Liverpool based youth organisation Comics Youth are excited to announce the re-launch of their popular Stay Safe Club initiative – a project designed to help support young people aged 8 – 25 through the intense challenges of living in lockdown during the global Covid-19 pandemic.

See attached Comics Youth Stay Safe Club 2.0 Press Release

Dear Parents/Carers,

This week begins the season of Advent and the important getting ready to welcome baby Jesus. Though school is very different this year, we are going to make this season as special as we always do, but there are some inevitable differences.

Sadly, we will not be having any families into school or church to help us celebrate as a community. We will do our very best to make sure that we share photos, Tweets, etc. of the children so that you still feel part of their school celebrations. There are lots of events planned, so I am setting out when things are happening in school, so you can prepare the children at home.

Monday 30^th November starts off our celebrations with a recording by Father Liam blessing the Advent wreath. Each child will have been asked to think about a way they can prepare for the birth of Jesus by doing something positive or kind for someone else.

Advent is also the season of Posada; this year the children will bring a picture of the travelling crib home with suggestions of prayers and readings for the whole family to share together.

During Advent, the children will be collecting money in each class for CAFOD gifts. On the last week of term, the classes count up their money and together, using the CAFOD site, choose the gifts for others in the world less well-off than they are. This is always a really lovely thing to do and the children always give generously of their own pocket money.

This year our classes will be having their Nativity celebrations as class or year groups to comply with our bubbles. The younger children will still be invited to have parts and dress up as they traditionally do. The older children will have collective worships where they will reflect on the Christmas story and the impact on the world.

The dates for each groups are:

Nursery.  8^th December am and pm – Role Play Nativity in costumes as part of RE.

Reception.  9^th December am and pm & 10th December am – 3 classes, 2 songs each and perform to other Reception classes.

Year 1.  14^th December – Children dress in traditional costumes for their Nativity

Year 2.  10^th December – tableaux Nativity in costumes, performing carols with Makaton signing.

 Year 3.  15^th December – Mini Nativity as distanced year group

 Year 4.  10^th December – Collective Worship – What is the true message of Christmas this year?

Year 5.  14^th December – Collective Worship with Holy Night

 Year 6.  15^th December Collective Worship

 In addition, we also have other events for you to note the dates.

December 11^th is Christmas Jumper Day with a Santa Dash. The children will be asked to bring in £1.00 to take part. In the afternoon, there will be Christmas parties. The PTA will provide the food and drink for these.

On 15^th December, year 4 & 5 will be attending a closed school mass in church at 11.15am. Father Liam has kindly agreed to allow the children who will be taking part in sacramental events next year to gather in church. With strict distancing rules in church, it is not possible to invite anyone else to attend.

On 16^th December, our kitchens will be cooking the annual Christmas dinner – always a good day!! There will be an invitation to children who do not usually take a school lunch to join us that day. Further details will be sent out soon.

This year, with restrictions on sharing things from home, we felt that if the children did want to bring in Christmas cards each class can have a box in class where they will be quarantined and will be exchanged on one day all together. This year it might be a good idea to discuss with the children not sending cards, but donating the money that might have been spent on cards to CAFOD.

Finally, school will finish on 18^th December at lunchtimes. Nursery’s last day is 17^th December.

Apologies for the length of the letter, but there are a lot of dates and details to share. As always, please check our school website and Weduc for updates.

I would like to thank you all, parents, pupils and friends of St Oswald’s, for your continued support and to wish you and your loved ones a healthy and happy Advent period.

Yours sincerely

Mrs M Walsh

Head Teacher

Advent Dates and Information 2020

Dear Parent/Carer,

Firstly, I would like to thank you for your support and understanding this term as we have worked together to navigate the new ‘normal’. It has not been without its challenges, but in true St Oswald’s style, our children continue to be a credit to you, us and themselves.

Unfortunately this term, we have had some of our bubbles burst which has meant that it has been necessary for staff and children to isolate. Therefore, children have needed to complete their lessons remotely.

Though we fully recognise how difficult it is to supervise young children working from home, this work is not optional, but an essential element of blended learning to ensure that our children do not fall behind their peers and continue to make progress in these challenging times.

Blended learning can be done online or via a paper pack which can be collected from school. It mirrors as closely as possible to what the children would be doing if they were in their classroom.

Moving forward, if your child’s bubble does burst, we would appreciate your support ensuring that your child completes all work set by their class teacher.

If you have any problems, or need our support in anyway, please do not hesitate to contact school.

Thank you in advance for your continued cooperation and understanding.

Miss Hay

Deputy Headteacher

Blended Learning letter

Dear Parents,

As you know Archbishop Malcolm declared that our Archdiocese should hold a Synod in 2020 to enable us to become the Church that God is calling us to be.  Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the timetable for this had to be changed.  This is the new timetable:

• By the end of November, we have been asked to look at the summary list of proposals and let our Synod Members know which you feel are the most important.
• In March 2021, the proposals to be voted on will be published.
• Between March and June 2021, Synod members will arrange local reflection and discernment to help inform their vote.
• The Synod will take place on 16^th, 17^th and 18^th June 2021
• The Pastoral Plan will be published on 1^st Sunday of Advent (28^th November) 2021

More information can be found at synod2020.co.uk

We are writing to you today to invite you to read the summary proposals and decide which 5 you feel are important and you are drawn to and which 2 affirmations you are particularly drawn to.

The proposals can be found by following this link:

https://synod2020.co.uk/assets/themes/synod/assets/resources/synodSunday/2020_fullSummary.pdf

Please submit the 5 proposals and 2 affirmations that you are most drawn to to your Parish or Pastoral Area Synod Member.  (A list can be found on the Synod website, but if you can’t find details of your representative, please email your response to synod2020@rcaol.co.uk). This will really help inform the discernment of the final Synod Proposals.  Please use the number of the proposal e.g. 1.23, 4.12 etc. and the title of the affirmation e.g. Liturgy, Mission etc.

Thank you very much for your support,

Headteacher

Synod 2020 Letter

Full summary proposals