Some of the Year 4 children made their First Reconciliation yesterday evening – they were a little nervous initially but came away from their chat with Fr Bill full of smiles. We were all so proud of them!
Y1’s Christingle Celebration
Year 1 explored the story of the Christingle and created their own as part of our Advent preparations. We began by learning about Bishop John de Watteville, who shared the first Christingle with children in his village to teach them about God’s promises.
Through the story, we discovered that:
- The orange represents the world, created by God and full of goodness.
- The red ribbon wrapped around the orange symbolises God’s love encircling the world.
- The four sticks symbolise the four seasons, and the treats on them remind us of the gifts God provides.
- The candle signifies Jesus, the Light of the World, shining in dark places.
The children thoroughly enjoyed making their own Christingles, carefully assembling each part and reflecting on its meaning. We concluded our lesson with a special Christingle Celebration of the Word, where we shared the story of the Christingle and talked about how we can share God’s love with others.
The flickering light of the candles reminded us all of the importance of kindness and hope, especially during this season of Advent.
Year 5 Celebration of the Word
Well done to all the children in Year 5 for leading our Celebration of the Word this week. It was wonderful to have time to reflect on this special time of year – a time of waiting in joyful hope. You all spoke clearly and sang so beautifully. Well done! 
Whole School Celebration of the Word
Year 4 enjoyed sharing their class Celebration of the Word with parents so they decided to share it with their peers in school as well.
Y4 Youth Village Retreat
We arrived safely at the Youth Village with everyone in high spirits. The Youth Ministry team welcomed us, then we met the other schools and got to know them with some ice breakers. The children were put into teams with their friends plus some children from other schools. The evening meal was lovely then we got settled into our lodge (Bishop Ambrose). There was a fun filled night with lots of high jinx and eventually we all settled down to sleep.
After a breakfast of fruit, yoghurt and toast we headed to base camp to complete a carousel of activities.
The theme of the retreat for the Jubilee year is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’.
Pope Francis asked people to make 2024 a year of prayer and preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year, with the theme ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. The opening of the Jubilee Door marks the beginning of the Jubilee Year. The children will consider how God opens doors in our lives, encouraging us to ‘Ask, Seek, Knock’.
In the carousel of activities, the children enjoyed a selection of craft, social justice, chapel, outdoor, and team building challenges. They explored what ‘hope’ means for us, each other, our communities, and the world as they completed their Pilgrim Passport!
The lunch was amazing. Here are the children tucking in. Spot our surprise visitor!
The children enjoyed some free time before our nature walk.
We had a bracing walk through the woods then played football and rounders.
Our next activity was an Escape Room.
After the activities, the children watched a movie then went to bed. No high jinx tonight just 27 tired children and 2 tired teachers. Silence!! Everyone was super organised this morning – bags packed, beds stripped, breakfast eaten.
There was a final activity where the children shared their ideas about what a planet they designed might look like.
Our last photograph before leaving the Youth Village! A great few days was had by all!
Feast of St Bede
To celebrate the Feast of Saint Bede, some of our wonderful Year 5 and 6 children wrote and led an assembly all about our patron saint. The children did a fantastic job of researching key facts and writing their own script. They also collectively wrote a prayer to St Bede which they shared with everyone, alongside some beautiful artwork inspired by El Salvador crosses.
First Holy Communion Day
Some of our Year 4 children made their first Holy Communion this morning. It was a wonderful Mass – the Catechists had prepared the children well, the church was filled with families and friends, the children read beautifully and looked amazing! Everyone was so proud of them!
After Mass, the children made their way to the church hall which had been decorated with beautiful artwork, prayers and cards made by their St Bede’s family. The children then tucked into their First Holy Communion breakfast and continued the celebrations at home with their families.
May Procession
On May 1st, we held our May Procession in honour of Mary. The Mini Vinnies led the celebration, with children from each class bringing flowers to place in the vases on the focal point dedicated to Mary. The children shared a reading, prayers, a litany, sang some beautiful hymns, and one of the children crowned Mary with a lovely garland of flowers.
Year 4 singing and signing The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)
Year 4 learnt how to sing and sign ‘The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours)’ using British sign language (BSL) when we were at the Youth Village at the end of April.
Here they are performing it at the Youth Village.
Year 4 singing The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours) using BSL
Y4 at the Youth Village
We arrived at the Youth Village and were greeted by beautiful sunshine! The children have settled in really well and have been well fed. They have completed a couple of activities so far and have had fun playing out.
Here they are having fun:
The children had a good night sleep but woke up to hailstones this morning! We’ve had all weathers today – hail, rain and beautiful sunshine!
The boys helped with washing up the breakfast dishes then we played a few games.
This morning, the children completed a carousel of activities including making gratitude bracelets for someone they’re thankful to, a team building activity, getting creative with art and learning to sign the Our Father.
After lunch, we walked to the woods to explore and enjoyed being out in nature.
We squeezed every last drop out of the day with more fun and games around the lodges. They must be tired now??!!
Another super day on Friday – a few more photos to share:
