Congratulations to the nineteen children who made their First Holy Communion on Saturday. It was a wonderful parish celebration. Special thanks to Miss Copp, Mrs Taylor, Mrs Breen and Mrs Aspinall for preparing the children. Thank you to Fr Vimal for a beautiful mass. Thank you to Mrs Crowther for stunning cake. Thank you to Quentin, Vicky and the Choir. Finally, thank you to Kath for the flowers in church. We are sure the families had a great day, in the summer sunshine, and the children will have lifelong memories a special day.
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This week, as we come to the end of another busy half term, there has been lots to celebrate. (Let’s do the positive bit first before the moan!) A small sample of this week’s learning can be seen in the pictures above. Whether it is ‘Mrs Aspinall’s Greek Cooking Marathon’ with Years 5 and 6 or Year 3’s excellent ICT skills, there’s certainly been 100% effort. Or how about our younger classes celebrating the Pentecost message or Year 2 spreading joy and happiness on their walk to the beach or help for the Food Bank? It’s all been very positive. Even our after school clubs have been out and about with Storytelling Club’s trip to Colwyn Bay Library.
So we keep moving forward with curriculum in its widest sense but it must be said that things are very stretched. (Here comes the moan!) This week, we received a reminder that finances will not improve in the next couple of years so we must continue to make savings. As you know, we have not had to make redundancies, so far, but the cuts have already impacted in so many ways on provision for our children. For example, when there was more money if staff were not in school due to illness, trips or training, we could pay for cover - now we have to juggle and manage. This can make school participation in lots of positive events very difficult. A group of Year 5 pupils had hoped to attend a Tag Rugby event at Ysgol Eirias today. We had shuffled staffing to try and make this possible - just. But it had to be cancelled as other local schools were also struggling to release staff. As a direct result of the cuts, valuable learning experiences like these are happening less often (and not because of a lack of desire or effort from schools). After half term, we plan to go to the Diocesan Athletics - always a highlight of the school year. However, it has been moved from Colwyn Bay to Rhyl due to problems with the track at Eirias and will therefore involve significant transport costs, as well as the staffing pressures described above. Despite these difficulties, we will still try to give our young athletes this opportunity. I am sorry if this comes across as negative but I think it is important to draw attention to the fact that staff in all schools are striving to provide the experiences every child deserves in the context of a very, very difficult financial climate. So, what is the Year 4 trip to Pentre all about?
Well, as you can see from the photos, on the face of it, it’s about getting out and about in the lakes, rivers, hills and woodland of beautiful North Wales. And with the sun shining too, what better way to spend a few days? Of course, it is not just fun we’re after - there must be challenge too. Children experience doubt and fear about what they can or cannot do and the development of resilience and a ‘can do attitude’ is a massive part of the trip. However, it is about so much more than just activities and challenge. Many parents and staff can recall their own trip to Pentre or Nant - many, many years ago. Often as their happiest or most abiding memory of school life. So what makes it so special? Children, classes and teachers are different when they are there - each see the other in a different light. You get a more rounded view of one another’s personalities than you can ever get in school. For many children it is their first experience of looking after themselves - making their own lunch, serving one another at meals, making a bed, cleaning tables, selecting the right clothing. It is a precious taste of independence (and responsibility). For ‘coastal townies’, the 45 minute journey inland is to enter a different world, right on our doorstep. In the silence of the countryside, surrounded by lambs, without any digital devices, you start to see things differently and explore alternative interests and ways to be. Finally, you notice the needs of others. So often we see children, who may usually be focussed on their own needs and problems, reach out to others - helping with homesickness/getting to sleep, sharing the cleaning or just acting as a cheerleader on a long walk. Mrs Laing tells me that this is best sleeping class she has ever taken. She also tells me she is having to abandon her original planning for next week and replace it with activities that follow on from the trip - the children were so enthused by their learning they demanded it continued! Finally, Mrs Laing told the staff at Pentre were very impressed with our children, and that they always are. This is a credit to you, as parents and carers. In an underfunded education system, places like Pentre are always under threat - seen as an expensive luxury or add on! If your child or you have been you will know that places like Pentre are ESSENTIAL - indeed, they are the perfect place to develop ‘The Four Purposes’. I truly hope that your children will be packing their children’s bags 20-30 years from now, as they head off on an outdoor adventure. Finally, thank you to all the staff at Pentre and to Mrs Laing, Mrs McGowan and Mr Roberts, for giving up their time to make this trip possible. Da iawn pawb!
Heddiw, we celebrated our Eisteddfodau - both were ffantastig. Llongyfarchiadau i pawb - the children who took part, the many, many families who came to watch and the staff who helped the children to showcase their many talents. A special thank you to our judges, Mrs Pritchard, Mr Smith, Paul and Jennifer - you made the today’s events even more special. There were many highlights, today, but I’ll pick out just three. Firstly, an under strength staff worked doubly hard to ensure the day was a success - this meant lots of people doing multiple jobs to cover one another. Secondly, almost all our children with additional learning needs participated fully with their classmates. Finally, I was impressed by the respectful hush of the hall as everyone listened to the performers. It’s been noted that I am getting older and grumpier - on days like these I spend a lot of time moaning about my tired feet as I shift more furniture around hall. However, when the children are on stage giving 100% and we see the faces of their proud families, we know that it’s all worthwhile. Already looking forward to the next one! I’ve been thinking a lot about numbers. (For a change, not those numbers that are smaller than we need and preceded by a £ sign!) No, it’s pupil numbers that have captured my attention, this week.
