St Bernard's - A Specialist School

What a busy week it's been across the school! Otters have been taking part in the NSPCC's Speak Out. Stay Safe. programme with Buddy. Through stories and group discussions, the children are learning important ways to help keep themselves and others safe. This week, Otters explored personal boundaries and OK touch, helping them understand that their body belongs to them and that they can speak out if something doesn't feel right. Well done, Otters, for listening, sharing and taking part so thoughtfully!

Learning about Belonging Earlier this week, some classes used the book All People Are Beautiful to explore St Bernard's School values. The focus was Belonging. We talked about what belonging means and what it looks and feels like in their class and school community. To finish the activity, children wrote a sentence inspired by the book A lovely opportunity to celebrate how everyone belongs and is valued at St Bernard's.

The votes are in... now it's almost time for the results! Voting Day may have passed but the excitement isn't over yet! Our pupils have had their say and voted for who they would like to represent them on our School Parliament These are important roles, giving pupils the opportunity to share ideas, represent their classmates and help make a positive difference across our school. A huge well done to everyone who put themselves forward and took part in the democratic process. Now all that's left is to find out who has been elected this week! Good luck to all of our candidates!

The installation of our new fence in EYFS and KS1 area sparked lots of curiosity among the pupils this week. It was wonderful to see their inquisitive nature, enthusiasm and excitement as they watched the work unfold! And there's more to come! We'll soon be having a new ground surface installed, providing another exciting opportunity for the pupils to explore and learn as the improvements take shape.

Wear Yellow for Mental Health! This Mental Health Month, we're inviting our whole school community to wear yellow on Friday 9th October to show that no one should face mental health challenges alone. Let's brighten up our school, start positive conversations and remind each other that it's okay to ask for help.

Happy Monday from the EYFS and Key Stage 1 team! We are ready to learn, play and have fun! Our learning environments are all set up, with so much to explore, discover and enjoy. We can't wait to see where the children's curiosity and imagination take them this week!

HARVEST FESTIVAL FOOD COLLECTION As part of our Harvest Festival celebrations, we are collecting food donations for Louth Food Larder. Every donation, big or small, will help support people and families in our local community who need a helping hand. Together, we can make a difference! Please donate what you can and help us spread the word by sharing this post with friends and family. Thank you for your kindness and support!

St Bernards was delighted to welcome Mayor Karen Parsons for a special Q&A session with our students. The students had the opportunity to ask a wide range of questions and learn more about the Mayor's role. Their questions covered everything from whether she knows the Prime Minister to how she plans to serve and support our local community. We also had a valuable discussion about the importance of student voice and making sure that young people have opportunities to share their views and feel that their opinions are heard. A big thank you to Mayor Karen Parsons for taking the time to visit us and answer our students' questions!

Join us for our Macmillan Coffee Morning-come along, enjoy a cuppa and a slice of cake and help us raise money for a wonderful cause!

Introducing Our School Values Following our recent review, we're delighted to introduce our school values: Communication, Aspirational and Belonging. These values reflect what matters most to us and the kind of school community we want to nurture for every child. Communication We promote honest, respectful and kind communication so that everyone feels heard and understood. Aspirational We encourage every child to aim high, believe in themselves and work towards being the best they can be. Belonging Our school is a community where every child feels welcomed, valued and included. Together, these values will guide how we learn, grow and support one another, helping every child to feel that they belong, that their voice matters and that they can achieve their very best. We're excited to bring our values to life across our school community!

Exciting developments in EYFS! There have been lots of exciting changes taking place in our EYFS provision, with new equipment to explore and familiar faces stepping into new roles within the team. Our mud kitchen has already been put to very good use and it's certainly living up to its name! There have been plenty of muddy hands and lots of fun along the way. It's wonderful to see the children making the most of their new resources and enjoying opportunities to learn, explore and play together. And we're not finished yet... there are more exciting developments to come!