With Christ at our side to guide us,
we shine in all that we do.

Switch Off Fortnight

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In Eco Club this week, we learnt about the different types of energy we use in our daily lives. We discussed the energy we use in our school and in our homes. We found out that energy is needed for heat and light and thought about the appliances and devices that produce heat and light.

We learnt that burning fossil fuels releases the gas carbon dioxide (CO2). There are 500 million trucks and cars around the world all releasing CO2 into the air. This warms up the Earth, which causes the polar ice caps to melt and more extreme weather to occur like hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis.

We found out that using too much energy, like electricity, is expensive and harmful to the environment. We teamed up with the School Council to take part in Switch Off Fortnight, encouraging everyone in our school to switch off lights, appliances and devices when we are not using them. We are encouraging everyone to save energy to protect our common home.

We made posters to be displayed around school to promote the event, and our school councillors led an assembly to tell everyone about our campaign.

BBC Children in Need 2025

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BBC Children in Need is a charity started by the BBC in 1980, which raises money to help make a difference to children who need some support. People across the country raise money for the charity every November.

BBC Children in Need support children who might:
• have a disability;
• have a life-changing illness;
• live in poverty;
• be separated from their family;
• care for someone in their family.

In Mini Vinnies, we talked about the things that we might take for granted that other children may not have. We discussed how helping those in need is an important part of who we are as Christians and that by doing this, we are following in the footsteps of Jesus.

We teamed up with children from Year 6 to bake lots of tasty baked goods to sell at our annual Bake Sale in aid of BBC Children in Need. We sold raffle tickets to our friends and gave away some great Pudsey-themed prizes. The children had a wonderful time at our Bake Sale and enjoyed lots of Pudsey activities throughout the day.

Together, we raised over £350 to support BBC Children in Need!

Mini Vinnies Prayers for Peace

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November is a time of prayer and remembrance for our lost loved ones.
After attending our Remembrance Day assembly, our Mini Vinnies reflected on the impact of the two world wars and the conflicts happening right now all over the world. We discussed the importance of peace, forgiveness and reconciliation.

We remember all the soldiers we lost in World War I and World War II as a result of conflict. We talked about the power of prayer in communicating with God and forming a deeper relationship with Him. We wrote prayers asking God for help to bring peace and heal our broken world. Some of the children shared their prayers with the group and we added them to our Prayer & Reflection Area.

Key to Life Foodbank Harvest Appeal Total

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Thank you to all of our families and parishioners for your kind donations to our Harvest Foodbank Appeal to support the Key to Life Project. Together, we have collected 351 items to support local people in need! Our Mini Vinnies are so proud to be helping to feed people in our local area.

We have decided to keep our ‘Donation Station’ open all year round and we hope to make many more donations to The Project throughout the year!

Key to Life Foodbank Assembly

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Our Mini Vinnies Leadership Team led an assembly this week to share their learning about the Key Project in South Tyneside. They explained that helping to feed families in our local area helps us to live out our school mission. They spoke about our Catholic Social Teaching principles and explained that we can show solidarity to the poor and vulnerable in our local area by sharing what we have with them. The children appealed to their friends for donations towards our Harvest Foodbank Appeal.

Key to Life Foodbank

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Our Mini Vinnies have been learning about the good work of the Key Project in South Tyneside. The project is made up of a team of around 40 dedicated volunteers who give their time to help the poor and vulnerable in our local area. The project has recently seen a 310% increase in the number of referrals and are now feeding over 16,000 local people every year.

We set up a ‘Donation Station’ in our school reception and have appealed to our school community to donate tinned and dry food to help support local people. The children made informative posters to be displayed around our school to inspire people to give what they can to help the poor and vulnerable.

Exploring Our New Sensory Space

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In Eco Club this week, we spent time in our new sensory garden, a special space filled with herbs and flowers of many colours, textures and scents. Surrounded by the beauty of nature, we reflected on how spending time outdoors can help our mental health and wellbeing. We were reminded that God created a wonderful world for us to enjoy, and that noticing these small but special gifts helps us feel calm, grateful and close to Him.

We explored the different plants by gently rubbing the leaves to smell their unique scents and shared which colours, scents and textures we enjoyed the most.

We reflected on how nature helps us to feel calm, peaceful and thankful to God. We thought about ways we can use the garden to pause, pray and appreciate God’s creation.

Big Beach Clean Up 2025

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As part of our Plastic Pollution Project, children from Eco Club and the Mini Vinnies worked together to care for God’s creation by taking part in a litter pick around our local beaches. After learning about the harmful effects of plastic pollution, we were inspired to take action and make a positive difference. Our mission was to prevent as much litter as possible from entering our seas.

We invited Lydia from the Waste and Recycling Visitor and Education Centre to lead the event. The children learnt all about the impact of plastic pollution on local wildlife and the negative effect it has on the environment. They kept a tally of the different materials they found scattered along our  beaches and worked out that the most common pollutant in our area was plastic waste.  The children explored the importance of recycling and properly disposing of waste.

In our Jubilee Year of Hope, we are proud to be working together as stewards of God’s creation, and we hope our efforts encourage others to join in protecting and preserving our beautiful planet.

Planting in Our New Garden

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As part of our call to care for God’s creation, inspired by Laudato Si’, we planted colourful flowers in our new garden planters. By planting and caring for our flowers, we are helping to make our school environment more beautiful for everyone to enjoy. We hope they will inspire our school community to notice and appreciate the wonder of God’s creation all around us.

We learned how caring for nature is part of our mission as Stewards of God’s Earth. Stewardship reminds us that God has entrusted the Earth to us, and we must look after it with love and responsibility.

We built our gardening skills by preparing the soil in our new garden planters and planting bright, colourful flowers. We certainly found plenty of worms along the way!

 

© 2026 Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust.