Our first ever Shakespeare Fortnight here at St. Mary of the Angels saw the pupils spend the first two weeks of Term 2 studying the works of William Shakespeare. Each Key Stage took part in an exciting range of learning activities including drama, art, discussions and debates which resulted in some fantastic pieces of work. One of the many highlights of the project was the collaboration between our Upper Key Stage 2 classes and our youngest pupils in Nursery and Reception who delved into the romance and tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Key Stage 1 studied A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Lower Key Stage 2 studied Macbeth. Thank you to everyone who came to see the work for themselves when they joined pupils and staff at the wonderful Shakespeare Exhibition which took place after school on Thursday 15^th November. To find out more please click on the document link below. 

• Shakespeare Fortnight & Exhibition [pdf 4MB]

Thank you on behalf of our team of Mini Vinnies to everyone who wore something bright to school today and made a donation to CAFOD. Together we raised £230! Our team of Mini Vinnies will be writing to pupils and parents/carers after half term to share more about their pledge to help our school community to continue to turn concern into action. Click here to find out more how CAFOD is supporting the people of Indonesia after the recent tsunami. 

Heavenly Father, You hold the whole world deep in your heart. Sharing our pains and burdens. Delighting in our joys and successes. We offer you our prayers – both spoken and unspoken – and ask you to hear us as we pray for others around your world. Amen.

Over the course of the school year we will be choosing a different language every month to celebrate in school. The pupils will be learning key phrases in the chosen language throughout the month and some facts about the country/countries which speak the language. We will be encouraging the pupils in our school who speak the chosen language to help teach their peers and teachers and so be ambassadors for their language.

We would love for parents/carers to be involved in our celebration of language and culture and so we will be asking families to share photos, stories, artefacts, prayers, artwork, dances, music, traditions etc. each month. 

We are delighted to announce that our first ever ‘Language of the Month’ for the month of October is Tagalog (Filipino) which is spoken by 85,000,000 people worldwide, primarily in the Philippines where it is the main language spoken. 7% of pupils in our school speak Tagalog as their first language which makes them the second largest group after those who speak English as their first language (just over 50% of pupils).

If you would like to learn some Tagalog at home, please visit Newbury Park Primary school’s fantastic ‘Language of the Month’ Tagalog language page by clicking here. You can explore other languages by visiting http://www.newburyparkschool.net/langofmonth/

Corum Life Education’s ‘Life Bus’ will be parking up outside the school this Friday in preparation for our class and parents, sessions next week. The fun and engaging life skills sessions are aligned with the National Curriculum and support the school in deleivering aspects of the curriculum for Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE) and Citizenship.  The pupils will get the chance to meet Harold the Giraffe (the puppet also know as ‘Healthy Harold’) and friends, have discussions and watch short age appropriate films about healthy eating, legal and illegal drugs and their effects, the body and how it works, friendships and their influence, and how choices and behaviours can affect dreams and aspirations.  Click here to see the programme overview and find out more about the sessions for each year group. Parents and carers are warmly invited to come and experience the wonder of the Life Bus at 3pm on Tuesday 22nd May. 

This term Class Q has been very busy learning about life ‘Under the Sea’! During their class assembly, the pupils shared with us the story of ‘Rainbow Fish’ who learnt from the octopus and other wise sea creatures that it is important to share with others. The pupil in Class Q, like the octopus in the story, are very wise and told us that if we ever need a gentle reminder of how to show kindness and love, we can turn to Jesus whose example we try to follow each day in all we think, do and say. Finally, Class Q reminded us through song that we can always count on them which is great to know. Thank you Class Q!

• Science Week Showcase 22 March 2018 [pdf 5MB]

We are delighted to be part of the Classical Spectacular Project again this year, in partnership with The Royal Albert Hall. The project kicked off on Friday, 23^rd February, with Year 3 pupils in Class JD taking part in a music workshop with members of Albert’s Band, a group of professional musicians from The Royal albert Hall.  The pupils and staff were treated to a wonderful performance of some popular classical pieces of music and found out lots of interesting information about the various instruments being played. They were then given the opportunity to play one of the instruments and the band members worked with groups of children throughout the morning to learn a peice of music. At the end of the morning, Albert’s Band and the newly formed 'Band JD' performed their ensemble piece to Key Stage 2 pupils and staff. For many of the pupils in JD, this was their first time ever playing an instrument in front of a large audience and they were amazing! The audience greatly enjoyed the performance and showed their appreciation with a wonderful round of applause.

