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Message from Fr. Keith 

We are now looking forward to the most important week in the Church’s calendar, Holy Week, which this year begins on Sunday 24 March. We are reviving the pre-COVID tradition of starting our Palm Sunday morning Mass at the school, followed by a procession to the Church. And you may be interested to know that this year the clocks go forward one hour on Easter Sunday itself, that is 31 March. We have to begin the Easter Vigil the day before when it is already dark, so that means we can begin earlier this year at 7.30pm. The other main services are Holy Thursday, 28 March at 8pm, when following the example of Jesus at the Last Supper, Fr. Keith will wash the feet of twelve parishioners, and Good Friday, 29 March, when we do not have Mass but instead a solemn service at 3pm. We also have Stations of the Cross for children and families at 11am on Good Friday. We look forward to seeing you at some or all of our Holy Week services!

Lent is a movable feast, occurring between February and April. The 40 days of Lent, echo Jesus Christ's sacrifice and withdrawal into the desert for 40 days. Ash Wednesday is often seen as a time to clean the soul and mind ready for Lent. 

During Lent, Christians devote more time to prayer, charity, and sacrifice as they prepare for the greatest feast in the Church year, Easter – when Jesus rose from the dead.

As Lent is a time of giving, we ask that you donate what you can to this great cause. Each family will receive one box per family and we ask that all boxes are returned to the school office after the Easter Holidays on Monday 15th April. This wonderful charity helps vulnerable children and their families all over the Westminster Diocese. If you would like to know more about our chose Lenten Appeal for 2024, then please click here.

The second charity that the children have chosen to support is, The Great Daffodil Appeal.

On Friday 22nd March pupils and staff may wear something yellow along with their school uniform in return for a small donation to show their support for the Great Daffodil Appeal 2024. More information to follow

Year of Prayer 2024

In preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, 2024 has been designated a Year of Prayer. The Holy Father has asked that 2024 be year of prayer, as a preparatory year for the Jubilee with a special focus on - The Our Father.

The Pope has asked everyone to pray for Christian unity and for peace throughout the world. During this year, as well as praying for unity and peace, each class will learn more about the Our Father that Jesus taught his disciples and pray it often as a class or as a whole school.

It would be a lovely opportunity for families to come together and pray it at home. The Lord’s Prayer offers us a great opportunity to go back to the basics of prayer.

International Woman’s Day Assembly: Monday 11th March

On Monday 11th March  Miss Hampshire from QPR's Primary Stars Programme led us in a special whole school assembly all about International Woman’s Day, which is celebrated annually on the 8th March. Miss Hampshire spoke to our pupils about gender equality in the world of football. Together we discussed our hopes, dreams and aspirations and looked at how far women have come in football and in society. We looked at some of the amazing female football players who play for QPR and listened to their stories and celebrated their successes. Thank you to Miss Hampshire for delivering such an awe-inspiring assembly and for presenting our girls with a new football kit which our Year 3 and 4 girls wore when they competed in Westminster School Girls Football Competition at Paddington Rec. Well done team! 

Online Safety Workshop

Date of workshop: Tuesday 19th March

Time: 9:00-10:00

Location: School Hall

At the workshop, you will have the chance to find out some of the services that your children might be accessing and contributing to online now and in the future, and be shown some practical ideas and website resources to help you to keep your family safe.

 

The workshop will be run by Mary Rebelo who is an Online Safety Ambassador for CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Agency) part of the Online Safety subcommittee for the safeguarding board of the London Borough of Camden, and a Parentzone Digital Parenting Facilitator.

 

The school would encourage as many parents as possible to attend the workshop as we know it will contain a lot of invaluable information on this important area.

Click to Download Online Safety Letter to Parents [pdf 174KB] Click to Download
World Book Day 2024

St. Mary of the Angels will celebrate World Book Day by having a Book Character Parade on Thursday 7th March. All staff and children are invited to dress up as a character from their favourite book. Remember to bring your book along for the parade!

