Term 4 2018-19

News in School

5th April 2019

I’m a Spring Chicken. I’m having a ball!

Easter 1

Lent Devotions 2-3

Class News 4-9

Sport 10

PTA/Music 11

PTFA news 11

Term Dates & Forth coming

events

12

Inside this issue:

What a fabulous finale to a most wonderful term in school. To-

day’s Easter Eggstravaganza was fabulous! The whole school Easter Bonnet Bonanza was truly spectacular. Thank you to

everyone who supported the event, making our Easter Bonnet parade the largest in Sleaford (or at least to our knowledge). It was great fun and smiles were abundant throughout—so it was a

definite success. I hope that you all enjoyed helping your chil-dren make their bonnets. I realise that the wonders on offer to-day took a lot of time and thought to create. I hope you enjoyed

working with your children on this shared project and the event gave you the opportunity to prioritise sharing time together—a

commodity which is often stolen from us, in the busy lives we

lead!

On behalf of all the staff and governors have a Happy Easter

and enjoy the holidays!

Our Lady Of Good Counsel

To assist with your Easter planning and arrange-

ments, please make a note of the Parish Easter pro-

gramme.

9th April Good Friday Walk of Witness: 10.45 am, assemble in Station Road; short service in Market Place

Celebration of the Lord’s Passion: 3.00pm 20th April Easter Vigil and First Mass of Easter: 8.00 pm

21st April Easter Sunday Mass: 10.00 am

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Primary School

The Drove, Sleaford NG34 7AT

Email:office.admin@our-lady.lincs.sch.uk Website:www.our-lady.lincs.sch.uk

Parish Mass Times

Lent Devotion - the Stations of the Cross

Page 2 Term 4 2018-19

The 14 stations of the Cross commemorate Jesus Christ's last day on Earth as a man. The 14 devotions focus on spe-

cific events of His last day, beginning with His condemnation. During Lent, the stations are commonly used as a mini

pilgrimage where, at each station, we recall and consider the specific event from Christ's last day. This year, in

school, our Key Stage 2 classes have led our Stations of the Cross liturgies. They did a wonderful job in assisting us

all to pray for the suffering that Jesus endured. The Stations of the Cross are especially important on Good Friday

as it is the day of the year upon which the events actually occurred. I hope you find this child friendly presentation

of the stations useful in your family's Lenten journey.

1. Jesus is condemned to death. Jesus w as accused of m any cr im es he didn ’t commit. He didn’t de-

fend himself. He knew he needed to die for our sins.

Prayer: Jesus, I often get defensive when I know I did something wrong. Help me be honest. I also don’t want

to be a tattletale or accuse others of doing wrong.

2. Jesus accepts the cross. The cross w as big and heavy. It w as hard for Jesus to carry it. Jesus

carried the heavy cross without complaining once.

Prayer: Sometimes schoolwork or jobs at home are hard for me and I complain. Jesus, please help me not to

complain. I want to keep trying, even when I find something hard.

3. Jesus falls the first time. Jesus w as already badly w ounded w hen he fell the first tim e. It m ust

have hurt very much. Jesus got up and kept on going.

Prayer: When we don’t succeed in school or when we lose a sports game, it can make us feel defeated. Jesus

was hurt but never defeated. Jesus, I want your attitude of hope and victory even if I am not succeeding.

4. Jesus meets his mother. Jesus knew that his m other w as sad to see him suffer ing so much.

But he was so happy she came to him. Mary loved Jesus very much.

Prayer: Our parents love us very much, and sometimes we don’t let them hug us and care for us because we are

mad or sad or don’t want them to see us in trouble. Jesus, I thank you for my parents and their love for me.

5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus. Sim on didn ’t come to help Jesus but to see what was going on. Then he

was ordered by the soldiers to carry the cross because Jesus was having such a hard time.

Prayer: Sometimes I don’t want to help my friends or brothers and sisters or parents when I am told to. Jesus,

help me know that when I do help others, it is like

helping you. I want to be kind and helpful.

6. Veronica wipes Jesus’s face. Veronica loved

Jesus very much. When she stepped out to wipe his

face, she risked getting in big trouble from the sol-

diers. Her love and kindness overcame her fear.

Prayer: Jesus, I want to love you like Veronica. Help

me to be brave and love others who are unpopular.

