point has meant that everyone is responding, praying and singing, together. For this, thank you to Mrs Bell and Fr Frank. Finally, the children’s understanding of what is happening during the mass and their increased enjoyment is clear to see. For this, thank you to Fr Frank and the quality teaching, by staff, in our Come and See lessons. As a school, we look forward to going to church. On Friday, the weather was perfect, as the whole school participated in a Sponsored Run and a range of sporting activities. In the morning, Nursery and Reception ran more than 50 miles, played games and did Morris Dancing with Penrhyn Stars. In the afternoon, we were joined by Colwyn Bay Cricket, Football and Rugby Clubs, Eirias Hockey Club, MW Sports and The Immortals Thai Boxing Club. Years 1-6, had a number of taster sessions and also completed their sponsored run. Year 6 ran the furthest, with 45 miles, as you’d expect but Year 3 were the stars, as they were second, with 40 miles, having also been swimming in the morning! Thanks to a donation from Tatws Trading and the work of our PTA, all children were provided with extra energy from fruit kebabs and smoothies. Parents were also provided with, less healthy, extra energy from tea, coffee and fabulous cakes. We are still counting the money collected but we already know that the children had a great day. Thank you to all the providers for this event. If your child enjoyed one or more of the activities, please encourage them to join these local clubs.
https://www.colwynbaycricketclub.co.uk/ https://www.colwynbayfc.co.uk/ http://colwynbay.rfc.wales/ https://m.facebook.com/eiriashockeyclub/ https://m.facebook.com/mwsports/ https://m.facebook.com/TheImmortalsGym/ |
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