To further encourage our love of stories and books, we will be also be running an exciting ‘Book in a Box’ competition. Children are invited to think about how a favourite book could be represented in a simple box. Please make sure that your ‘Book in a Box’ competition entries are clearly labelled with the book that is being represented, your child’s full name and year group.

All entries must be in school on the morning of Friday 8th March for judging. Winners for both the ‘Book in a Box’ and our annual book costume parade will be announced at our Key Stage Assemblies the following week

Book Fair 2024

Monday 11th: Foundation Stage (Ducklings & Robins) 3.25pm – 3.50pm

Location: Robins/ Reception classroom

 

Tuesday 12th: Key Stage 1 (Goldfinches, Hummingbirds & Kingfishers) 8.30am – 8.55am

Location: School Hall

 

Wednesday 13th: Lower Key Stage 2 (Kestrels & Swallows) 8.30am – 8.55am

Location: School Hall

 

Thursday 14th: Upper Key Stage 2 (Herons & Swans) 8.30am – 8.55am

Location: School Hall

 

So please come along and have a look! Don’t forget to check out your teacher’s ‘Wish List’ and donate a book to your child’s class if you can.

My Voice Matters: CMHW 2024 

Schools around the UK are continuing to shine a light on the importance of children and young people’s mental health. This year's theme is ‘My Voice Matters’ and we want to empower children of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to work together to create a positive change for their mental health and wellbeing. Children who feel that their voices are heard and can make a difference have a greater sense of community and self-esteem. 

There are also lots of resources available on Place2Be’s on the Children’s Mental Health Week website which you can access by clicking here

Dress to Express Day: Friday 9th February 

To mark the end of Children’s Mental Health Week, we held a Dress to Express Day and together we raised £141.58. The idea was simple – we asked our pupils to use colour to express themselves by wearing a colourful outfit to celebrate what makes them unique.  

Thank you, to everyone who participated in our Dress to Express Day in order to shine a light on children’s mental health. Your kindness and generosity are greatly appreciated. All funds raised will go to the Catholic Children’s Society who provide a counselling service in our school and many others across London.

Year 5 and Year 6 visit to Wigmore Hall: Thursday 8th February 2024
 

Year 5 and Year 6 pupils, staff and accompanying parents were treated to a special concert for schools at Wigmore Hall on Thursday 8th February entitled Selense – Let’s Merry and Dance. The children were led on a musical tour around Africa visiting different countries and learning about their stories and their sounds. 

The musicians performed songs on various instruments and in the styles from countries such as Morocco, Malia and Nigeria. It was a truly wonderful showcase for the talented musicians and performers. 

Key Stage 1 at The Diana Memorial Playground: Tuesday 6th February 2024

To celebrate the end of their Pirates! topic, Key Stage 1 went on an adventure of their own by visiting the Diana Memorial Park to explore the pirate ship playground. Everyone had fun climbing aboard the pirate ship and looking for land ahoy!  Thank you to all the staff and parents who made the day possible.

The children came home with lots of sand in their shoes but no buried treasure sadly! We look forward to welcoming parents and carers in to the exhibition of the wonderful pirate ship models the children have made and reading their pirate theme poems on Thursday 8th February. 

Safer Internet Day: Tuesday 6th February 2024

Safer Internet Day is held every February all around the world. Last year, over 170 different countries celebrated the day! Safer Internet Day (SID) is a chance to think about any worries we might have about using technology and the internet, but it’s also about celebrating all the fantastic things technology can help us with. The theme of our celebrations and learning this year is 'Inspiring change? Making a difference, managing influence and navigating change online'. 

Our dedicated team of Year 6 Digital Leaders worked with Mrs Wilson to prepare and present two special SID assemblies on the day- one for Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, and one for Key Stage 2. By participating in these assemblies, the children and staff joined thousands of others in celebrating SID! Thank you Alissia, Anabell, Lucas, Tiziana and Saphira for doing such a marvellous job of presenting and introducing SID 2024! 

