Important News

Candlemas Service

Candlemas Service

This morning Class 3 led our Candlemas worship at Southwark Cathedral. They read a passage from the Bible which describes Simeon’s role in the presentation of Jesus at the temple. Next they reflected thoughtfully on the importance of light in our lives and how Jesus is the light of the world.

The congregation all felt that the class were so poised, confident and reflective. 

Here are Class 3′s reflections on Luke 2: 22-36:

When I think of Candlemas, I think of a candle lit to guide me through the darkness. God also appears with his glowing light, bright like the sun and guides me through. Danielle

Light will keep us safe. Jesus is like light because he will keep us safe too. Jesus is our saviour that protects us from danger. Anton

Jesus is the light of the world. A candle light guides us in the dark, God guides us in bad times with his everlasting light. God’s holy spirit spreads love, kindness and most of all light which offers us hope. Rocco

Light is warm and even in the dark you can feel light inside of you. A candle leads you in the dark, just like God. When you are near a candle, it is like you are near a spirit. It leads the way out of the darkness. Saskia

As time goes by, I noticed that there is light with me everywhere. When I go to the park, when I’m at a funfair or even when I’m in bed, there is always some light. I think that light is God shining on us. When light shines on me I think of God. God looking at me and guiding me. Rocco

As time goes by, I noticed that there is light with me everywhere. When I go to the park, when I’m at a funfair or even when I’m in bed, there is always some light. I think that light is God shining on us. When light shines on me I think of God. God looking at me and guiding me. Zachary

Light helps me think about Jesus who guides us through our lives step by step. Jesus is the light of the world, he keeps us warm. Chidubem

Everyday there are lots of different types of lights around us. Light glows trustingly in the dark, so we can see. Light is always there for you, like God. Theo

When I look at a candle I remember God and how he is protecting us no matter how much peril we are in. Jesus showed himself to the people in the temple. Anna was patient and when she saw Jesus she felt overjoyed. This shows me that we all have to be patient in life, as what we want in life does not always happen immediately.  Josh

Light makes me feel happy and warm. To me, light shows God’s love for us and shows Jesus as the light of the world. Light leads me down the right path and helps me feel safe after being in the darkness. Bethany

Jesus is the candle that guides us through life. He isn’t like a torch that can shine long distances. Jesus stays with us every step that we take, he is the light of the world. We share this service with you to spread the good news, like Anna, that Jesus is with us. Beatrix

In the story of Simeon, he was given the path of light. Jesus is a miracle who helps us to understand life when things get tricky. He shows us that a mistake is just an obstacle in life that we need to get past and that we can get past it with the help of his guiding light. Elliot

Light helps us overcome fears. Light across our city is wonderful, we can see so far around us. Beauty and joy is in light. Jesus the saviour, shows us the way to God’s heaven through his light. The light that Jesus gives us is a gift from God. Lola

I feel lucky to live in a world of light. You can see light shining and sparkling on the Thames, it is a glorious sight. I know that God will keep his promises like he kept his promise to Simeon. God will show the way, even when there seems to be no way. Swithun

Jesus is the guardian of light and makes the world a better place. Even when we are feeling sad or frustrated at the problems we face, I think it is important to remember that God desires the best for us and that he will guide us out of the darkness. Aldara

The strength of light helps us to do anything we want to do. It keeps us safe and guides us. Light also provides us with peace, and helps to fill a cold empty room with warmth. Dawud

 

 

Finally Class 3 shared the prayers that they had written.

Heavenly Father,

Bless your son since he is the light of the world. Now with any light source, I can see in the dark. Thank you for Anna and Simeon’s patience, and that they were kind enough to spread the news that the world had been blessed with the Messiah.

Amen

Gabriel

 

Dear God,

Thank you for candles, fire and all forms of light that guide us like Jesus does in our darkest times.

Please help others in dark countries to receive your light, give them hope and happiness.

Amen

Christian

 

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for providing us with light, warmth and love.

Amen

Sebastian

 

Almighty Father,

Thank you for the patient Simeon that waited for Jesus, the Messiah, to be born.

Thank you for Anna who also welcomed Jesus and spread the word.

Thank you for the light that Jesus brought to the world. Please help us to recognise Jesus as our guiding light and to hold his love in our hearts. Help us to spread the word and light that Jesus blessed us all with.

Amen

Xavi

 

Almighty Father,

Thank you for sending your only son to make the world a better place. He makes us feel safe, and he guides us with his light. Please help those people who seek guidance from you, help them to see the way, show them your light.

Amen

Salma

 

Glorious Father of all lights,

We thank you for the light that we celebrate from our lord Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. As we share this Candlemas service, in honour of Jesus our Messiah, we ask that you guide us down the right path.

Amen

Desmond

 

Heavenly father,

We are grateful that you shine on us. Thank you for sending us a saviour, we will always remember the day you sent Jesus to Earth. As a result, you made the whole world light up.

Amen

Dorianne

 

Thank you Class 3 and Father Michael for a beautiful service.

Arts Week 2018

Arts Week 2018

Arts Week took place between 8th– 12th January at Cathedral School.  This year the theme was ‘Seascapes’.  Children used a range of skills and techniques throughout the week; these are reflected in the wonderful displays showcased in the Key Stage 1 corridor. Classes produced some stunning work, from creative underwater pictures in Nursery to collage pieces of Plymouth Hoe by Class 6.