At this time of year, we offer places for Reception in September (Nursery offers coming soon, too). I’m hearing that applications are declining in some local schools and also many Catholic schools across the Diocese. The good news here (back to thinking of those £ signs again) is that we continue to attract a ‘full set of applications’, (approximately 30). I guess each family has different reasons for making the important choice of their child’s school. The fact so many choose St Joseph’s is a testament to the hard work of both school and parish in continuing to promote our shared Catholic mission. Maybe they chose St Joseph’s for our faith education and closeness to church (geographic as well as relational)? Maybe for our inclusivity and diversity? Maybe your children come here, because you came here or your parent came here? I guess for some, it’s simply the nearest school or maybe you just liked the tie? Whatever the reason, many families continue to benefit from these special buildings on Brackley Avenue! Soon we hope to install new signs welcoming more people to our church, school and parish centre. Let’s hope we still have room for each and every child who wants to ‘Grow in Love’. Finally, I can’t ignore this obvious opportunity to encourage! If your child DOES have a place at St Joseph’s, make sure they are here in their place, every day - attendance matters! Mr J Wilkinson This afternoon, we listened to this child-friendly version of a Creation Psalm, which got me thinking.
It’s been a short week but what a difference a few days can make! On the first morning back, God’s ‘life-giving rain’ was not only making the grass grow, it was also dripping in through the roofs of several classrooms and the library. However, just three days later, with the sun shining, we were at play without our coats. In the meantime, you could observe shoots of growth and early signs of summer all around. Of course, the growth of our children captivates us most and those bright shoots have been visible everywhere. Below are just a few examples…..
This week we have ‘Grown in Love’ a little more than usual. Maybe it was that extra watering on Tuesday morning? Mr J Wilkinson This week we joined the celebration of ‘British Science’ week, with a wide range of activities and experiments across the school.
Our youngest children found out which fruit and vegetables float and sink - this was part of their topic on ‘The Hungry Caterpillar’. In Reception, they made edible slime and ‘Gloop’ and things got a little bit messy, with a room full of smiling faces (until the cleaners arrived!) Year 1 and 2 made their own volcanoes, as they have been learning about volcanoes in Patagonia. They also explored leak-proof bags. In Year 3 and 4, linked to the theme of this year’s Science Week - ‘Time’, they made water clocks and experimented with a pendulum’s swing. Finally, in Year 5 and 6 they carried out fair tests to see whether more expensive paper towels absorbed more water. They explored parts of the water cycle and also found out whether people with longer legs jumped further. It’s been a busy week here and we look forward to seeing you all in an even busier week, next week….. It starts tomorrow (Saturday) with our Big Lent Walk (departing school at 11am). Then we will see you all for Parents Evening on Monday or Tuesday, Early Years Easter Concert on Wednesday morning and discos on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Don’t forget, you can also join the Juniors at mass on Tuesday (9.30am), to celebrate the Feast of St Joseph, and/or Whole School Easter Mass on Thursday (9.30am). On Thursday we celebrated World Book Day. As always, there were lots of fantastic, creative costumes on display showing our love of books and the characters within them.
On Friday we awarded prizes to five children who were selected as winners of our ‘Get Caught Reading’ photo competition. Many thanks to the Mayor of Colwyn Bay Town Council, Cllr Hannah Fleet, who chose the winners from the many who entered. But reading isn’t just for World Book Day - over the next few weeks keep an eye out for an addition to our Quiet Garden. Cyngor Ysgol (School Council) have requested a Cornel Darllen (Reading Corner) and the wonderfully creative, Mrs McGowan, has already made them a sign. We hope to have the new space ready for our eager readers before Easter. Reading is an essential skill. Please continue to encourage your child by………
If you were wide awake this morning, you may have spotted a St Joseph’s tie or two on BBC Breakfast News. Proudly wearing those ties (and huge smiles) were several Year 6 children making their national TV debuts. They appeared in a short clip of a new national song put together by ABC Opera. The song, in Cymraeg and English will be played at the Millennium Stadium when Wales play rugby and features children from all parts of Wales - a small section was filmed right here in St Joseph’s. For us, this was made possible by Conwy Music Service, who are striving to keep our nation’s musical traditions alive and well in this small corner of North Wales. What a great start to Dydd Gwyl Dewi.
There was a lot going on in school too for the children and adults dressed in our nations colours. As the smell of leek and potato soup floated down corridors, young children performed Dawnsio Gwerin in the hall and lots of Dewi Sant related activities and learning took place in all the classrooms. Thank you to all the staff for your planning and enthusiasm to make it a special day. In the morning, thanks to Colwyn Town Council, Years 5 and 6 pupils enjoyed the St David’s Day Parade around the streets of our town. They were cheered on and encouraged by shoppers and shopkeepers in a special event for our town. At the end of the day, in assembly, we prayed to St David and sang ‘Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’. Of course the celebration of Cymru a Cymraeg is not just for today - we look forward to welcoming you all to our Eisteddfod soon after the Easter holidays. Cymru am byth. This week we started an extended project working with the Dementia Ward at Colwyn Bay Hospital. The initiative sees Dementia patients learning alongside young people over a series of sessions. It has already proved successful in other areas of North Wales and is of huge benefit to the wellbeing of the patients.
On Thursday, we took four Year 6 pupils to the first session where they learnt all about the prehistoric creatures living in Doggerland. They were able to handle actual mammoth teeth, tusks and even view strands of their fur. At the end, working alongside the patients they created model mammoth skeletons using twigs. It must have taken some bravery from our pupils to be learning in a hospital ward, with older people they had never met, some obviously struggling with their health condition but the children were fantastic. They were mature, respectful and enthusiastic throughout - a genuine credit to their parents and our school. They have all requested that they return again, next week. Thank you to Colwyn Bay Hospital for this opportunity and the children for making it such a success. |
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