HSBC Workshops 5th / 6th July
It was great to welcome Sandra from HSBC bank this week, she visited each class and spoke about the importance of money in our lives. Sandra shared the story of ‘ Fairer Tales’ with Reception class and discussed where money comes from with Year 1.
In year 2 she told the story of ‘ Ed and Bunny Earn Some Money,’ and discussed budgeting with Year 3. Sandra spoke about Gaming in Year 4 and how it can get people into a lot of debt. The children were alarmed to hear that some people spend up to 10 hours Gaming each day!
In years 5 and 6 we learned about the World of Work and the jobs we would like to do in the future. Here are some of the jobs the children chose - Basketball player, Interior Designer, Surgeon, Vet, Teacher, Midwife and Historian. Sandra advised the children to choose a job they will enjoy and that when we earn money, we can make more choices about our future.
Year 6 First Aid Training
21st June
Today Year 6 took part in a Mini First Aid for Kids course. During the session, the children learned how to manage choking, burns, bleeding, breaks and bumps. They also learned how to administer CPR and the Heimlich maneuver.
Well done Year 6!
Mass for Peace and Prosperity for Lebanon
St Paul’s Chapel, Edgbaston
On Sunday the 19th of June, four Year 6 children took part in a Mass for Lebanon at St Paul’s Chapel, Vernon Road, Edgbaston. We listened to the priest who said the mass in both English and Aramaic and we read bidding prayers. Most of the congregation who attended were from Lebanon, Syria or Iraq.
There were also pupils from St Paul’s Girls School in Edgbaston who spoke about their links with Lebanon. One of our Year 6 children also spoke about our Geography curriculum and how we have been learning about Beirut.
It was a very special celebration, and it was lovely to share it with the Lebanese people.
Year 6 Orienteering Competition at Cannon Hill Park
On Monday the 27th of June, ten children from year 6 took part in an orienteering competition at Cannon Hill Park. We were very lucky to have the sun on our side and the children had a wonderful time running around the park. We split up into two teams of five and the aim was to find ten symbols which were scattered around a section of the park. St Paul’s found nine of the symbols and came second. Well done everyone!
Rounders Competition at Newman University
On Thursday the 30th June, ten children from year 6 took part in a rounders competition at Newman University. The children played against five other schools, and we won! Thank you to all the children who displayed such resilience and determination. Teagan was chosen by the umpires as she displayed such skill when fielding – well done Teagan!
A big thank you to Miss Grinnell, Mrs Hatton and Mrs Craddock for preparing the children.
Refugee Week 2022
For Refugee Week 2022, Year 6 were asked to paint some skittles to be installed at a privately-run art gallery in the Jewellery Quarter. As a School of Sanctuary, we are already familiar with the plight of refugees. We also know about the tragic events in Ukraine and sadly, we are becoming aware of the meaning of war. At St Pauls, we will always give a warm and loving welcome to children coming from dreadful situations.
Key Stage 2 Sports Day, 16th June
Tudor Grange Stadium
Years 3,4,5 and 6 had a wonderful afternoon yesterday at Tudor Grange Stadium, Solihull. Each child took part in the throw, high jump, long jump and 100m and everyone gave their best. Miss Lay, who organises the sporting events for the Lumen Christi Academy, praised the children for their resilience, enthusiasm, and behaviour. Well done Key Stage 2!
Our Jubilee Celebrations
Monday 23rd May
Year 6 had a fantastic day today celebrating the Queen's Jubilee. We began the day with an assembly, and it was wonderful to see all the children dressed in red, white and blue. Returning to class, we made a key ring using red, white and blue wool and some of the children made one for their family member. After break, we made a collage of the Queen's head and had scones with cream and jam.
At lunchtime, we had a really special packed lunch in a Union Jack lunch box!
In the afternoon, Gaby, the dance teacher, taught us a Britney Spears dance; she was really impressed with Year 6s moves.
We had a really special day and we sent a card to Her Majesty the Queen.
Year 6 visit to meet the chicks in Reception
Friday 20th May
Last Friday, Miss Concannon and Reception class invited year 6 to look at the newly hatched chicks ; they were beautiful!
Miss Concannon explained that the yellow chicks were female, and the brown chicks were male, some of the chicks even fell asleep when they were being held.
Thank you Miss Concannon and Reception class
Parent Workshop - Wednesday 18th May
Challenge in Maths
It was wonderful to see so many parents ( and grandparents ), attend our year 6 maths challenge workshop. We used this opportunity to complete some algebra activities, and then we focussed on some Year 7 algebra where the children had to simplify expressions.
A huge thank you to all the children who demonstrated excellent problem solving skills.
Amazing Africa Day
The whole school celebrated Amazing Africa Day on Friday the 1st of April, and it really was amazing!. Year 6 focussed on the' Democratic of Congo' and we were so lucky to have some of our parents share their experiences about the country hey are from.
Eugene's mum spoke about growing up in Ghana,and the children asked her lots of questions about school. Mum told us that they had to respect their teachers or they would be punished. Godwin's mum told us about all the lovely beaches in the Congo and how she misses the sunshine. She even brought some photos of Godwin and his siblings when they visited the Congo; Godwin shared these with the class.
Thank you so much to all our parents for sharing their memories about the Congo and Ghana.
Royal Air Force Glider Challenge
On Thursday 17th February, Year 6 took part in a STEM ( Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths ) event supported by The Royal Air Force. The aim of the project was to design, create, test and improve three prototype gliders.
By the end of the challenge, the children were able to identify different forces acting on the glider and gain an understanding of how gliders and other aircrafts take flight.
Arithmetic and Times Tables Workshop
Monday 14th February
Today we welcomed our parents to take part in our arithmetic and times tables workshop. It was an opportunity for the children to share their arithmetic knowledge and to complete a paper with their parent. We went over some of the strategies, and how important it is to show our working. After the paper, we then completed 120 times tables questions in less than 5 minutes; I think the mums and dads were very impressed.
Thank you for coming to our workshop and I look forward to the next one.
Reading Workshop 1st February 2022
This morning, we held a reading workshop for our Year 6 parents and it was wonderful that so many of our parents.
The workshop allowed our parents to understand how we teach reading comprehension at St Paul's, and take part in a lesson with their child. The parents had the opportunity to learn about the reading domains and how important these are to being a successful reader.
Thank you to all our parents and children for working so hard during the lesson.
Whole School Christmas Retreat Day, Friday 7th January
We had a wonderful day on Friday as we spent time thinking about the birth of Jesus and the nativity. During the day, we spent time thinking about this special event and how important it is to our lives. In session one, we focussed on the stable and spent time in quiet reflection thinking about where the baby Jesus was born. We then considered the shepherds and why they were chosen to welcome Jesus into the world. Finally, we thought about the Wise Men and how important they are to the birth of Christ.
It was such a prayerful and reflective day when we had the opportunity to think about the importance of the birth of Jesus.
Maths Workshop for parents and children - Tuesday 2nd November 2021
It was wonderful to have so many parents attend our maths workshop today. The children worked with their parents and used concrete materials to solve problems involving factors.
The aim of the workshop was for the parents to understand how we teach maths at St Paul’s. We began with our retrieval practice questions and then moved onto our lesson objective which was to understand factors of numbers. We worked together to solve some of the questions and then the children worked with their parents to solve more challenging problems.
We will be offering more maths workshops for our year 6 parents and pupils in the new year.
Thank you to all the parents who attended and we look forward to the future maths workshop.
Here are some quotes from our parents who attended the workshop.
‘ I would like more maths workshops as I’m not confident with my maths.’
‘ It was a very effective workshop.’
‘ I thought it was very productive.’
‘ I have gained the experience of watching my child working out problem solving.’
‘ I enjoyed the experience.’
‘ Excellent. I have nothing else to add. It’s helpful.’
‘ I understand now what he has to do and what I need to do at home.’
‘ Love the idea of doing it more often, thank you.’
‘ Excellent idea.’
‘ I understand how my child learns in lessons.’