All year groups will be following up on the assemblies at an age appropriate level in class throughout the week and we look forward to sharing news of our forthcoming day of online safety workshops which will be taking place in March  

For more information about Safer Internet Day 2024 please click here. Please also visit the Online Safety page of the school website which is updated regularly and includes copies of the school's monthly online safety newsletters including a special Safer Internet Day newsletter.

 

School Council News: January 2024

Members of our School Council were honoured to be invited to form a  ‘Guard of Honour’ on Sunday 28th January at Matrade Loftus Road Stadium to welcome the players on to the pitch before the QPR v Huddersfield game. This amazing opportunity helped mark the start of the Green Football Weekend sustainability campaign which our School Council, in partnership with Miss Hampshire from QPR's Primary Stars Programme,  are taking part in the spring term. 

 

Green Weekend Campaign: February 2024

Green Football Weekend took place over the weekend of Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th February. With the help of our School Council, all in our school community were encouraged to compete for the coveted Green Football Cup by scoring green goals for QPR by taking climate-friendly actions. Thank you to all who sigened up to make a pledge and take action. To find out more please visit the Green Football Weekend website.

 

Forest School Visits

Our Reception and Key Stage 1 pupils were blessed with great weather as they returned to Forest School at Paddington Rec during the week beginning 29th January.  Forest School is a fantastic opportunity for all of our children to experience nature and you can find out more about the school's programme by clicking here

Here is what some of our pupils have to say about their experience of Forest School: 

"I liked going hunting for the statues, my favourite was the wood pecker statue!" - Alfie (Year 1) 

"We got to collect sticks, then we made stick men!" - Vinny (Year 1) 

 

Whole School Mass: The Presentation of the Lord 

Message from Fr. Keith 

Friday February 2nd marked the end of the Christmas season, with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, when we finally take down the Christmas Crib, and turn our thoughts to the next event in the liturgy, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent, which is only a few days away this year.

The Mass on February 2nd with our school community was a very joyful occasion, beginning in a blaze of light as we carry candles into Church to point to Jesus as the light of the world. But remember, he told us that we also have to be the light of the world as we live in close communion with him, so let's allow the light of our faith and kindly actions to those in need shine forth in a dark world.

Fr. Keith

We look forward joining parishioners on Thursday 22nd February at St. Mary of the Angels Church at 11am to celebrate a special Ash Wednesday service. Parents and carers are most welcome to join us.

Ash Wedneday falls on the 14th February this year, during our half term break. 

Holocaust Memorial Day Assembly: Tuesday 30th January

On Tuesday 30th January, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 took part in a special Holocaust Memorial Day Assembly led by Ms Jacob from QPR.

Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) takes place on 27 January each year and is a time to remember the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust, under Nazi Persecution and in the genocides which followed in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur.

Holocaust Memorial Day is a time when we seek to learn the lessons of the past and recognise that genocide does not just take place on its own – it’s a steady process which can begin if discrimination, racism and hatred are not checked and prevented. 

Thank you to Ms Hampshire for orgainising and Ms Jacobs for delivering this poignant assembly. 

Racial Justice Sunday:  28th January

Racial Justice Sunday (RJS) theme this year is ‘Seeing one another in the life of the Church’. The Image and Likeness of God resources spoke of recognising one another as children of God regardless of our race. Click here for more information. The spotlight this year is on the saints of every race and culture who reveal Christ to us.

St. Francis of Assisi (Year 1, Goldfinches) 

Class Saints 

Last term, each class were introduced to their Class Saints who have been chosen to reflect our diverse school community and we hope learning about and getting to know their Saint will encourage the children to see themselves in the life of the Church.

St. Josephine Bakhita (Year 5, Herons) 

Sporting News at St. Mary of the Angels
Year 5 and Year 6 Boys Football 

Well done to our Year 5 and Year 6 Boys football team who had an amazing tournament on Wednesday 24th January. The team worked well in both defence and attack, and communicated well with each other. The boys came third in their heat.  Very well done!