7. Jesus falls a second time. Jesus fell again

because he was so weak and tired from all his wounds.

He still didn’t give up. He got back up and continued

on.

Prayer: Think of something that makes you feel weak,

something that is hard for you to do. Ask Jesus to help you with this.

8. Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem. A lot of people w ere against Jesus, but a lot of peo-

ple followed him. They were his faithful friends.

Prayer: Help me to be a faithful friend. When my friends are going through a hard time or are being made

fun of, I want to help them and be a true friend.

9. Jesus falls a third time. It’s unbelievable that Jesus fell again and the soldiers didn’t help him. They

only yelled louder for him to get up and continue on. Jesus didn’t get mad at them; he forgave them.

Prayer: Sometimes people say or do hurtful things to us or don’t help us when we need them. Jesus, help me

to forgive everyone like you did. Help me not to get angry or hold a grudge against someone who has hurt

me.

10. Jesus is stripped of his clothes. To be w ithout clothes in front of everyone is a humiliating

thing. Jesus wasn’t ashamed because he knew his Father in heaven loved him and everyone who was there.

Prayer: Jesus, I want to know how much you and the Father love me, so I will never be embarrassed or

ashamed.

11. Jesus is crucified. The soldiers drove nails through Jesus ’s hands and feet. They lifted up the

cross and put it in place. Jesus was in a lot of pain.

Prayer: Many people suffer pain every day from being sick, hungry, poor, and because of war or natural dis-

asters. Jesus, please comfort everyone who is in pain today.

12. Jesus dies on the

cross. W hen Jesus died,

the sky got dark and the

ground started to shake.

This made some people very

scared. They saw that Jesus

was innocent and that they

had made a big mistake.

Prayer: Jesus, help me to

admit when I make mis-

takes. Help me to say I’m

sorry. Thank you for al-

ways forgiving me. I love

you, and I want to do the

right thing.

13. Jesus’ body is taken down from the cross. Joseph of Ar im athea gave Jesus his ow n burial

cave because Jesus didn’t have a place to be buried. Joseph was another one of Jesus’s friends who took a

risk to help him.

Prayer: Sometimes it is risky to step out and help people who are in need. Jesus, I want to be a risk-taker

and help others. Give me love and courage.

14. Jesus is laid in the tomb. Even when things look very difficult and sad, there is alw ays

hope that God can bring new life.

Prayer: Jesus, I believe that you died and rose from the dead so that I could have new life. Thank you!

Special Visitors in Reception

Once again, Reception class have had a very busy

term! The start of the term saw the class looking

after a group of baby chicks, learning how to handle

and care for these tiny new birds and learning lots

about the life-cycle of a chicken. Later, the return of

the sunshine and warmer weather has meant that

the children have been eager to spend much more of

the days outside, allowing lots of time and opportu-

nities for insect hunts and improving their gardening

skills. Many children have been creating homes for

ladybirds and earwigs, discovering that ladybirds

much prefer to have

green leaves and grass

in their habitats, rather

than old, brown leaves!

The class were also lucky enough to discover that

a female blackbird has chosen our outdoor shelter

as a safe home for her future chicks, weaving a

perfectly formed nest which we have been making

checks on each day in anticipation of any eggs!

Some children have also spotted a male blackbird,

some blue tits, and a

few pigeons on their

birdwatching adventures. The class have also got

lots of fun and excitement out of some plain card-

board boxes, which they have used as rockets,

slides, caves and writing areas, showing just how

inventive their imaginations really are!

Page 4 Term 4 2018-19

News in School Page 5

Year 1—Spring is in the Air!

As you can see, Year 1 I have been en-joying practising their bat and ball skills in the spring sunshine. The chil-dren thoroughly enjoyed working to-gether to develop their accuracy when playing ball games.

In science the children have secured the knowledge of the senses and expe-rienced what life would be like if they couldn’t see very well by being blind-folded and walking around the school. The children experienced a variety of feelings from being excited that they

couldn’t see (so it was a mystery), to being quite nervous because they couldn’t see. All are developing into great scientists and have produced excellent dia-grams of the eye. Year 1 particularly enjoyed guessing what food they were eating when they couldn’t see and then when they also couldn’t smell the food. You will have to ask them what they discovered!!!! The children also proved themselves to be great listeners as they were able to identify a variety of sounds around our world.