‘ I have a better understanding of how maths is taught.’
‘ I understand how a maths lesson is taught and that gives me a clearer idea on how to help and support my child.’
‘ I think these maths workshops are a great idea! For both children and parents. We would love to do more.’
Thank you to all our parents for their support.
Mrs Barton, Maths Lead
On Tuesday 19th October, members from BRAVE ( Building Resilience Against Violence and Extremism ) visited St Paul’s to speak to our year 5 and 6 pupils about gangs and extremism. The provider began by asking - What makes a good citizen?
A good citizen
- Respects people and property
- Takes responsibility for their actions
- Is honest and trustworthy
- Cares for others
- Protects the environment
During the day the pupils found out that a gang can be three or more people engaged in criminal activity. The pupils learned how gangs groom young people to carry out crimes and we discussed ways to prevent this.
We also learned about that extremist groups target young people online and we discussed ways to keep safe online. The pupils could identify three people they could speak to if they were worried about gangs, extremism or online safety.
We ended the session with reminding ourselves what a good citizen is, and that we shouldn’t be half-hearted when faced with gangs or extremists, we should be fearless and say No!
Here are some quotes from the Year 6 children
' I learnt that you should never join a gang no matter what. Even if they say you need to don't. If you know about it and you didn't report it, you are part of it.'
Elora
' I learned that even a little favour can get you in a lot of trouble. I also know not to share private information and always tell someone what has happened.'
Scarlett- Roze
' I learned that gangs like to target and trap people into doing their bidding. They lure people in and make people do things that get them into a lot of trouble.'
Tamari
' Gangs have 3 or more people in them and do criminal activity. They can easily manipulate you to join their gang by buying you what you really want with 'their' money. Extremists are people who take things too far.'
Paanya
' A gang is not about looks, it can be people of any age.'
Jamie
' Anyone could be in a gang and try to take advantage of you to transport drugs or weapons and you need to question everything.'
Michal
' I learned that people in gangs don't have a specific look so be careful. I also learned that young children are very vulnerable.'
Muirede
St Paul's Refugee Pilgrimage - July 2021
Pope Francis has asked us to go on a special journey and to think about all the refugees in the World today. He asked us to ‘ walk alongside ‘ the refugees who are forced to make very dangerous journeys to find safety and a better life. We chose special areas in school where we could stop and reflect on the life of a refugee and the problems they face.
Station One
Here we stopped to think about where refugees are coming from, and we learned that people are leaving these places because of war and fighting.
Station Two
At this station, we learned that one in nine people will go hungry, and this is one of the reasons people leave their homes. They move away to find a better way of life, yet some people question their right to seek better lives for their families.
Station Three
One of the major causes for people leaving their homes is persecution due to religious beliefs, viewpoints or ethnicity. When people leave their homes, they no longer have their nationality or identity yet in God’s eyes, we all share the one true identity – as his children.
Station Four
The children imagined that they had to flee their home because of fighting. They could only pack a few belongings into a small rucksack, and they didn’t know if you would ever return home.
Station Five
As the refugees travel to other countries, some family members are left behind. This might be because they are too weak or there is not enough money to pay for the passage ; some get lost or even die on the way.
Station Six
At Station Six, we heard the devastating story of when, in 2013, a boat carrying 500 refugees from Eritrea and Somalia, sank off the island of Lampedusa. Only 151 people survived.
A local carpenter on the island met some of the survivors he then collected some of the wreckage of the boat. He made crosses from the wreckage for the survivors as a symbol of hope for the future.
At St Paul’s, we understand the difficulties which refugees face every day. We pray for them and know that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.
Year 6 Leavers' Assembly
On Monday 19 th July, Year 6 celebrated their Leavers' Assembly in the school playground and lots of parents came to watch. The children began with a poem about the last year and how they have shown strength and resilience during this time. They then read a letter to their friend, thanking them for their help and support during their time at St Paul's and they remembered all the good times ( and some sad times too ).