Nursery

Nursery worked with a variety of materials to paint and print, focusing on ‘Under the Sea’. They produced some fantastic pieces of work. Children used bubble wrap to create an underwater texture for their backgrounds then printed and stamped the rest of their scenery onto it.

Reception

Reception’s chosen seascape was ‘Waterfalls’ and children worked on the skill of using materials to create different textures.  Reception’s waterfalls were based on Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and they used water colours, poster paints and tissue paper to produce some great pieces of art!

Year 1

Class 1’s theme was ‘By the Beach’; children created sunset beach scenes. Throughout the week they explored different qualities of materials and used water colours to paint the background of their work, then carefully added sand to the bottom of their pictures to form contrasting textures. Finally the children drew small boats onto black card and cut them out to produce the silhouettes in their art work.

Year 2

Class 2 were inspired by Hokusai’s ‘36 Views of Mount Fuji’, creating their own prints of London landmarks for Arts Week. Children designed their own prints then completed their work using printing blocks. Class 2 also had a trip to the National Gallery for some Art inspiration!

Year 3

Class 3 produced some excellent pieces of work for their theme, ‘Rivers’. Pupils used a range of techniques such as printing for their backgrounds and collage for their rivers to create representations of river movement.

Year 4

Class 4 created a beautiful boat display for Arts Week, with work focusing on Brixham Harbour. Children used collage, painting, layering and sanding skills to produce creative pieces of work, bringing the harbour to London Bridge.

Year 5

In Class 5, pupils displayed their skills in using oil pastels during Arts Week. Children carefully studied the different shapes of waves. They then created their own versions using water paints and oil pastels.  Class 5 produced some very skilful pieces of art work.

Year 6

Class 6 chose the Seascape of Plymouth Hoe for inspiration during Arts Week.  Children created detailed collages and looked at ways to manipulate their paper in order to produce texture and add detail to their work.  This display can be found in the Key Stage 2 corridor.

Well done to everyone for all the hard work. We are so proud of the children and the work they have produced.

Spanish Day

Spanish Day

Today was Spanish Day at Cathedral School. It was wonderful to see so many of the children dressed up in traditional Spanish costumes and colours! We started the day by singing ‘Hola Amigos’ in our celebration assembly. The children then spent the morning learning Spanish phrases, listening to and translating Spanish stories and counting using Spanish numbers.

At lunchtime, traditional Spanish music was played in the hall while the children and staff enjoyed either Spanish chicken or stew followed by churros! 

This afternoon, a range of activities took place from flamenco dancing to creating Spanish holiday brochures to Gaudi inspired mosaics. All around the school it was lovely to hear the children practising their Spanish and see so much excitement about Spanish language and culture. One child was heard saying “It’s been so nice to learn so much that I didn’t know about Spain today!”

Finally, thank you very much to all of our parent readers who came and read a Spanish story to the children. It was such a great opportunity for the children to ask questions about Spanish culture and language and hear a story from a native Spanish speaker.

What did you enjoy most about Spanish Day?

DT Week

DT Week

Last week we had DT Week at Cathedral School and the theme was ‘Transport’. Children produced some excellent pieces of work, from sailing boats and cars, to horse and carriages.

All classes carefully designed their vehicles, thinking about how it would move and what materials would be appropriate for them to use and then completed evaluations at the end of DT Week.

Children were so proud of their work and it was lovely to see the high quality displays in the hall during the exhibition. Please look on the class blogs to see more photos of your child’s DT work and the steps they took to make their chosen transport.

Artsmark 2017

Artsmark 2017

Today we are delighted to announce that the school has been awarded the Artsmark Gold. It is a very difficult award to achieve and is a testament to the school’s continued commitment to a creative and broad curriculum. 

We thank Mr Morrell for his steerage of the process and all the pupils, staff and governors who have contributed to this commendation.

This is what the award panel had to say:

The panel commended the inclusive and engaging approaches that have been taken to developing arts across the school, providing a focus and opportunity for pupils, teachers, the senior management team, governors and parents to work together.

For future development, the panel looks forward to you developing your leadership and advocacy role in the Arts.

As a Gold Artsmark school Arts Council England celebrates your commitment to arts and cultural education at a leadership level and the opportunities embedded across your provision. Your children and young people have equal opportunity to plan, experience, participate in, and evaluate a diverse range of high-quality arts and cultural activities and you recognise the importance of development opportunities delivered by specialists for your staff in these areas. You engage with a range of arts and cultural organisations and can evidence the positive impact of these partnerships. Your children and young people have an opportunity to further develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of arts and culture and you are working to share the expertise you have established.

Beauty and the Beast Jr

Beauty and the Beast Jr

Year 6 finished their year with a remarkable production of Beauty and the Beast. Their dedication, talent and professionalism made the musical a tremendous success and a fitting end to the year.

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Book Day 2017

Book Day 2017

Today children and staff at Cathedral School dressed up as their favourite book characters. As ever, the effort and ingenuity that went into the costumes was fantastic.

 

One of the best things about World Book Day was discovering new authors and remembering forgotten favourites. A very exciting part of the day was the ‘Choose a story session’. Children were able to choose a story from a selection before finding out which teacher would read it to them.

Which story did you choose to listen to and why?