This week we have been learning all about how we are the Church - and not the building. This has been a tricky concept for the children to grasp, but we have talked a lot about how the Church is made up of people who pray to, listen to, sing to and worship the word of God - so wherever we are, if we are doing those things, we are the Church.

We have been lucky enough to have a guided tour of Our Lady’s Church building this week by Fr Frank who helped us to locate some important features of the building that help us in our worship of God.

A busy first week…..Phonics Screening, a Church visit and a visit from the dental nurses!! Busy, busy….

English - this wek has been all about Phonic Screening! The children have all worked very hard, they have all done their best and I am very proud of each and every one of them. Back to normal next week!!

Maths - this week has been all about measures. The children have spent a lot of time comparing objects to see which is the tallest or shortest and have spent time measuring with cubes for non-standard measures, before using rulers at the end of the week.

RE - this week has been all about the Church and what we mean by that. We have discussed the importance of the people, above the actual building. However, we have also been to visit our special Church building and have ensured that the children know the name of our church, its parish and the name of our wonderful priest - which obviously we all do!!

Art - this week the children have continued with their printing theme with Miss Evans.

On the other afternoons this week we have been busy in preparation for Father’s Day on Sunday and Sports Day practices!

Many congratulations to this week’s winners….

Golden Award - Sophia for showing great respect during our Church visit on Tuesday, listening carefully to Father, asking interesting questions and being given the honour of lighting the new Sanctuary candle.

Writing Award - Alix for her fabulous poster all about our wonderful Church. Alix organised all the photographs well and labelled them expertly.

Maths Award - for super measuring work with Miss Evans and Mrs Connolly this week.

General pieces of information

PE will be on Monday and Friday so please send the children into class in the PE kits on those days. No earrings can be worn for PE so please ensure that they are taken out at home.
Trainers - if your children is wearing trainers with laces for PE they must be able to tie them by themselves. This is a health and safety issue - please ensure your child can tie their laces before sending them in lace-up trainers.
Water bottles - all the children were given a new school bottle this week. This will come home each night to be cleaned and re-filled. Please only use the school bottles and ensure your child brings theirs each day. Lost water bottles can be replaced at the school office, but I am afraid you will have to pay for those. Year 1 have orange tops.
I will not be in class on a Thursday afternoon, as it is my release time. This will be covered by Miss Evans and Mrs Connolly and is also when the children will have Music with Mrs Watson.
Party Invitations - I am afraid that Miss Evans and I will not be able to give out party invitations in class. Please do not send your child into class with them for them to give out - it creates upset and fuss about something that takes place outside of school.Thank-you for your understanding with this matter.
Key Rings - please do not put key rings onto your child’s school bag, it create fuss in class and then upset if they are lost.
School bag - please continue to use the red book bag that your child was given in Reception, we don not have the room to store large bags. Many thanks for your help with this matter.
Homework Expectations - please see the Homework page for what I expect the children to do at home…..don’t worry, it’s mainly just reading!! HOMEWORK EXPECTATIONS - YEAR 1 — Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Primary

On Wednesday we had a visit from a team of dental nurses who came to remind the children of the importance of looking after their teeth. The children loved the massive tooth brush and set of teeth that the ladies brought with them! The children will have brought home a sticker chart for them to add to each time they clean their teeth. There are enough stickers for them to add two per day, with 28 day to fill. When they complete the chart they can bring it back into school to receive their certificate.

NHS dentist are tricky to come by at the moment, if you don’t have a dentist for your child, email the office and we can put you in touch with the team who came in to see the children.

At Our Lady's we like to support our parents/carers in Online Safety matters

Keeping children and young people safe online is one of the biggest challenges facing society today and it is all of our responsibility to ensure that children are educated to make positive, informed choices when they are online.

This month’s online safety guide gives helpful advice about…

What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Generative AI Safety This free guide explores the risks and rewards of children using generative AI tools, highlighting dangers such as misinformation, privacy breaches, and reduced critical thinking, while offering essential tips for safe, positive use.

What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Emojis This free guide explores the modern digital language of emojis, revealing how they can subtly shape young people’s communication - and sometimes conceal deeper concerns.

What Parents and Educators Need to Know about Ofcom Media Reports 2025 This special edition unpacks key findings from Ofcom’s 2025 Children and Parents: Media Use and Attitudes Report on children’s digital habits, spotlighting trends in screen use, gaming, social media, and attitudes towards online safety.

We hope you find these guides informative and helpful in promoting the positive use of technology to make the online world a better and safer place for us all. Thank you.

We are delighted to be able to share with you the Good News Gospel readings for families. Please follow the link to share the Gospel at home with your family. These are really child-friendly resources to share at home. https://www.paperturn-view.com/wednesday-word/good-news?pid=MTA101634&v=163.4

Extreme Reading Challenge

Continuing with our focus on reading across school, we have a challenge for the children! Reading is one of the most valuable skills we teach children, and it can be a magical adventure when we bring creativity and fun into the mix. One exciting way to encourage pupils to read is through extreme reading challenges – taking books to unusual places or reading in imaginative ways. Where is the most interesting place you have ever read a book? Whether it is up a tree or on top of a mountain, we want your photos! Your challenge is to take a photo of yourself reading somewhere extreme (but safe!) and send it to school. Please send your photos to admin@our-lady.blackpool.sch.uk so we can display these in school and on our website. We can't wait to see your pictures! Thank you for your support!

As a school, we are always looking for ways to improve children’s engagement with reading and this last half term, more children in Year 5 have been reading regularly as part of our Lent challenge, so during the Summer term, the whole school will be taking part in a reading challenge.

Children will receive a golden ticket each time they read and get their reading diary signed three times in a week. At the end of each half term, during our celebration assembly, we will draw a golden ticket from each class’s box, and one winner from each class will receive a reward.

Please encourage your child to read regularly and bring in their signed reading diary so they can start collecting their golden tickets. Thank you for your support.

Miss Evans will start giving out golden tickets from MONDAY 28th APRIL - your child’s reading record will continue to be checked on their reading day, so their week will run from each reading day ie Tuesday to Tuesday, they they read and change their books on a Tuesday.