In the run up to the celebration of Pentecost the message the children received this week is that with Jesus and His Holy Spirit we can really be an Easter people, spreading His hope, joy and peace. We see our children doing this all the time in school and we encourage them to take this into their lives beyond school to show others they are symbol of His peace.

Ukraine: 

We have forwarded the ‘Messages of Hope’ that the children wrote for the people of Ukraine; here is a link to the Hampshire Ukrainian Community Facebook page where the children’s work has been shared also – https://www.facebook.com/hampshirukrainiancommunity.

Mission Statement

Later this term we will be organising a day to review the school’s Mission Statement. This will be an important day as it gives all stakeholders in our community the chance to have their say in creating this important statement that will drive the direction of the school for the next few years. If you are interested in having your say, we are asking that you think about the following questions in preparation: Who are we? Where are we going? How will we get there? We will let you know more details closer to the time.

Mr Declan Dixie-Goodwin Headteacher

ONLINE SAFETY EVENT 

A prayer for Ukraine, Russia and peace

O God,
it is your will to hold both heaven and earth 
in a single peace.
Let the design of your great love 
shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows,
and give peace to Ukraine,
peace among nations,
and peace in our hearts,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

This week many of our musicians were able to perform to the rest of the children, and their own parents, in our assemblies. It was fantastic to see how they have developed their talents and their confidence to perform. They impressed the children watching and I’m sure they will inspire new musicians in the future. Well done to all who performed!

Next half term we look forward to meeting the children who will become our new Reception classes in September.
We are holding a series of stay and play events for the children to give them the opportunity to become familiar with the school and the staff.

https://stswithunscatholicprimaryschool.co.uk/reception-2022-entry-virtual-tours/

Thank you to all the parents who attended

yesterday’s celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. It was great to have another event where the school community could get together again. Thank you to the families who provided cakes, and the staff who sold them, they were all sold very quickly. Members of FOSSS also sold school uniform items; a big thank you to them also. The children who played their instruments provided a lovely soundtrack to the day.

Finally, thanks go to Mrs Bacon and Mr Stroud for supporting the children and preparing the music for the day.

Today we had the school photographer in to take class group photos and, as it was a nice day, we managed to take them outside. Keep an eye out for the proofs to arrive so you can order the size of photos you would like. While writing this newsletter I could hear the Year 6’s having a whale of a time while their Leavers’ Photo was taken.

Church News St Swithun’s Church will be running some English classes for the local community to help people to improve their English.

C H A T C A F E !

· ENJOYABLE ENGLISH CONVERSATION PRACTICE
· ADULT GROUPS IN SOUTHSEA
· PATIENT & FRIENDLY NATIVE ENGLISH EFL TEACHER WITH 12 YEARS EFL TEACHING EXPERIENCE
· NEW GROUPS STARTING IN MAY 2022
· WEDNESDAY EVENINGS & SATURDAY MORNINGS
· FUN ATMOSPHERE TEA, COFFEE & BUSCUITS

Please contact Pete Mann for further information about location and timings.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, SEND AN EMAIL TO PETE at pmann35@hotmail.com

Speak to you soon!

In the final half-term of the year we look forward to the Year 6 leavers production, their leavers day out, a reception class trip to the farm, a day where we will review the school’s mission statement and finally to beginning to attend some sports events again!

We wish all our families a restful break, with hopefully some nice weather to enjoy.

Last Friday the children in Year 4 returned to school tired, not as tired as their teachers, but tired and happy! They had a wonderful experience in a beautiful setting and I’m sure being away from home with friends was thrilling for the children too. There were many pictures posted on the school’s Instagram account for you to see. StSwithunscps

Stefan said he had “lots of fun. The teachers were very nice and the activities were all outside with lots of nature”, Elsie said she “enjoyed the teachers dressing up as pirates and the children had to guess who stole the treasure”, James “enjoyed the orienteering on Friday where the children were foxes and the teachers were farmers. The children had to avoid teachers or they would get stamped” and Tia said Stubbington was “a great place to be, the staff were kind, it was all about teamwork, at night we went out and saw badgers and foxes.” All the children agreed they would never get bored while they were there.

As we come to the end of a short but busy half- term we can begin to look back and say ‘it’s beginning to feel normal again’. I’m sure all of us are still feeling the effects of the pandemic, especially lockdown, so we need patience not only with others but with ourselves and recognise that it takes time for us to work through worries and anxieties and feel happy again. A number of children do feel this way in school and we are supporting them. Families do need support too, this isn’t something to be afraid of and a little help can make a big difference to the wellbeing of everyone in a family group.

There are opportunities available for families and sometimes just a quick chat with one of the school’s pastoral team can lead to support being offered. The offer is open to all our families to discuss such needs without judgement or question.

Whilst we are not responsible for the children when they leave school and go to the park, or go if they go there before school in the mornings, there is a growing concern about the behaviour of the children once there. A few staff have mentioned the sometimes destructive behaviour and further issues have been reported by parents about falling out and very silly behaviour. The park is a wonderful resource and we can see the excitement children have when leaving school to get there quickly.

We ask parents, carers and other family members to ensure the children behave sensibly and do not provide opportunities for complaints about poor behaviour from our children.

Sunbeams

You may be interested to know that our pre- school, Sunbeams, is now able to support families with 2-year-old children.

If you or someone you know requires a nursery or pre- school place, please contact the preschool through

email at sunbeams@st-swithuns.portsmouth.sch.uk.