Year 5 and Year 6 Girls Football 

Well done to our Year 5 and Year 6 Girls football team who played in a tournament on Monday 29th January and came third in their group! The girls played incredibly well, especially having never played together as a team before. By the end of the tournament they had worked out a solid formation and won one of their matches 3-0. We are all so very proud of you all!

Key Stage 2 Cricket Competition

Our Year 6 cricket team played with confidence and determination and worked collaboratively together, at the cricket on Thursday 1st February. The Moogsoft William Greaves Trophy is the largest primary school cricket competition in the UK involving 18 London boroughs. Well done all to all and thank you for being such excellent representives of our school. 

 

MCC Lord's Education Day

During the Education Day, Year 4 took part in some curriculum-based activities in different areas of the ground. The children had a tour of Lord's Cricket Ground where they got to see player’s dressing room, artwork in the Long Room and the museum.  In the museum, they took part in a History and Literacy activity where they all shared their findings of artefacts. Then, the children did Art in the Pavilion which was based on the famous artist, Lowry. Finally, to end the day, Year 4 had a PE lesson in the indoor cricket centre. It was a fantastic trip and the children loved visiting Lord's. 

Whole School Mass: Friday 12th January 

We were delighted that children and staff from Reception to 6 were able to attend a Mass on Friday 12th January for the feast of the Epiphany, celebrated especially for the school by Mgr. Keith Barltrop in our parish church.

As a school we recognise that it is important to mark the feast of the Epiphany, which was celebrated during the Christmas holidays (6th January), and to spend some time reflecting on the Christmas season before moving too quickly from Advent. The Christmas season is such an important one in the Christian calendar, so it is essential that our pupils understand it and that it is a focus for prayer and liturgy. One way to extend the idea of Christmas is to keep the school crib up until the Presentation of the Lord. 

We look forward joining parishioners on Friday 2nd February at St. Mary of the Angels Church at 11am to celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord which occurs forty days after the birth of Jesus and is also known as Candlemas Day.

Parents and carers are most welcome to join us.

Advent and Christmas Dates 2023

Preparing our hearts and minds to celebrate the Good News of Jesus’ birth is such an important part of our school and liturgical year. We very much look forward to bringing our school together during the season of Advent as follows:

Wednesday 29th November  Advent Carol Service at Westminster Cathedral (Year 6/ Pupil Chaplaincy Team) 
Wednesday 6th December  Key Stage 2 Carol Service 2:00pm @ St Mary of the Angles Church 
Thursday 7th December  Christmas Jumper Day 
Friday 8th December 

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Mass 11am (whole school Mass) 

Christmas Movie Night 

Tuesday 12th December  Foundation Stage Nativity 9:30am (parents/carers) 
Wednesday 13th December  Christmas Lunch for Children (own clothes day)
Tuesday 19th December  Key Stage 1 Christmas Nativity 2:30pm (parents/carers) 
Wednesday 20th December  Special Visitor to the School 
Thursday 21st December  End of term 2/ School closed at 1:30pm for Christmas Holidays 
Monday 8th January  School Closed-Inset day
Tuesday 9th January School opens: Start of Term 3 
 
Caritas Advent Giving Calendar

Inspired by Pope Francis, we asked our families to take part in our ‘Caritas Advent Giving Calendar’ project this Advent. Each class was assigned an item that the foodbank required from our ‘Caritas Advent Giving Calendar.’ We invited the children to bring in their donations on the date assigned to their class.

Thank you also to our wonderful, Caritas Ambassadors who gave up their time to deliver some of the goods donated to Westbourne Park Pantry on Thursday 14th December. Whilst at the pantry, the children got a tour of how the pantry operates and were able to asks the organisers and volunteers questions about the day-to-day running’s of the pantry. 

Certificate of Appreciation 

Special message from St. John's Hospice:  

I wanted to send a message to say a huge thank you to each and every one of you from St Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School for your support of St John’s Hospice. Your recent Christmas jumper fundraiser raised a fantastic £214.50! This brings your grand total to £618.84 since 2021. We are so grateful for your continued care and kindness.

