|
‘What an absolutely magical day we've had! The PTA and St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Colwyn Bay would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came out to support our Christmas Fair and enjoy what was on offer today.
We are so grateful to the many wonderful people who responded to our pleas for help - for the army of volunteers who arrived on Friday afternoon to help us set up, the fantastic team of stall holders that worked so hard today and especially those who stayed behind at the end to clear everything away. To everyone who donated items, made crafts and baked cakes - a sincere thank you! Thank you to the Mayor of the Bay of Colwyn, Neil Bastow, for taking the time to attend and open our event! We would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Magic Light Productions for making a special appearance and entertaining our visitors! Thank you also to the following businesses that made donations to our event, we rely heavily on sponsorship and are always humbled by how readily the local community supports our events. Henllan Bakery, Hoff's Cakes, North Wales Calor Centre And thank you to Girlguiding Cymru for providing craft activities. The grand total and a list of winning raffle tickets will be published as soon as possible. Once again, a huge thanks for your support and generosity!’ St Joseph’s PTA This week, Years 3, 4, 5 and 6 worked with Mr Arwel Williams from TechnoEd. Mr Williams has provided Design and Technology teaching and learning to St Joseph’s pupils for many, many years. We used to travel to Middle Lane, Denbigh, to access his fantastic projects. Since that location closed, Mr Williams has provided an invaluable ‘mobile’ service. His projects develop a wide range of vital skills and are always a highlight of the year, for our pupils.
Sadly, as budgets have been reduced, it has become harder and harder to provide some of these exciting extras. However, this year, the PTA agreed to pay for sessions, in each KS2 class, and for this, the staff and pupils are very thankful. Each class completed a project which involved skills of design, measurement, cutting, joining, decoration and evaluation. Mr Williams’ enthusiasm inspires both staff and pupils and we hope to welcome him to St Joseph’s again very soon. Da iawn, Criw Cymraeg. Gwasanaeth ardderchog, heddiw.
Our Criw Cymraeg have been working really hard to promote the use of Welsh in and around school. Today, they took the lead in whole-school assembly, presenting lots of great reasons to speak Welsh and conducting a rousing rendition of ‘Mae hen wlad fy nhadau’. They have also been producing weekly videos to introduce ‘Brawddeg yr Wythnos’. Click below to see this week’s - ‘Beth wyt ti’n mwynhau wneud?’ app.seesaw.me/pages/shared_item?item_id=item.15af882a-cf15-47cd-8a44-2a3d5200610d&share_token=bozp2BKjQX6vF1bprTxmEA&mode=share If you want to further develop your Welsh, please see the Cymraeg Campus page on our website for useful links. http://www.santjoseph.conwy.sch.uk/cymraeg-campus.html At the start of our special harvest mass, Fr Frank explained that harvest was a time when everything came together and was just right. That was certainly the case, at St Joseph’s on Thursday.
The church looked fantastic. Hard work from Fr Frank and his parish team has meant that the wonderful lighting highlights the sparkling metalwork and the renovated tabernacle. There’s not a spec of dust or a cobweb to be seen. Add to this, the tireless efforts of staff and children who decorated the church with bunting and their beautiful harvest display and you have the perfect setting for mass. Then, came the singing and what can we say? Fluffy cauliflowers and samba vegetables left people dancing in the aisles with tears in their eyes. Our children are wonderful. Alongside the singing, we had Year 2 children reading for the first time. Many were nervous but they did a great job, in front of a packed church. During the offertory, our Mini-Vinnies Group also contributed, bringing food and warm clothing for local people in need. At the end of the mass, I spoke to several parents who, still smiling, told me that it was the best school mass they had been to. I’ve been coming to them for nearly 20 years now, and I have to agree! After mass, Year 1 took some of our harvest collection to a local Nursing home and Year 2 delivered to the Daffodil Centre - a perfect end to a perfect morning. As Fr Frank said, harvest is a time when everything comes together, when people’s collective hard work is rewarded - it was, today. Thank you Mr J Wilkinson Thank you to everyone who visited our MacMillan Coffee Morning, today. We raised over £300 to support MacMillan Nurses. Special thanks to the PTA members who prepared the Parish Centre, and served customers, throughout the day. Also, thank you to all parents, who provided cakes to sell. Finally, thanks to staff, who prepared lovely displays of pupils’ work.