The project continued when members of our School Choir attended The Royal Albert Hall on Friday 16^th March for a matinée performance of Classical Spectacular. The show presented a combination of the very best classical music, led by conductor John Rigby, and state of the art technology including stunning lasers, fireworks, canons and special effects. The two combined captivated the audience who were introduced to composers such as Wagner, Holst, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, and Elgar. The audience was encouraged to clap and sing along to proms favourites such as ‘Land of Hope and Glory’, ‘Nessun Dorma’, ‘Rule Britannia!’ and the ‘1812 Overture’. All the members of the choir and staff agreed that they were so lucky to have seen such a rousing and unique performance of classical music which they will always remember.

Class R have been very busy this term learning all about ‘Helping Hands’. During their assembly they shared with us all they had learnt about the people in our lives and in our community that lend us a helping hand in so many different ways including police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, teachers, vets, taxi drivers, bus and train drivers, postmen and women, builders, paramedics, our families and Jesus. The key message was that everyone is unique and different but we all need a helping hand!

It was wonderful to hear the pupils in Class R share with us the jobs they woud like to do when they are grown up. We all joined Class R in thanking God for all those who help us and to ask Him to help us to always show kindness to all around us. 

An update from Miss Wakely

'The girls played so well as a team today. I was so proud of them for representing Westminster. in their bespoke red 'Team Westminster' shirts which are theirs to keep. Our team played against the top teams from all the other London boroughs so it was a very competitive tournament.  Our girls played well and with such a positive attutude. Mrs Da Sousa and I are very proud of the whole team.  Our team didn't qualify for the finals on the day but played to the best of their abilities. I am sure the squad will get a special mention at Friday's assembly and Mrs Da Sousa and I are looking forward to awarding our 'Woman of the Match' award.'

Thank you to all the pupils and staff who joined in the fun of our  World Book Day parade on Friday 9th March. The pupils are always excited to see the books the staff have chosen and, once again, they did not disappoint. Foundation Stage staff kicked off the parade dressed as characters from Allan Ahlbergh’s ’Burglar Bill’, while Key Stage 1 decided on Jon Scieszka’s ‘The True Story of the Three Little Pigs!’ and Key Stage 2 staff chose ‘Peter Pan’.  Once we finally managed to get the staff off the runway, the pupils proudly paraded in their costumes along with their book. Our judges this year - Miss Hulands, Mrs Etingen and Mrs Lucchini - had the unenviable task of choosing their top three from each class but after much debate they finally came to a decision.  All those chosen paid a visit to Waterstones in Notting Hill to choose a book to keep and to select some books for the book corner in their class. Click on the link below for a list of winners. 

• World Book Day Winners 2018 by Class [pdf 214KB]

Class JJ’s assembly on Wednesday 7^th March was inspired by the pupils’ love of reading. All gathered were treated to a superb action-packed retelling of Peter Pan. It was wonderful to see how much thought and preparation had gone in to the acting, costumes and narration; it is obvious that Class JJ are a great team as everyone had an important role to play. They even managed to weave some tap dancing and music recitals into the performance which was very creative!  The acting was of such a high quality that when Paper Pan pointed to a ship on the horizon, Nursery pupils looked around to see where it was! Thank you Class JJ for  sharing your love of reading with us and reminding us of the most special book of all, the Bible, where the Word of God inspires our daily lives.

The finals of the Westminster School Football Competition took place on Friday 23^rd February and we were delighted that both our girls and boys squads made it through. Both teams played exceptionally well and were supported in true St. Mary of the Angels style by their Year 5 & 6 classmates and staff.  The boys played St. Joseph’s in a very close game which they lost 2 – 1. The girls played Essendine School in an even closer match which ended a draw so went to extra time and then penalties, which are always a tense way to settle a match for players and supporters.  Our girls kept their nerve and won the game and will now go on to represent Westminster in the London Youth Games Finals in Redbridge on 20^th March. Both teams should be very proud of their achievements and for their conduct throughout the tournament. We look forward to hearing of how the girls get on and will keep you posted.