During CLJ, year 1 have been learning about Neil Armstrong, the first astro-naut to land on the moon. They have been fully engaged in this subject and enjoyed increasing their learning about the moon and associated facts. They have also been learning about identifying different features of the world, in-cluding the United Kingdom, from satellite pictures. This has really captivat-ed their attention as they try to identify land, sea, mountain ranges and Capi-tal Cities.

In RE Year 1 looked at Lent and how they could show Je-sus that they love him, by making promises, either by giving up something they en-joy, or doing something extra for someone. Holy Week is the Year 1 special focus at the moment, as they learn about Good Friday and more importantly Easter Sunday, and celebrating, He is Risen.

Page 6 Term 4

Year 2—It’s all about me (or them)! This term the children have been on a journey of self-

discovery, learning all about themselves. In Science,

they’ve learnt about how humans are made and the

different stages and changes of their growth. They

demonstrated this beautifully too in our Mother’s Day

celebration. They’ve also looked at life cycles of other

animals, including butterflies, frogs and not forgetting

the cute chicks that they saw hatch. In English,

they’ve explored and written traditional tales allowing

them to learn about right and wrong choices and

good and bad characters. In Maths they’ve discovered

fractions of shape and number, worked on their multi-

plication and division methods and reviewed their ad-

dition and subtraction skills. For CLJ, the children have learnt about different types of homes in the UK

and enjoyed a virtual walk of the streets via Google maps. They also learnt about different types of hous-

es in other countries. They’ve topped this off by designing and building their own small igloos, mud huts

and tipis out of a range of materials. In History, the children have found out facts about Margaret

Thatcher as a famous figure coming from our local area of Grantham and explored their own history in

creating their family trees. Within Art, the children have done a wonderful job of creating their own self-

portraits, exploring realism and proportion in our facial features. Don’t forget World Book Day too.

Phew! What a great term it has been!

WORLD BOOK DAY—EVEN MORE JAW DROPPING

News in School Page 7

A REAL LIFE AUTHOR INSPIRES OUR YOUNG WRITERS Not only were the children engaged with reading dur-ing World Book Day, but were totally enraptured when the 'real-life' author - Eamon R Reilly - came to visit the school! It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to listen to him read his creations and talk about his characters, bringing them to life. After he had finished sharing his stories, the children were able to ask questions about how authors create their stories, settings, plots and characters: he gave them tips of how to improve their writing of stories! Having returned to school a couple of days later, the chil-dren received signed copies of the books they had bought. It has certainly inspired a number of future authors in school!

Year 3’s— Gods and Godesses It has been another busy term in year 3, with all the excitement of swimming lessons, An-

cient Greek theatre and cooking. Not to mention the Mother’s Day and Easter events to

plan for and take part in. The children have made fantastic progress in their swimming

lessons and really made the most of this opportunity to develop an important life skill this

term. We have also worked hard in English and maths, writing traditional fairy tales with a

twist and learning how to tell the time. In RE, we have had the chance to think all about

giving and how we can become more giving people, through our Lenten topic. I hope

the children have managed to stick to their pledges at home! In science, the children

have carried out several investigations to find out about the effect of exercise on our

muscles and breathing, which they have enjoyed a lot. They have also completed their

group projects and given advice on healthy living through healthy eating and exercis-

ing.

This week also sees the end of

our Ancient Greece topic,

which has provided so many

interesting opportunities for

learning, such as making Greek

theatre masks and rehearsing

an Ancient Greek play and

baking Greek Easter biscuits –

not an ancient recipe, but very

traditional for the Greeks to eat

at this time of the year.

Next term will bring new topics,

new learning opportunities and

new experiences, but for now

everyone in Year 3 wish you all

a very happy Easter and a

wonderful break.

Year 4 & 5 Get all poetic! Year 4 children have been inspired this term to get their crea-

tive writing juices flowing. As part of their English learning

this term they have been reading

and writing narrative poetry.

They have very much enjoyed

reading and listening to a range

of story poems including the Li-

on and Alber by Marriot Edgar.

In maths the learning has

stretched their thinking too as

they have been revisiting tell the

time and learning to convert

time to and from 12hour and 24

hour clock. As well as calculat-

ing with time too. A tricky skill as

it is based on ‘base 6o’ rather than

the usual base 10 we are all famil-

iar with using. The children have

done brilliantly. Under the guid-

ance of our Carre’s sport coach

the children have also enjoyed playing tag rugby. A game of

skill and strategy which definitely develops a team approach.

