THIS IS CATHOLIC EDUCATION WEEK

There was a wonderful atmosphere in St Bartholomew’s Church yesterday for the annual Education Sunday Mass. It was particularly encouraging to see so many pupils there, from our youngest P1 boys and girls to our oldest children in P7. A huge thank you to the many pupils who made a special contribution to yesterday’s Mass – those who greeted people at the door, sang and led the bidding prayers. You did St Bartholomew’s proud!

I had the privilege of being able to speak during yesterday’s Mass. The full text of the Head Teacher’s address will be posted in the Faith section of our website. However, I thought it would be appropriate to post the closing two paragraphs in today’s blog:

‘Catholic Education is about partnership: the three dimensions of home, school and parish working together to ensure the very best for our pupils. On this Education Sunday, I would like to take the opportunity to thank those numerous individuals who support the work of St Bartholomew’s in so many ways and who faithfully pass on the faith to our children. To the staff: thank you for your dedication, hard work and for your genuine personal faith. I’m so fortunate to lead such a talented and committed team. To our parents and carers: thank you for coming today to show your commitment to Catholic education and for your ongoing support of all that we do in St Bartholomew’s. To the parish: I couldn’t have hoped for a more supportive group of people. Your interest, your encouragement, your practical support and your prayers mean a great deal. To Father Doherty: thank you for all you do for our school. The Masses you celebrate with our school community are always very special and we greatly appreciate your pastoral care. Thank you to all of you for shining the light of faith and for passing this on to our pupils.

However, my biggest vote of thanks goes to the pupils of St Bartholomew’s. Although we work hard to pass on the faith to you, you are the ones who inspire our faith and keep it alive. You are the ones who give us hope for the future of this parish and confidence that St Bartholomew’s Primary School will continue to go from strength to strength.’

There was a wonderful atmosphere in St Bartholomew’s Church last night as our P6 and 7 pupils received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Thank you, boys and girls, for the reverence and respect you showed throughout the Mass. Everyone was so proud of you. Many thanks too to family, friends and staff who came to support the children; it was fantastic to see a packed church. Of course, special thanks go to Mr Hughes and Mrs McFarlane for preparing the children for their Confirmation and to Fr Doherty for administering the sacrament in the bishop’s absence.

Primary 2 have their class assembly this afternoon. The boys and girls have been practising hard and I very much look forward to welcoming parents, carers, family and friends to the children’s special presentation. The assembly begins at 1.30pm in the school hall and guests are also invited to the P2 classroom for tea and cake afterwards.

Please remember that this coming Sunday marks the beginning of Catholic Education Week and that all pupils, parents, carers and friends of the school are invited to the 12 noon Mass in St Bartholomew’s Church. Our polite, talented pupils will be greeting people at the door, doing the bidding prayers and leading the singing. It’s sure to be a very special celebration of the Eucharist, so please join us if you possibly can as we give thanks for the important role Catholic Schools play in our communities. See you on Sunday!

The big day has finally arrived for our Primary 6 and 7 pupils. The children will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation during Mass in St Bartholomew’s Church this evening. You are very much in our prayers today, boys and girls. May God bless you on this special day!

It was a hive of activity both inside and outside the Primary 4/3 classroom yesterday. The old toilets have been ripped out and the empty shell is just about ready for its transformation. Inside the classroom, the tin lockers have been removed and the alcoves are being prepared for their beautiful new timber cupboards. It’s all very exciting!

I spent a bit of time in Primary 3 yesterday. The children wrote some questions and interviewed me about being a Head Teacher. It was an absolute pleasure being in amongst such attentive and enthusiastic children. Well done, boys and girls… I was very impressed, indeed! Hope I didn’t blether on for too long 😉

An invitation to this year’s Education Mass will go out to all parents and carers today. The Mass takes place in St Bartholomew’s Church this coming Sunday (23rd February) at 12 noon. Our fantastic pupils will be playing a lead role in the Mass, including greeting people at the door, reading the bidding prayers and, of course, leading the music. Please pop your invitation on the fridge door and join us for Sunday’s Mass if you possibly can.

A leaflet from the Parent Council will also be sent out today giving details of their new email address. This will allow parents and carers to email comments, concerns and ideas they’d like to be included in Parent Council meetings, which take place once a month. I would encourage parents and carers to take advantage of this very useful new service.

