This week Nursery have been focusing on the book ‘Don’t Wake up the Bear’. They have enjoyed retelling the story in the bear cave, hunting for bears and thinking about the features of bears in their drawings, painting and loose parts play. They have been thinking about why some animals hibernate in the winter.

Our girls’ football team played their first league games last night, coming away with three impressive wins and just one narrow defeat. The team showed fantastic attitude, teamwork, and determination throughout the evening. For their first outing, they played with confidence and energy, and every player contributed brilliantly. We’re incredibly proud of their effort and can’t wait to see how they continue to grow throughout the season. Well done, girls! ⚽💙

This week, Year 1 took part in a very important lesson all about identity and what makes each of us unique. We were lucky to have a guest speaker join us to talk about racism and why it’s so important to treat everyone with fairness and respect. The children watched a short Sesame Street clip that helped us begin a thoughtful discussion about our differences—such as our interests, families, appearances, and backgrounds. It was wonderful to see the pupils confidently sharing their ideas and recognising that although we are all different, nobody should ever be discriminated against because of those differences. We are incredibly proud of how maturely the children approached this topic and how openly they celebrated the things that make each of us special.

It was wonderful to see so many children and families joining us at mass last Saturday to celebrate our parish feast day of Christ the King.  Several children read beautifully during mass and two of our older pupils did a wonderful job of leading us in the singing of the psalm. Other children helped with the offertory and collections and everyone there sang wonderfully, making it a great celebration for our school and parish community.  In the week leading up to mass, we had spent time making pieces of art to represent the theme of Christ the King and these can be seen here displayed in our church.  These pieces of work, which every child has contributed to, are now on display around our school, where we hope to use them as part of a prayer trail.

Year 6 took part in a workshop on Monday, following our anti-racism assembly.  During the assembly, we danced to some African music, which we took part in enthusiastically.  It was also interesting to learn about what racism can look and sound like and how it can make people feel.  In our workshop, we listened to a rap song with lyrics that helped us to explore this topic further and we had some brilliant discussion.  Our adults in school were extremely proud of our eagerness to engage with the topic, our welcoming approach to visitors to our school and our mature responses in class.  We even asked to have a bit longer in the workshop during our lunch break, which showed just how interested we all were. Well done, Year 6!

Please see the link below to the Wednesday Word.  This is a great resource that explains the upcoming weekend's Gospel in a child-friendly way, with puzzles and activities provided.  We hope you will enjoy sharing this with your children each week and that it will offer a chance for a time of reflection and discussion as well as being enjoyable for you as a family.  https://www.paperturn-view.com/wednesday-word/good-news?pid=MTA101634&v=163.4

On Monday, our class had a wonderful experience that brought learning, joy, and community together. We began the day by attending a fun and engaging assembly filled with lively music and dancing. The energy in the room was contagious, and the children loved joining in, moving to the beat, and sharing smiles with their classmates and teachers. After returning to the classroom, we took some time to reflect through a perspective-taking activity. The children were encouraged to look beyond the surface and learn more about one another. We discussed the many differences that make each of us unique—our backgrounds, interests, traditions, and experiences. The conversations were thoughtful and respectful, offering students a chance to understand the world through someone else’s eyes. We ended the activity by celebrating the diversity within our own classroom. Our differences make us stronger, more creative, and more connected. It was a beautiful reminder that every student contributes something special to our learning community. We are proud of our class for embracing empathy, curiosity, and kindness—and for recognising the value of every voice and story in our classroom.

Play has really leveled up here at St. Alban's, transforming our lunch times. Our new outdoor spaces are inspiring children to explore, collaborate, and discover through hands-on learning. From imaginative games to problem-solving challenges, every day brings fresh opportunities to grow, move, and make memories together.

Today Year 3 deepened their understanding of History by learning how people in the Stone Age lit fires. We had the opportunity to explore how to create sparks using flint, and some of us even managed to light a fire ourselves! We had great fun experiencing this in Forest School and discovering how people in the past survived.

Today we had the opportunity to be involved in a powerful session about racism. We had a wonderful visitor come into school who delivered a fun, engaging and thought provoking workshop to deepen our understanding following our discussions during Black History Month. The assembly began with high energy and music, including learning a dance to some of the music we were introduced to. This celebration of culture encouraged us to be curious, joyful and open minded about others. The speaker also shared their personal story, talking about their background, the challenges they have faced, and racist incidents that have had a lasting impact. Hearing this real life experience helped us understand why it is so important to recognise unfairness and stand up for what is right. We had great fun, learned something new, and left feeling inspired to make positive choices and treat everyone with kindness and respect.

After a whole-school assembly, in which all children got to dance to African music, Year 5 took part in an anti-racism workshop in their class. They played games, listened to music and discussed equality.

Year 4 have enjoyed their first full ukulele music lesson of the half term with Mr. Rudkin.