Your donation will help us to expand our community outreach, in turn helping to combat loneliness and isolation experienced by people living with life-limiting illnesses and their carers.

Thank you for all of your hard work. I will post out two of our Light up a Life decorations, I hope you can hang them on your Christmas tree, this year.

Thank you once again for supporting St John's Hospice!

Sophie Gray

Senior Fundraising & Volunteer Manager

'Look North More Often' Poetry Project: Thursday 7th December 2023

Earlier in the term, our Year 6 Swans Class took part in a poetry workshop with well-known poet Coral Rumble. The workshop was focused around the history of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree, which is gifted to London by Norway each year, as a symbol of friendship. Year 6 children wrote their own poems, inspired by Christmas time. Three children were chosen by Coral to read a poem at the lighting of the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree on Thursday 7th December. They performed beautifully in front of hundreds of people in the square, as well as Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan and Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Patricia McAllister. We are extrememly proud of the children for representing our school in such a marvellous way.

KS2 Carol Service: Wednesday 6th December 2023

We were treated to the divine singing of our KS2 children this week, as we celebrated this special time of Advent with our Carol Service, held in St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church. This year, we had the pleasure of hearing our newly formed choir perform several songs, lead by our singing teacher Ms. Murphy. Each class sang their carols beautifully, bringing joy and hope to the congregation. Well done also to the readers and actors, who told the Nativity story in a spectacular way. Thank you to parents and family who joined us for this special event.

'Winter Wishes' at Winter Wonderland: Tuesday 21st November 2023

Our UKS2 classes were fortunate enough to attend the 'Winter Wishes' event at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland. This event brought together many schools in Westminster, and provided an opportunity for children to experience the magic of Christmas time. Our partnership with Westminster Children's University allowed us to take part in this special day. Children had a spectacular time going on a range of rides, such as the Ice Jet and the Euro Coaster, and visited the Magical Ice Kingdom (-10 degrees with real ice sculptures!). We had a yummy hot chocolate to warm up, and ate our lunch in the Bavarian Village. We finished the day attending Zippo's Circus, which was full of amazing acrobatics and magic tricks. It was a brilliant day, and we could not wipe the smiles off our faces from start to end!

Advent Carol Service Westminster Cathedral: Wednesday 29th November 2023

Our Year 6 joined over a thousand children from schools across our diocese at the annual Advent Carol Service at Westminster Cathderal on Wednesday 29th December.  It is a long standing tradition in our school that Year 6 attend this event in their final year at St. Mary of the Angels. Another tradition is the presence of a real life donkey who was joined this year by a goat! 

The readings, drama and carols beautifully retold the events leading up to and following the birth of Jesus and it was wonderful to share the experience with so many other schools. The sound of the collective voices of so many children singing traditional carols was a joy to behold.

During the service, donations were collected for the Catholic Children’s Society which is one of the charities our team of Mini Vinnies choose to support each year during Advent and Lent. You can find out more about the charity's work by clicking here. Bishop John Sherringham asked us all to continue to pray for all those who are vulnerable and in need. Thank you Year 6 for representing our school so well. 

KS2 Concert: Wednesday 28th November 

Last Wednesday, our violin and cello students performed a concert for KS2. All students played their pieces beautifully, showcasing the skills they have been taught this year. We were also lucky to have our violin and cello teachers, as well as our music teacher Ms Diamond, perform some christmas songs for us to sing along to. There will be further opportunities for instrumental students to showcase their talents later in the year, which parents will be invited to.

Carols of Comfort and Joy at Westminster Cathedral: Saturday 25th November 2023

Our Chamber Choir were delighted to accept the invitation to sing at the Carols of Comfort and Joy at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday 25th November. The concert brought together all the primary schools involved in the Westminster Schools Singing Programme this year and it was lovely that so many family members were able to come along to the Cathedral to enjoy the performance. Our chour will be singing three of their carols at our fothcoming Key Stage 2 Carol Service on Wednesday 6th December. Thank you to Miss Murphy, our choir leader, and all the choir members who sang on the day. 

Certificate of Appreciation 

Thank you again, to everyone who donated a winter coat, fleece or jacket to the Winter Coat Campaign. Your kindness and generosity is greatly appreciated.

Anti-Bullying Week: 13th - 17th November

Last week we celebrated Anti-Bullying Week at St. Mary of the Angels. The theme this year was ‘Make A Noise About Bullying’. Our school’s ‘STOP’ acronym continues to support pupils, staff and parents/carers in identifying and preventing/stopping bullying.

We started the week off by inviting everyone from Nursery to Year 6 to wear odd socks to celebrate our uniqueness and to remind us to love and respect everyone for their differences.

Thank you to Ms Jacobs from QPR who delivered a wonderful assembly and worked with our Year 5 and Year 6 classes in order to shine a spotlight on bullying and to encourage children, teachers and parents to take action against bullying throughout the year.

Remember to ask your child about what they have learnt this year during our Anti-Bullying Awareness Week!  

      Swallows Prayer of Remembrance and Hope

Dear God,

At this peaceful time of remembrance, we think if those who gave their lives to serve their countries in two world wars.

We also remember those who have lost their lives in other war-torn areas across the world.

We pray for those who have been injured through war and have to adapt to new and sometimes difficult ways of life.

Support and comfort them through this Journey.

We remember the families and friends of those affected by war, both past and present.

Send them hope so that they can remain strong.

But most of all we pray for hope.

We hope that one day we can live in a world of peace where everyone respects one another and loves one another.

Please God, let it be.

Amen.

Judaism Assembly: Tuesday 7th November 

This week Mrs Waine led us in a special whole school assembly all about Judaism. Mrs Waine reflected and taught the children all about her Jewish faith and family. Mrs Waine discussed our school values and throughout the assembly, community cohesion and unity was emphasised.

We thank Mrs Waine for leading such an immersive assembly whereby the children were able see authentic Jewish artefacts and learn all about The Torah, Shabbat, Festivals and the Synagogue.

Remember to ask your child all about what they have learnt this week in our special assembly and in class.

To find out more about our RE Curriculum please click here or visit the Catholic Life of the school by clicking here.

Reminder: Winter Coats Campaign 

You have until Monday 20th November to drop off your donations of coats, fleeces and jackets to the front office.

What winter clothing items are needed?

  • Coats of all styles
  • Jackets  
  • Gilets
  • Fleeces

All coats and winter jackets in good condition are welcome for children or adults.

Many thanks,

The Mini Vinnie Team 

Click to Download Calling London Poster - St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Primary School [pdf 1MB] Click to Download
Feast of All Saints: Wednesday 1st November 

Wednesday 1st November was the Feast of All Saints and we were delighted that children and staff in Years 1 to 6 were able to attend a Mass celebrated by Mgr. Keith Barltrop in our parish church. 

We now look forward joining parishioners to celebrate Mass for The Solemnity Immaculate Conception on Friday 8th December at St. Mary of the Angels Church @11am. Parents and carers are most welcome to join us.

Black History Month Assembly: Saluting Our Sisters 

Thank you to Ms Hampshire and Ms Jacobs from QPR who delivered a wonderful assembly and worked with all year groups from Year 1-6 on Tuesday 31st October in oder to shine a spotlight on the remarkable contributions of Black women throughout history.

The workshops celebrated the life and achievements of a Black woman who have made thier mark on our world in their own special way.

Please click the presentation below to view the assembly and to see the remarable women the children learnt about in our BHM assembly. 

Click to Download BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2023 (1) [pdf 1MB] Click to Download
Key Stage 1 Habitat Exhibition: 19th October 2023

Thank you to all who came along to our Key Stage 1 Habitat Exhibition on Thursday 19th October. It was wonderful to welcome so many parents/carers and staff into the hall to look and appreciate all the hard work of our Year 1 and Year 2 pupils. The models and art work were amazing and the children were rightly proud to share what they had created. It was also a pleasure to hear how much parents had enjoyed spending time with their child planning, resourcing and creating the habitats which ranged from deep under the sea to the tree tops in jungles.

