September 2024

School Mission 

We are excited to share our revised school mission statement! After consulting with parents, staff and children about what is most important to our school, we have revised our mission statement that shows what we believe and what we aim to do together.

 

Dougie Mac Coffee Morning

On Friday 27th September, the school community gathered together for a wonderful coffee morning in aid of the Dougie Mac. Thank you to all parents and carers for the cake contributions and for joining us today to raise money for such an important charity. Thank you to all the helpers and Mini Vinnie children. We collectively raised £319.70 between this, donations and the cake sale. 

 

 

 

 

Family Mass

On Sunday 29th September we celebrate our first family Mass of the school year. Our parish loved welcoming all of our children and families. Our children were really proud to share in the ministries of the Church. 

Our School Prayer

Our discipleship team worked with the children and staff of  our school to write a new school prayer to reflect the mission of our school. We were very excited to to share it.   

 

October 2024

Harvest Mass 

On Wednesday 2nd October, the school gathered together to celebrate our Harvest Mass. Thank you for all the very generous donations. All donations have now gone to the Stoke-on-Trent Foodbank where we know they will be greatly received.

Dear God,

We pray for all in the world today who are hungry. Please help us to play our part in making the world a fairer place for all.

 

Creation Day

On the feast of St Francis of Assisi we celebrated the season of creation with our creation dress up day. We also gathered together for the Autumn Onelife music live stream. The children all sang beautifully as they reflected on the most wonderful gift of creation that God has entrusted to us.

In Pope Francis message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2024, he encouraged us to seek to live "a life that becomes a song of love for God, for humanity, with and for creation, and that finds its fullness in holiness."

Combined Schools Mass

Our children represented St Mary's beautifully at the Combined School Mass at St Gregory's Catholic Church. This is an annual gathering where all the Catholic schools and colleges in North Staffordshire gather together to celebrate Mass. 

Rosary Club

Our discipleship team have been leading a rosary session on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning during the month of October. Such a lovely way to start the day. 

 

One Million Children Praying the Rosary

We responded to Pope Francis' call to join together as one Catholic family as one million children, around the world, prayed a decade of the Rosary for the intention of world peace. Our Minnie Vinnies led the school beautifully! 

 Newman Collegiate Vocations Mass

Members of our Discipleship Team attended our Newman Catholic Collegiate Mass for Vocations today at St Joseph’s church. After Mission Sunday, this mass perfectly celebrated vocation and how we are called to serve.

 

Living Out Our Mission 

All of our children thought about what it means to live out our Mission.  The hearts are displayed around the school and demonstrate their thoughts.

“Many hearts, one accord - in God’s love, we grow and learn together to build the kingdom of God”

Please take time to look and read these when you are next in school.

Here are just a few!

The Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child Appeal

Our Discipleship Team delivered an assembly to introduce The Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child appeal.

The children promoted the charitable outreach to the school community and asked for filled shoe boxes to be brought into school so that they could deliver them to a drop off point in early November.

 

November 2024

Remembrance Day Parade

Members of our school council along with Mrs Statham and Mrs Rathbone represented St Mary's at the Remembrance Service in Stoke. It was a very humbling and beautiful service to be part of and we all felt very proud to be there.

Our Remembrance Tree

It is so lovely to see our remembrance tree filling up with prayers for loved ones who are no longer with us.

This tree will be in place for the whole of November for anyone wishing to send a prayer in.

 

Operation Christmas Child

At the end of last term, the Minnie Vinnies and Discipleship Team launched, ‘Operation Christmas Child’ by delivering an assembly to the whole school. They told the children all about the incentive which will brighten up a child’s Christmas whilst also letting them know that they are loved.

The children set the school a challenge to beat last year’s donation of 46 boxes; the children were looking forward to working on filling a box over the half term break, at home with their families.

Last Monday, members of the Discipleship Team and the Minnie Vinnies had the pleasure of delivering the boxes to the collection point. St. Mary’s rose to the challenge and the children were able to take 58 filled Christmas boxes along with them this year to go off to our brothers and sisters around the world. Great job St. Mary’s, you have worked hard to follow our term’s Catholic Social Teaching focus of ‘Preferential option for the Poor’- we are already looking forward to finding out what will we achieve next year!  

 

December 2024

 

Advent – One Life Music Livestream

On Friday 6th December, our school community gathered in the hall to join Dan and Emily from One Life Music. They helped us to mark the start of the Advent season with wonderful singing, signing and prayer.

Year 3 Christingle Inspire Workshop

Year 3 led a beautiful child-led prayer session to begin the inspire workshop. They taught their parents all about the Christingle and its meaning. Then they had lots of fun making a Christingle each. Many parents supported the workshop - thank you!  

Advent prayer reflections

During the season of Advent, each class has led an Advent prayer reflection. These have been a beautiful way to hear how some of the ancestors of Jesus prepared the way for him using the tradition of the Jesse tree. Each class also added a special colour or item to the Christmas tree helping us to remember the true meaning of our preparations during Advent.   

Parishioners Christmas Lunch

Our discipleship team welcomed parishioners from St Mary's Catholic Church into the school and served them their Christmas lunch. They then had the pleasure of watching the Ks1 nativity play which they thoroughly enjoyed.   A lovely way to serve and support our Parish!

Father Hudson Reverse Advent Calendar

The Discipleship Team on behalf Father Hudson’s Caritas, asked our pupils and their families to donate toiletries to be distributed to the homeless, refugees and asylum seekers over the Christmas period.

We were overjoyed with the response; they have now been forwarded to Father Hudson. Thank you to everyone who donated.

Blessing of the Bambinelli

Bambinelli Sunday is a beautiful tradition that was started by Pope St. John Paul II and is celebrated on the third Sunday of Advent. Traditionally, thousands of people visit St. Peter’s Square in Rome, bringing their Baby Jesus figurines from their nativity scenes to be blessed by the Pope.

In honour of this tradition, each child created their own bambinelli to be blessed by Father John during our final Mass of the term. These were then taken home to ensure that Baby Jesus was present in all of our homes and hearts this Christmas.

“Advent is a time of waiting for our Lord, who will visit us all in our hearts. The Lord is coming! Let us wait for him!” Pope Francis.