The myUSO website provides access to a range ot online resources to support learning at home and at school.

How to log on

Click on the myUSO logo on the left or go to http://my.uso.im/213-3532 to access the school's myUSO page. At the bottom of the page you will see three login buttons.   

In school pupils can log in by clicking on the blue  Who Am I login and choosing their class, name and then entering their 4 digit pin number. 

At home all pupils must use the green Easy Login option. Usernames and passwords were sent home on Friday 9th February. We hope you and your child enjoy exploring all the resources.

Class P have been learning about feelings and emotions, what they mean and where they come from. During their assembly, they enjoyed sharing all that they had learnt so far. We were reminded that knowing how we feel is important and expressing our feelings and emotions in a safe way helps us to learn more about the people and the world around us and ourselves. Class P clearly love science and were very good teachers as they explained  how the brain processes emotion. 

As always, we learn best by following the examples of others and Class P shared many of the ways we care for those in our school and our familieis who are sad or worried. Most importantly of all, we were reminded of God's promise to us that He is always there for us in times of need or worry; we can always talk to God and look to Him to guide us.  Thank you Class P for guiding us too!

You can read God's Promise, based on a reaidng from the Book of Isiah, by clicking on the link below.

• God's Promise [pdf 223KB]

During Black History Week Foundation Stage pupils read the story ‘Handa’s Surprise’ by Eileen Browne. The story is set in Kenya and we had lots of fun reading about Handa's adventure as she brings a delicious basket of fruit to her friend Akeyo. We had great fun making our own African drums, tasting and drawing fruit that Handa had in her basket, sequencing the events of the story and writing about the cheeky animals that casued Handa so much trouble. To find out if Handa had any fruit left in her basket by the time  reached her friend Akeyo, you will have to read the story. Enjoy!

Pupils in Key Stage 1 enjoyed finding out about the life and work of Mary Seacole. Mary was a nure who was born in Jamaica. During the Crimean War (1854-1856) Mary  paid for herself to sail to the Crimea where she set up a hospital tto care for wounded British soldiers.  Mary even went out in the middle of battles to help others in need. We really enjoyed learning about Mary and agreed that she made a significant contribution to the lives of others and to history.  Click here to find out more about Mary Seacole.

Children in Lower KS2 found out about the life of American Civil Rights Activist, Ruby Bridges. Ruby was born in Mississippi, America and in 1960, aged six years old, she became the first African American student to attend an all-white elementary school in the the south of America. Children in Year 3 and 4  were fascinated to learn about Ruby’s bravery and determination to attend school despite the angry and loud crowds that gathered at the school in protest everyday.  

In Upper Key Stage 2, we reserached the life and achievements of the civil rights activist Rosa Parks .  It was on a US bus in 1955 that Rosa, a 42-year-old black woman,  politely refused to give up her seat to a white man, an act which was against the law  Rosa's life and story inspired others then and still does today. We also read the book "Child of the Civil Rights Movement" which gave us a greater understanding of what being a child was like during this period of history. Click here to find out more about Rosa Parks.  

There was a Roman invasion at St. Mary of the Angels this week when our Year 3 and 4 pupils and staff came in dressed as Romans. Our visitors from Freshwater Theatre Company performed a wonderful show to teach us all about life in Roman times. We learnt about how Romans lived and how their fierce and well equipped armies fought in battle. We found out more about Roman towns and how the weatly Roams feasted! We looked at artefacts such as Roman jewellery and  weapons and some of us got a chance to try on some Roman armour. Through role play we learnt about the life of Boudicca and used Roman designs to decorate the reports we will write about our amazing Roman day. Thankfully, the Roman invasion ended at 3.30pm when all the Romans went home! 

This year we invited Carloyn Gelenter, a specialist in language and communication, to come and judge our annual Book Corner competition.  The criteria was that each classroom should have an area devoted to the love of reading that was creative, imaginative, well organised, labelled clearly and with evidence of pupils' work as well as being cosy and comfortable of course.