A wonderful reminder too if the glory and wonder of God’s creation.

Caritas Ambassadors Assembly: 17th October 2023

On Tuesday 17th October, we welcomed three special visitors to our school, Sister Silvana Dallanegra, Fr. Keith and Nigel the Penguin. Sister Silvana delivered a wonderful assembly, teaching and informing the pupils of about our Caritas Ambassadors program and our call to serve.

Our wonderful Mini Vinnies and Pupil Chaplaincy Team will work together this year to undertake the task of imagining, planning and developing ways of making their dreams for our future world a reality.

We will continue to work closely with Sister Silvana and Fr. Keith to develop a social action project for our school and local area.

Keep an eye out on the Caritas page (found in the Catholic Life of the School section of the website) for updates about their work!

Black History Month 2023: Saluting Our Sisters 

Black History Month is celebrated every October and is a special time dedicated to celebrating the incredible contributions of Black individuals. The theme for this year is 'Saluting Our Sisters' so we will be shining a spotlight on the remarkable contributions of Black women throughout history. We have displayed some posters around the school which celebrate the life and achievements of a Black woman who has made her mark on our world in her own special way. This year our focus at St. Mary fo the Angels will be on brilliant and pioneering Black women who have shaped maths and science. More news to follow!

Mini Vinnies 2023-2024: Turning Concern into Action

Thank you to all the pupils who took part in our wear yellow campaign at school, in order to raise awareness for World Mental Health Day which was celebrated at school on Tuesday 10th October. All funds raised will go towards supporting the Young Minds charity.

Families and pupils were asked to bring in £1 to go towards this fantastic cause and we are pleased to say that we raised £160.25. 

We thank you so much for your fantastic fundraising efforts.

Macmillan Coffee Morning

On Thursday 28th September, our school community came together to host our first ever Macmillan Coffee Morning. Staff, parents/carers and our Chaplaincy Team joined together to raise an amazing £220 for Macmillan Cancer Support. As always, thank you for your generosity and support; your donation of cakes made sure that the time spent together over a cup of tea/coffee was enjoyed by all.

We look forward to holding the event again next year.

Thank you and farewell Year 6!

We have had a number of events to celebrate and give thanks for all our Year 6 pupils have contributed to our school starting with the Leavers’ disco last on Friday 14th July which was enjoyed by all. This was followed by a dress rehearsal of their end of year production of ‘Aladdin Trouble’ for pupils and staff on Monday 17th, with the performance proper for parents and family members on the evening of Tuesday 18th July. Both performances were amazing, but the evening performance was an absolute triumph which ended with a well-deserved standing ovation. Congratulations to everyone involved and to Miss Hulands and Miss Fahss in particular for all their hard work which ensured that everyone had a part to play and an opportunity to shine.  The narration, acting, singing, costumes, props and staging were brilliant and, while there were many stellar individual performances, it was a true ensemble piece which the children clearly enjoyed performing …. so much so that it was hard to get them off the stage at the end! Thank you to the audience too who engaged in the booing and hissing as directed and laughed in all the right places. The final formal celebration was our Leavers’ Mass in the parish church on Wednesday 19th, celebrated by Fr. Keith, which was followed by a drinks reception after school. Throughout all the events, our Year 6 pupils have shown great maturity and camaraderie which is a sign that they are ready for the next stage of their learning and faith journey although they will be greatly missed by all. 

Healthy School Awards: July 2023

Miss O’Brien and Miss Cunniffe have worked extremely hard this year to secure the Healthy Early Years London Bronze Award and the Healthy Schools London Bronze Award for the school. Our school was previously awarded the Gold Award in both categroies and once Gold is achieved, the cycle starts again after two years, beginning with audits of our current provision for keeping pupils healthy. The audits included a review of our lunch and breakfast club menus to ensure pupils have access to healthy meal choices and a review of our provision for physical activity across the school which has been a strength of the school for many years. We look forward to updating you on our progress towards the silver award next year!