Charlie shared the story of Oscar Romero who, when faced with difficulty, showed strength and courage. The children presented their parents with a Romero cross and thanked them for all they do. Mrs Damms then presented each child with a St Paul's hoodie, it was a lovely afternoon and one which the children will remember for a long time.
Good luck and God bless Year 6 !
Year 6 Leavers' Disco
Year 6 had a wonderful leavers' disco on Thursday the 15th of July. We were so fortunate that it was a glorious day, as the children were able to dance and play on the field. Later on we had pizza, chips and ice cream. The children dressed up for the occasion and had a fantastic time.
Well done again Year 6!
Year 6
Leavers' Mass
On Thursday 15th July, Year 6 celebrated their Leavers'Mass at St Paul's Church. Father Barry spoke about growing up and the importance of choosing the right friends. He also spoke about trying our very best and using all the talents God has given us.
Father Barry presented us with a Good News Bible and bookmark and he asked us to leave the bible open at a different page each day.
Ciaragh read the beautiful poem, 'Footprints in the sand' as our Communion Reflection.This poem tells us that Jesus is with us every step of the way, through the good and bad times.
Confirmation
On Thursday the 1st of July, we celebrated the sacrament of Confirmation at St Paul’s church. It was a wonderful evening when Father Barry reminded the children of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and how these will guide them as they move on to secondary school. The children where fully prepared for the sacrament and chose Saints who demonstrated these gifts.
Well done Year 6!
On Monday 28th of June Deacon Owen, from the Diocesan Vocations Office visited Year 6 to discuss vocations to the religious life. He began with this quote from St Catherine of Sienna.
‘ If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire’. This means that each and everyone of us is amazing, unique and special. A vocation is who we are; it is God’s plan for us to be the happiest we can be.
The children also learned about Nuns, Deacons and Priests and how the religious life is bringing Jesus to us today. Deacon Owen asked the question, ‘ Do you think Jesus calls you?’ Year 6 replied by saying,
‘Jesus calls each and everyone one of us to be loving, caring and compassionate to all we meet’.
Immaculate Conception School Beirut, Lebanon
During the summer term Year 6,along with St Paul's Secondary School Birmingham and Saint Vincent De Paul Primary Liverpool, established links with Immaculate Conception School Beirut, Lebanon. This was a fantastic opportunity to learn about the lives of children living in Beirut and to share experiences.
In preparation for this, Year 6 learned about Lebanon in Geography. We focussed on the countries which border Lebanon, the climate, culture and sadly, the explosion which happened in Beirut on the 4th of August 2020. We learned how devastating this explosion was and the impact it had on the pupils and staff of Immaculate Conception School.
On Friday 7th of May, we met up with the schools over zoom to share our experiences and learn about their life in Beirut. We also shared some information about our lives in Birmingham.
The children of Year 6 have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Immaculate Conception School and realised that, even though we live so far away, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ.
Here are some quotes from our Year 6 children about the experience.
Esther
I have learnt that the children in Beirut had difficulty in adjusting to the new way of learning after the explosion, it was very hard for them, not only was their school destroyed they had lost many of their loved ones.
I think the Zoom meeting was an amazing idea to share our support and love, to understand how people felt about what had occurred.
Jamin
I learnt that the children in Beirut are struggling due to an explosion, however they have a smile on their faces everyday as they continue to do their Zoom lessons. I learnt they celebrate lots of days.
I was surprised that they are very similar to our school and do lots of amazing things. I enjoyed learning about the school over Zoom.
Olivia
I learnt about the children in Beirut, they have only recently had an explosion that was caused by dangerous chemicals that were stored incorrectly. The explosion injured many and even left people homeless.
During the Zoom meeting, I felt excited to be learning about the other schools and what The Immaculate Conception did after the explosion. It was also very interesting as I got to learn new things and what other schools do.
Rotan
I liked the Zoom meeting because they each had a chance to speak about their school.
Lizzie
I learnt that the children in Beirut speak Arabic and they also eat Lebanese food. They did not have enough electricity in school due to the explosion.
I felt nervous because I have never met people who speak Arabic but I learnt a lot about their country.
Max
I have learnt that the children in Beirut are brave because of the massive explosion that happened on the 4th August 2020.