It proved to be a difficult task to choose a winner but, after much deliberation, Carolyn eventually chose Class JD's book corner featuring Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon. Carolyn felt it was the class that most met the criteria. 

Carolyn said, 'It was was very inviting with the theme of celebrating women authors embedded in the environment. There was some lovely children's work on display and the books were well organised. In addition it was nice and cosy and had lots of interesting words related to reading displayed within the context of the book corner. Well done Class JD!’

Nursery's Gruffalo Forest and Class JJ's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs themed book corners were highly commended.

Click on the photo of Class JD's winning book corner or the Book Corner tab above to see all of our wonderful book corners inspired by women authors. 

The online booking system for the forthcoming Parent Teacher Consultations is now open. Click here to book an appointment or visit www.parents-booking.co.uk/stmaryangels

More information on how to use the system can be found in the letter below which was sent home on Friday 22nd September. 

A small number of slots have been set aside for parents and carers experiencing difficulties using the system or without access to the internet. Please contact Mrs Murphy in the school office on 02077821993 or via email at reception@stmaryangels.co.uk

Letter re online booking 22 Sep 17

[pdf 548KB]

This week Class P, Class G and Class F each took a pirate themed trip on the Floating Classroom. The children had an amazing time learning about different materials such as plastic, glass, fabric and metal, and investigating which materials float and sink which is quite important if you are thinking of building a pirate ship!.  A trip on the canal was also a great opportunity to think about the responsible way to dispose and recycle these materials to protect the environment.  One way of recycling is to use these materials to make something so the trainee pirates had great fun making their own treasure chests and pirate hats. To complete their pirate expedition the pupils found out what true sailors and pirates call different parts of the boat such as the stern (back),  bow (front), port side (left) and starboard (right) as they enjoyed a trip down the canal to Camden to see the Pirate Castle.  Miss Cox, Miss Percival and Miss Haughey are pleased to report that all were well-behaved pirates and that no one  had to walk the plank! Finally, the pirates would like to say a big  thank you to the parents who came along to help. 

On Wednesday 20^th September, an Olympian visited our school! Kurt Felix is a decathlete who competed in the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games representing Grenada. Kurt won bronze in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and is in London visiting family following a competition in France. Kurt is the uncle of Malachi in Year 6 who was was very proud to welcome his uncle to St. Mary of the Angels. 

During his visit Kurt spoke about the importance of persistence, dedication, commitment and passion when working towards a goal. He told us of his love for athletics as a child and how he developed his skills and mind-set to become a professional athlete. JI and JK were able to participate in a workshop with Kurt where he shared tips on how to improve their sprinting, hurdling and javelin skills.

Kurt is a fine example to all at St. Mary of the Angels of someone who strives to be the best he can be! Thank you Kurt (and Malachi).

‘It was amazing to see an Olympian come to our school. He actually spoke to us!’ - Jonathan

‘It was a great experience to meet an Olympian, and to be able to get his autograph. I loved it!’ - Nicholas

On Friday 15^th September, all of our Year 5 and 6 pupils participated in the the annual Legacy Games organised by Fit for Sport at Westway Sports Centre. The morning was action packed with a range of activities on offer for participants to pratice and develop their skills including javelin, hockey and netball.

In the afternoon session, selected children took part in individual and relay sprints. We were delighted that we came back to school with 2 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. 

All of the pupils who took part were fantastic ambassadors for the school. Well done and what a fantastic start to the sporting year for St. Mary of the Angels!

On Thursday 13th July, members of our girls' football squad were delighted and honoured to meet Prince William as he hosted a reception at Kensington Palace for the England's Women's Football team to wish them luck ahead of the UEFA Euro 2017 tournament. Thank you to Charlotte Edwards, QPR's Football Development Officer (Women & Girls) for inviting our school to take part and to the pupils for representing the school so well. Some of them even managed to score a penalty against the Prince! Memories to treasure forever.

'Thank you for making the school what it is: a peaceful environment, where everyone loves each other and everyone cares for each other. We all feel like one big community of brothers and sisters looking out for each other.'

Message written in a Christmas card to all the staff by a pupil in Upper KS2, Dec 2016