Page 8

Year 5 pupils have been writing their own poetry, based on known classics-

The Jabberwocky, If, Leisure and Charge of the Light Brigade. They have

also written stories based on the science topic of Space.

This term has been very creative for year 5. They have been looking at the

styles of several artists from both Europe

and America- Paul Klee, Leonardo da Vin-

ci, Andy Warhol and pop art. Look at their

excellent art!

The highlight of the term has been per-

forming with the Sleaford Strings on the

stage at St George’s Academy. Everyone

was so impressed at how they counted

their rests, came in on time and strummed

perfect chords with quick changes. An ex-

cellent term!

Page 9 Term 4 2018-19

Year 6 are Busy, busy, busy! Throughout this last term, Y6 have once again been extremely busy! Hearts racing, palms sweating, not a breath to be heard was the start to the English topic! Tensions were running high, with the children literally sitting on the edge of their seats, needing to know the end of the story in the video, which has been the driver for their narrative writing. Amazing vocabulary and use of figurative language was used to describe the setting, including the beauty of the Aurora Borealis, the character and the plot; each child created an al-ternative ending to the narrative, to explain what happened to the main char-acter! (Y5 will have to wait until next year to watch it!) To end the term, the children have been researching significant scientists who they have been studying throughout their science lessons: Linnaeus, Newton, Edison, Anning, and Curie. Bringing English and Science together, they have created very de-tailed and informative biographies about their chosen scientist.

Using the Linnaean Classification System in science, the children have been classifying all living things from plants and animals to bacteria and fungi. The children are eagerly awaiting the results of their scientific investigation to find the best conditions to grow bread mould!

Other activities include World Book Day, E.R.Reilly author visit, Mother’s Day celebrations and of course the Easter Extravaganza!

Year 5 & 6—Going it alone

Year 5 & 6 are looking forward to their forth coming residential trips. Year 5 will be challenging them-selves and working as a team at the PGL Caythorpe centre whilst Year 6’s are looking forward to being part of the first Our Lady residential trip to London. They will be visiting the Houses of Parliament, en-joying a trip to the theatre. Just two of the highlights of this tremendous trip. How Exciting!

Sporting News

News in School Page 10

As always Mrs Allen had been busy leading with our PE and sport provi-

sion this term with Carre’s coaches supporting year 4 and 6 to develop

their skills in the game of tag rugby, Mrs Allen has been leading all classes in the devel-opment of a gymnastics routine which has improved everyone’s balance, coordination

and posture. The children have been polishing their routines and great progress has been achieved over

the term.

In addition we have had a number of children represent the school in competitions/festivals. Our Dance

club did and amazing job as this year’s Sleaford Schools Dance Festival held at the Girls High School.

With the support of NKArts, and Mrs Allen’s dedication, the performance was perfect. Although, I imag-

ine that the High school are still trying to get rid of the last sparkles of glitter left behind by the team.

Year 4 pupils took part in the try golf competition

held at Rauceby Golf club. Well done to them and

our rowing team too!

My ‘Magnificent’ Marathon Challenge! When we return from the Easter Break we are embarking on a whole school ‘get moving’, ‘get-fit’ challenge.

We are aiming to enable the whole school population to run a marathon. Obviously, this will not involve run-

ning 26 miles in one go, but instead Mrs Addington and Mrs Allen will be presenting open running clubs. Mrs

Addington will be leading the daily morning mile club and Mrs Allen will head up a daily after school running

club.

As you know, keeping active is the key to good health and longevity. We are always hearing the health warn-

ings in the news connected with childhood obesity. Not to mention, excessive use of electronic gadggets re-

ducing the time children now spend in active play. So, we hope this challenge will encourage everyone in

school to get moving.

We will be presenting the event as a inter class challenge. Children will be issued with a marathon score card.

For each mile completed the card will be stamped. At the end of the term we will review all the score cards

and the class who have run/walked the greatest distance (calculated as an average per pupil in the class) will

receive a sports based class reward. This will be an off site event fully funded by the school as a reward for

the children’s achievements.

