Dear Parents
As we approach the end of the first half-term of this year, I wanted to start with a heartfelt thank you and well done! At Cardinal Newman, we are immensely grateful to our whole parent body for your great support and solid engagement with home learning in such difficult circumstances. No-one imagines it has been easy – in fact, we know very well that it has been enormously challenging for many of our families, but we are so pleased to have got to the end of this half-term with only one bubble closure in school and 100% of our families at home engaging positively with the remote learning. This is not the case in many schools and we know that this strong foundation of parent support will enable our children to come back to school more engaged and more prepared to learn than most around the country. Thank you for all your investment in time and hard work towards ensuring this!
There is a great deal of discussion in the media about “catch up” and “mental health concerns.” It is, of course, true that there will be some impact on our children from 8 weeks out of the usual school routines, but it is important that we don’t fall into the trap of lowering our expectations for our children. At Cardinal Newman, it was clear in September, even after almost 6 months out of school, that in almost all cases, our children quickly bounced back from the social and emotional difficulties related to lockdown and simply enjoyed playing chase around the playground or chatting with their friends once again. Similarly in academic terms, our children needed some support with writing stamina or specific misconceptions, but the excellent family support with their school learning at home meant that they were not lagging behind their year group expectations and were quickly able to make up any lost ground. When school returns fully in March, we will of course be ready to support with any specific issues for our children, but we expect to see a similarly positive picture. Children are incredibly resilient and their amazing brains simply take on the challenge! Let’s go!
This half-term holiday will see the start of Lent on Wednesday – Ash Wednesday. Both of our parish churches are open for Mass on Ash Wednesday and there is also a Children’s Ash Wednesday Liturgy being livestreamed. Do talk to your child about the start of Lent and our preparations for Easter – they may have some ideas about what you can do as a family to prepare spiritually for the joy of Easter. It is difficult to think about “fasting” when we have already given up so many freedoms, so it may be worth considering what you could take up as a family instead. There are many suggestions both in our parish newsletters here and online – one priest from our diocese is doing a daily countdown to Lent which may be of interest. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5B0RF8H1Uc Or perhaps consider fasting in a different way - I heard again the other day Pope Francis’s words in a 2017 Ash Wednesday sermon and thought that they bear repeating:
A Lenten Challenge
Fasting
Fast from hurtful words and speak kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.t
Pope Francis (Ash Wednesday 2017)
In school we will be marking the start of Lent with Collective Worship – a Lenten Liturgy – on the first Monday back at 8:45am, led by RE Lead Mrs Emma Sharp. On the Friday of the first week back (26th February), we are inviting all children in Years 4, 5 and 6 (whether in school or not) to give up their usual main meal on that day and instead share soup and bread as a community - either their family or in the school “bubbles.” We will then donate the money raised to CAFOD. Mrs Sharp will be in touch with more information after half-term. Also on that first Friday, Fr Bill and some Year 6 children will be leading Stations of the Cross at 11am from the school chapel – this will be live streamed and we hope you will be able to join us for a few moments of prayer and reflection as we prepare for Easter.
On a somewhat different note, the Parent Association are keen to give our children an opportunity for social interaction while we remain in lockdown and they are organising a “Virtual School Disco” on Friday 26th February – please see the flyer here for more information about this. It is a lovely way for the children to have fun together and for the Parent Association to raise a little bit of money for the school. Thank you to the PA for all your efforts with this! After the success of the new computers for the IT Suite, we are hoping to raise PA funds towards the tiered seating in the new school hall. As you will have seen, the hall project continues apace and we are still hopeful that it may be ready for use early in the Summer Term! Watch this space!
Thank you once again for all your support for your children and for the school this half-term.
Wishing all of you a lovely half-term break.
Catherine Burnham