Earlier this term we celebrated two weeks dedicated to art and music, in partnership with the wonderful outreach team from Wigmore Hall. Musical themed events included a special performance from a talented duo called Duo Eunoia https://www.duoeunoia.com/ who created and tailored their performance for our school. Their musical story included songs our violinists had been learning, along with a song from the Year 6 production as a surprise for the children. The piano and violin duo then held a special question and answer session with pupils after their moving performance. Another musical highlight was the workshop led by Rosie from Wigmore Hall, who performed some original and more well know songs on handpipes and the Marimba.
 

Our whole school art theme was ‘Identity’ and pupils were encouraged to use the arts to explore their own individuality and what makes each one of us unique. Each pupil created a piece of artwork celebrating their own identity, which became part of a collabrative class art piece. These are now displayed around the school and certainly celebrate how wonderfully we have been created in the image and likeness of God. 

The Big Sing! Friday 30th June 2023

Our two week focus on music and art in June 2023 culminated in ‘The Big Sing’. Preparations for this musical extravaganza started with a workshop where teachers, supported by members of the Wigmore Hall team, were tasked with writing a chorus for our new school song which we linked to the book  ‘Change Sings’. This inspiring book by Andrea Gorman tells the story of a young girl who leads a cast of characters on a musical journey. They learn that they have the power to make changes - big or small - in the world, in their communities, and most importantly, in themselves. Each class were than tasked with writing their own original verse for the song entitled ‘Building Up!’. The whole school then gathered together on Friday 30th June to perform our new and unique school with everyone joining in the chorus and each class singing their individual verses. It was an incredible celebration of coming together, diversity and identity and a wonderful finale!

 

Music Mark

We are very proud to be continue to be a Music Mark School. The Music Mark is awarded by the Music Subject Association in recognition of the value that St. Mary of the Angels places on music and for ensuring pupils are able to access and engage with a high-quality music education. It also recognises our dedication to offering and delivering a broad and balanced curriculum.

Safer Internet Day: Tuesday 7th February 2023

Safer Internet Day is an event organised by the UK Safer Internet Centre, which aims to promote safe, responsible, and positive use of internet technology. For Safer Internet Day 2023, the theme is “Want to talk about it? Making space for conversations about life online”. It’s very important to provide young people with a safe space where they can share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences about life online.
 
Using the internet safely and positively is a key message that we promote in St. Mary of the Angels and celebrating Safer Internet Day is a great opportunity for us to re-emphasise the online safety messages we deliver throughout the year.

A special thank you to Amelia, Esteban, Keiyana, Luca and Otsaye, our dedicated team of Digital Leaders, who delivered two special assemblies on the day (one for Foundation Stage / Key Stage 1 and one for key Stage 2).  

Please click on the 'Online Safety' button below for more guidance to help you keep your child safe online including our monthly online safety newsletters.

Secondary Transfer September 2023

Year 6 parents / carers are invited to click here for information regarding secondary transfer.

World Mental Health Day: Tuesday 10th October 2023 

Thank you to all the pupils who took part in our wear yellow campaign at school, in order to raise awareness for World Mental Health Day which was celebrated at school on Tuesday 10th October. All funds raised will go towards supporting the Young Minds charity.

Families and pupils were asked to bring in £1 to go towards this fantastic cause and we are pleased to say that we raised £160.25. 

We thank you so much for your fantastic fundraising efforts.

World Mental Health Day Assembly 

Thank you to Ms Hampshire (QPR) and Ms Jacobs (QPR) and our Mini Vinnies (MV) for a wonderful assembly raising awareness of the good works carried out by the charity Young Minds and shining a light on mental health.

We look forward to the activities planned by our MV on the 17th October in order to raise the profile of wellbeing and pupil voice throughout our school.