The Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust have forwarded the following link via Hampshire County Council.  This COVID video is for families of Primary aged school children, and the children themselves, which they have asked to be signposted to parents and carers.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhD910OQRr6YG5r8kPSGtBOmntkTfZqR1

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

Things went a little bit technicolour this week at St Peter’s.  On Monday 16th November, as part of a national anti-bullying initiative, pupils and staff took part in the annual national ‘odd socks day’.  This launched a two-week period in which teaching and learning at St Peter’s stresses even more than usual the fact that bullying has not place in our school, our communities or our lives.  Inclusion and equality are key elements in all that we do at the school, and pupils are regularly made aware that diversity makes us stronger together, rather than setting us apart from one another.

The following day, pupils in Year 4 had their ‘Heads Up for Guide Dogs’ day.  This was a deep learning day on the training and work of assistance dogs for those with restricted or no sight, and to mark the even children wore bright head gear or even (temporarily!) coloured their hair in return for a financial donation.  The year group managed to raise over £40:00 to fund the training of a guide dog in the future.  Well done to all of the pupils who took part in these initiatives, and thank you to the staff for organising and taking part.  My personal thanks also goes to Kiwi Parade Gloss for the shine on my shoes!

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

During their RE lessons recently, pupils in Year 3 have been thinking about what they would take with them were Jesus to appear before them and ask them to follow Him.  One pupil decided they would pick up their house keys so that they could always return home if they wanted.  However, the child did then go on to explain to me how those who followed Jesus when He was here on earth left everything in order to take up His path, realising that they needed nothing to answer the call of the Lord.  This week Year 1 celebrated their autumn Liturgy in ever more peculiar circumstances, as under the latest lockdown rules the school is sealed off even to parish priests and lay chaplains.  The pupils led a beautiful liturgy on November and the month of Holy Souls, presenting their views of heaven which included clouds, rainbows and an awful lot of pets and animals.  We held in our prayers all those loved ones who, whilst not in heaven, still feel far away from us during this latest period of Covid-induced separation.

Meanwhile, all pupils in the school observed a 2 minute silence at 11:00am on 11th November in honour of the fallen.

Year 2 marked the remembrance event in the prayer garden at the centre of the school.

Please don’t forget to share our promotional video with any families you know who may be looking for a school place in Reception Year in September 2020:  https://youtu.be/VcBQmkaKxm4   Families of children aged 5 and above are also welcome to contact the school on 023 9226 2599 should they wish to join our waiting list for additional school places when they arise.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher

Pupils in Year 5 this week have been able to make a contribution to the local community in the form of a window display for the annual season of remembrance.  Following a request from Co-Operative Funeral Care in Cowplain, Mrs Pearson arranged for the children in Year 5 to use their art lesson to produces images on the theme of remembrance.  A selection of their work now forms the window display for the Co-Operative Funeral Care in Cowplain, and we thank them for the poppy pin badges that were given to each Year 5 pupil.  An equivalent display is also on show in the windows of the Unity Building here at St Peter’s, which you will be able to see when you access the school site.  This Sunday will see a very different format of the annual acts of remembrance across the country and the world, and in school on Wednesday 11^th November we will hold a two-minute silence in honour of the fallen.  The following prayer will be used with the pupils:

We entrust to you, eternal God,
those times when we can see only shadows
and lose sight of the hope to come;
the times when suffering seems so senseless,
life so fragile, war so unstoppable and death so permanent.
Bless us with the assurance that you are in all things,
the tragic and the beautiful,
the nightmare and the dream,
the light and the darkness.
This we ask in the name of Jesus Christ
the peace of the world, today, tomorrow and forever.
Amen.

Mr R Cunningham
Headteacher