On the Zoom meeting with other schools, I was surprised, because I thought that I had already learned enough about the school but I learnt more.
Leah
I felt happy and amazed because I was happy to see other schools and I was amazed about what has happened in Beirut.
Oliver
I felt excited about the Zoom meeting because we got to know a lot about each of the schools. It was very nice to see Sister Marlene on the meeting as well. We also got to show our school to the other schools which I felt proud about.
Heaven
I learnt that the children in Beirut have school that has a primary and secondary so their school is huge. They also celebrate holidays like Lebanese Freedom Day.
I felt excited about learning about a new place that I didn’t know much about. I was also excited because I was meeting someone who saw the explosion in real life.
Sian
On the Zoom meeting, I felt like I wanted to know more about Lebanon and what the children are doing to help.
Ciaragh
I felt that the Zoom meeting with the other schools were fun. I learnt a lot about the other schools and I would totally do it again. It was nice and I liked speaking to the schools that were further away.
Jordan
I was excited, as we got to see and hear about the children in Beirut and in different schools.
Brooke
I felt excited that I could finally meet them and see and listen to what it is like at their school; at the same time, I was nervous that they wouldn’t like our school or our presentation. Apart from that I really enjoyed the time we spent together. I hope the Year 5s will be able to do this too.
We even had a Lebanese food tasting afternoon.
HSBC workshops, 1st of July 2021
On Thursday the 1st of July, the UK Education team from HSBC bank delivered two online lessons to our Year 6 children. The first lesson, Sporting Chance, explored how easy it is to get carried away spending money. The children considered a trip to Wembley to watch a match, but had to think about all the added extras such as transport, food and tickets.
In the afternoon, our lesson was called ‘ Going Digital’. The session discussed how more people are using cashless payment methods in society today and looked at how things are paid for, without physically exchanging money. It also taught the children more about credit cards debit cards and managing a bank account online.
Here are a few quotes from Year 6.
‘ I learned that you can buy things cheaper if you shop around.I liked this lesson because I know the value of money’. Ciaragh
‘ I learned that saving money and having a budget is important’. Esther
‘ I learnt that saving your money is important and you shouldn’t waste it’. Jewel
‘Even though the price of the tickets are cheap, the overall cost of a day at Wembley is a lot of money.’ Harley
‘ I learned that money is a resources that can’t be wasted.’ Shay
‘ I enjoyed learning about money because you have to be careful what you buy’. Oliver
‘ I learned the value of money and how age is important because you spend more money when you are older.’ Leah
‘ I have learned to keep on a budget to save money’. Max
‘ I learned how to spend money wisely and it was fun’. Beau
‘ I have learned the importance of saving money and how to save it’. Heaven
Year 6 Vocations Afternoon
On Monday 28th of June Deacon Owen, from the Diocesan Vocations Office visited Year 6 to discuss vocations to the religious life. He began with this quote from St Catherine of Sienna.
‘ If you are what you should be, you will set the world on fire’. This means that each and everyone of us is amazing, unique and special. A vocation is who we are; it is God’s plan for us to be the happiest we can be.
The children also learned about Nuns, Deacons and Priests and how the religious life is bringing Jesus to us today. Deacon Owen asked the question, ‘ Do you think Jesus calls you?’ Year 6 replied by saying,
‘Jesus calls each and everyone one of us to be loving, caring and compassionate to all we me
Whole School Retreat Friday 11th December
The Nativity
On Friday, we had a wonderful retreat day which focussed on the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and the birth of the baby Jesus.
We began by looking at the Annunciation and how Mary felt when she was chosen to be the mother of Jesus. Mary was just an ordinary girl who loved God and that is why she was chosen.
The children then gained an understanding of how difficult it was for Mary when she travelled to Bethlehem from Nazareth, which was over 90 miles away. Joseph wanted to make sure that Mary had a safe place to have the baby Jesus, eventually found a stable, not a palace for a King.
We produced some fantastic artwork and spent time reflecting on the Nativity and the importance of Jesus in our lives.
