A Wonderful First Half Term at St Mary’s
As we reach the end of our first half term, I have been incredibly proud of all that our children have achieved. It has been a wonderful start to the year, filled with exciting learning opportunities, acts of service, sporting success and the continued strengthening of our federation partnership with St Francis' Catholic Primary School, Goosnargh.
From Active History lessons in Key Stage 2 and Anglo-Saxon songs, to Mini Skills Athletics and outdoor learning experiences, our pupils have embraced every opportunity with enthusiasm and determination. It has been particularly pleasing to see children from St Mary's and St Francis' coming together through federation events, building friendships and learning alongside one another.
A real highlight of the term was our visit to Abbeystead Estate as part of the Learn Moor outdoor learning programme. Children from both schools worked together to complete six exciting outdoor activities, developing teamwork, resilience and confidence whilst learning about the natural environment. The day became even more memorable when pupils had the opportunity to meet Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Princess Anne. What an honour it was for our children to represent their schools and share in such a special occasion. Seeing pupils from both schools learning and achieving together was a wonderful example of the strength of our growing federation.
Our Year 3 and 4 pupils also enjoyed taking part in Mini Skills Athletics with children from St Francis'. The event showcased excellent teamwork, determination and sportsmanship, and it was fantastic to see pupils encouraging one another and celebrating each other's successes.
Our Catholic faith has continued to be at the heart of school life this half term. We have enjoyed celebrating Little Way Week, reflecting on the example of St Thérèse of Lisieux and her belief that small acts of kindness, love and service can make a big difference. Throughout the week, our children were encouraged to think about the little things they can do each day to help others and show God’s love. It was lovely to know that children at St Francis' were also marking Little Way Week, giving both schools another opportunity to share in our common faith and values.
We are also incredibly grateful for the generosity shown by our school and parish community in supporting CAFOD this half term. As part of their learning about CAFOD World Gifts, the children explored how their actions can make a real difference to families around the world, particularly by helping communities gain access to fresh, clean water.
To bring this learning to life, the children at St Mary’s took part in a water bucket challenge. Working together, they experienced what it was like to walk carrying buckets containing around 10kg of water. This gave them a real sense of just how heavy and difficult this can be, particularly as we reflected on the fact that for some children around the world, collecting and carrying water is part of everyday life and the water they collect needs to last them throughout the day. It certainly made us all stop and think about something that we can so easily take for granted.
Inspired by their learning, we raised a wonderful £60 to help families gain access to fresh, clean water. Our total also included a very kind donation from one of our parishioners who wanted to support the children’s fundraising. We are incredibly grateful for this generosity and for the wonderful example it gives our children of our school and parish community coming together to help others and put our faith into action.
Our commitment to helping others has also extended to our Harvest collection, with families donating over 20kg of tins and food items for the Garstang Food Bank. These donations will help support local people facing hardship, and we thank everyone who contributed so generously. Pupils have also learnt a new harvest song in preparation for Mass, helping them to reflect on the importance of gratitude and sharing what we have with others.
This term has also seen our Year 6 pupils receive their prefect badges. They have embraced their new responsibilities with pride and are ready to lead by example across the school. Alongside this, our newly formed School Council has begun its work, ensuring that pupil voice remains at the heart of school life.
Finally, we are delighted with the transformation taking place in our EYFS outdoor area. The new environment is already looking fantastic and will provide exciting opportunities for exploration, creativity and active learning. We are eagerly awaiting the finishing touches and cannot wait to see our youngest children enjoying this wonderful new space.
As I reflect on everything that has happened in just one half term, there is so much to be proud of. Whether learning in the classroom, working alongside our friends at St Francis', competing in sport, exploring the outdoors, helping others or living out our faith through acts of kindness and service, our children continue to impress us with their enthusiasm, compassion and willingness to get involved.
Thank you, as always, for the continued support of our families, parish and wider school community. Together, we have enjoyed a fantastic start to the academic year, and I hope everyone has a happy and well-deserved half-term break. I look forward to welcoming everyone back for another exciting half term at St Mary’s.
I’ve strengthened the ending slightly so it feels more like a genuine end-of-half-term message from you as Headteacher, rather than simply a list of activities. The CAFOD section now also connects the children’s learning, practical experience, fundraising and faith into one story.