I know that running—for non-runners—can be a daunting thought. The challenge is aimed at us increasing

our activity levels. For some that will involve walking the 26miles, some will jog and other will challenge

themselves to increase their daily mile speed. Where ever the children sit in the scale we are very much hop-

ing that they will be excited to take part. Mrs Addington and Mrs Allen will be commencing both clubs on

Tuesday 23rd April.

With a year now passed since the current PTA reinvigorated our inter-est in school fundraising it is essential to thank you and them for your phenomenal support for the school and its pupils. It has been a brilliant year with so much to enjoy. The most recent events—todays film club, ast month’s Bingo night and the Valentine’s Disco are just a taste of the wonderful events organised by this super team

Mr Kevin Skeith—Chair Person

Mrs Irene Kwasenska—Deputy Chair Person

Mr Nick Spolton—Treasurer

Page 11

A busy year for the PTA —THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

Planning is currently well underway for this year’s Family Fun Day being held on Satur-day 13th July. Please mark the date in your diary—it is set to be another brilliant day. Ahead of this we have a Horse Racing Night to look forward to as well as the end of term

film club events.

The PTA will be keeping you up to date with forthcoming events and information in a range of ways. Keep a watch on the notice board, located to the left of the playground

entrance gate. Notices and posters will be inserted here.

Letters will be sent via the school, text round and email for those parents signed up to electronic correspondence BUT the best way to keep in touch is to view the PTA facebook

page at ???????

Please remember that the PTA are always looking for a new members of just helpers to assist with each event. If you can help please get in touch with the PTA or contact the

office and we will pass your details on. Thank you.

Year 5 Ukulele Band do us proud

As you know children in Year 4 and Year 5 access instrumental tuition from the Lincolnshire Music Ser-vice, as part of their weekly music lesson. In the first half of the year Year 4 were learning about percussions instruments; learning about been and rhythm. They were led by Mrs Carter to play Samba drums as part of a percus-sion ensemble. For the second half of the year they are learning to play the ukulele. Year 5 have al-ready enjoyed learning to play the

ukulele in the first half of the year and took their skills and talent along to the Sleaford Strings Concert event held at St George’s. They played ’Sweet Alabama’ as part of a folk band accompany-ing guitars, violins, keyboards to mention just a few of the instruments involved. It was an incredi-ble performance and the children really did show case their talents and put Our Lady’s on the local musical map. Well done everyone and thank you to Mrs Whiting for her support!

Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic School A Voluntary Academy

PLEASE REMEMBER THE SCHOOL DAY STARTS AT 8.55am

— It is essential that children arrive in good time and

always before 8.55am, when the whistle is blown to

mark the start of the day. Late arrival impacts on the

efficient start of the school day and your full support is

Term Dates 2018-19

Term 5 –Tuesday 23rd – Friday 24th May

Term 6 -Monday 3rd June—Friday 19th July

Pupils return to school Tuesday 23rd April 2019

Dates for your Diary

23/04—First day of term 08/05—Whole School Mass 11/05—PTA race night (tbc) 20/05—School trip to Magna 22/05—Y2 Liturgy 24/05—Last day of term 13th May KS2 SAT week 17/06-19/06—Y5 to PGL 27/06—Sports day 08/07-11/07—Y6 to London 19/07—Year 6 Mass and Celebrations

Our Breakfast and Little Flowers After School Clubs offer daily wrap around care. Bookings can be made directly through your ParentPay accounts, with same day bookings available though the office. Children arriving for Breakfast Club are able to enjoy a wide range of tasty breakfast treats (£3 per session). Children attend-ing After School Club are provided with a light snack and a range of fun activities. (£6.95 per session.)

Wrap Around Care 7.45am-5.45pm

Don’t forget to continue with your Lenten pledges over the holidays, right

up until Easter! All the money we raise will go to supporting CAFOD. Mrs

Higdon will send out a letter in the first week of next term as reminder to

pop the pledge money you’ve raised into school so we can count it up and

send it off so support those less fortunate than us.

Extra Curricular Clubs . Details for next term’s after school clubs have been published separately, please complete and return the re-ply slip to the office if your child would like to take part in any of those on offer. All clubs commence week 2 with the exception of Year 5 puzzle club which will start Wed 24th April. KS1 clubs finish at 4.05pm and KS2 at 4.10pm