However, it was the volunteers, from Years 5 and 6, whose eagerness and commitment, sparked the most interesting idea. They enjoyed serving and helping so much that they wondered whether they could do it every week. Would our parents support a weekly cafe, run by pupils? Something to think about! It would certainly provide some exciting learning opportunities!  Last week, I wrote to congratulate our wonderful pupils, as they started the school year with smiles on their faces. This week, I’d like to highlight the work of our wonderful staff.
As you all know, school budgets have been cut to the bone, over the last few years, and the result has seen an inevitable reduction in staffing levels. In order to maintain the quality of educational provision, this has meant that the reduced staff must work harder and smarter. Every minute, of every day, for every member of staff, must be maximised for the benefit of our pupils. All staff have risen to this challenge. They have carefully considered our existing routines, developed new, innovative approaches and, most importantly of all, remained flexible to meet changing pressures and demands. It is not always easy, but everyone has rolled up their sleeves, pulled together and worked with a smile on their face and a spring in their step. Despite the cuts, our children are learning, growing in love and smiling. As headteacher, I am deeply grateful for, and appreciative of, the dedication shown by each and every member of staff. Thank you for everything you do to make our school a special place. Mr J Wilkinson  It has been a wonderful start to the new school year. For two weeks, school has been full of smiling faces - both staff and pupils.
On Thursday, we held our first whole school mass of new year. The singing was wonderful, with the highlight being a small group of Year 6 girls, singing beautifully after communion. After mass, I was approached by a lady who taught in Catholic schools during the 1970s and 80s and she said that the ethos she had witnessed, during mass, was wonderful. She praised the respect and engagement of our pupils and their wonderful singing. On Friday, we had a superb Sharing Assembly, where the children delighted in showing their friends their work. It was the perfect end to a lovely week. Thank you to all our wonderful children. I told them, last week, that when school is this good, I’d happily skip the weekend and go straight to Monday. Mr J Wilkinson Our latest Section 50 Inspection Report has just been published. Below is their summary and recommendations. (The full report can be viewed/downloaded from the ‘Home’ page)
Summary of Inspection Findings This is a good Catholic school. The school is good overall in providing and promoting Catholic Education. The school’s Mission Statement “Grow in Love” clearly permeates all aspects of school life, and is well understood by the pupils. The behaviour and attitude of the pupils are good, and pupils engage well in their learning. They say that they enjoy their lessons in Religious Education. Links with the parish are strong, and the school makes a considerable contribution to the life of the parish and the wider community. The school’s work for local, national and international charities is particularly impressive. Since the last inspection the school has generally implemented Diocesan recommendations. Self-evaluation systems are in place and are accurate. Provision for Religious Education and Collective Worship are good. Assessment procedures are consistent, and in line with Diocesan policy. Given the dedication and commitment shown by the leadership of the school, there is a very good capacity for sustained improvement. The Head Teacher has a clear vision for the school, and he is ably assisted by new Religious Education Coordinator who is already having a significant impact on the Catholic Life of the school, Religious Education and Collective Worship. Prospects for improvement are very good. Recommendations 1. Develop pupil led Collective Worship at an age appropriate level 2. Challenge pupils further, through feedback, next steps marking and questioning which prompt pupils to deepen their understanding and reflect on how their faith impacts on their daily lives 3. Continue to develop the role of link Governors in monitoring and evaluating the outcomes and provision in Religious Education and the Catholic Life of the School, by engaging in the planned monitoring and evaluation activities, and reporting back to the full Governing Body any implications for the future e.g. the provision of resources, or CPD for staff. Congratulations to all pupils, staff, parents and members of the parish. We are all very proud of our school and the parish of St Joseph’s. 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. |
Archives
November 2019
Categories |
RSS Feed