Primary 7 are off to Glasgow today. They’ll be visiting the People’s Palace and Kelvingrove Museum as part of their work on World War II. Have a great day, boys and girls.

Work begins today on the refurbishment of the P4/5 toilets. New timber cupboards will also be fitted to classrooms across the school over the coming weeks. Each class will be decanted to the library for one or two days while contractors work in their room. The classrooms are going to look absolutely fantastic after the work!

Primary 2 have their class assembly this coming Friday and invitations have been sent out from the children (including one delivered to my office by Aidan and Brooke yesterday morning!). I look forward to seeing parents, carers, family and friends at 1.30pm on Friday afternoon.

Primary 6 and 7 pupils will receive the Sacrament of Confirmation this coming Thursday. Please remember the boys and girls in your prayers in these final days of preparation.

This coming Sunday, 23rd February, is Education Sunday and marks the beginning of Catholic Education Week. The school will play a lead role in the main 12 o’clock Sunday Mass at St Bartholomew’s Church. This annual Mass is a wonderful opportunity for our school and parish communities to come together to celebrate our faith and reaffirm our commitment to work in partnership. ALL PUPILS, STAFF, PARENTS, CARERS AND FRIENDS ARE INVITED TO ATTEND THIS SPECIAL MASS ON SUNDAY. There was a wonderful atmosphere last year and it would be absolutely fantastic to have even more St Bartholomew’s uniforms filling the church for Education Sunday 2014. Let’s aim for a packed church and lift the roof with our legendary singing! See you on Sunday!

The boys and girls had an absolutely fantastic time at last night’s Valentine’s disco. Thank you, once again, to the Parent Council for organising the event and to the staff who helped out. Prize for the best dancer definitely goes to Breagh in Primary 1!

A Primary 4/5 choir has been formed to lead the music at next Thursday’s Confirmation Mass. A Primary 4-7 choir has also been formed to lead the music at the Education Sunday Mass which takes place in St Bartholomew’s Church on Sunday 23rd February. Letters for choir volunteers will be sent out today.

With it only being a two day week, there will be no Pupil of the Week certificates or trophies awarded at today’s assembly. We will, however, be learning at least two more songs from our end of term musical, ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’! It’s sounding fantastic already, so watch this space over the coming weeks for more details.

Welcome back, boys and girls. I hope you all had a fantastic long weekend!

The Valentine’s Discos take place this evening. The P1-3 disco will run from 6.00 – 7.00pm and the P4-7 disco from 7.15 – 8.15pm. Tickets can be purchased from the school office and will also be available at the door. Many thanks to the Parent Council for all their hard work in organising the event, including preparing the hall last Friday.

Many thanks to the boys and girls of Primary 6 & 7, along with Mr Hughes, Mrs McFarlane, Mrs McBride and Mrs Dolan, for putting together the beautiful Confirmation display you can see in the photographs below. The display contains a photograph of every pupil who will be receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation on 20th February, along with the saint they have chosen as their Confirmation name. The boards will be transported down to St Bartholomew’s Church in time for this Sunday’s Masses and parishioners will be invited to select a pupil to pray for over the coming weeks.

I’ve included photographs of the display in today’s blog as an invitation to our whole school and parish community to pray for the boys and girls of Primary 6 and 7 as they make their final preparations for the Sacrament of Confirmation.

‘I remember you in my prayers and ask the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you the Spirit, who will make you wise and reveal God to you, so that you will know him.’ (Ephesians 1: 16, 17)

Have a great February break, everyone! St Bartholomew’s re-opens to pupils on Thursday 13th.

Primary 5 are off to Motherwell Heritage Centre this morning as part of their class topic on the Romans. The boys and girls have produced some fantastic art work linked to their Romans topic and it’s fantastic to see them so enthusiastic about this fascinating era of history. Have a great time in Motherwell, Primary 5!

Mrs McFarlane has scheduled in the first round of auditions for ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ this afternoon. St Bart’s is absolutely bursting with talent, so it’s sure to be an exciting afternoon as the children try out for the show.

The Valentine Disco, organised by the Parent Council, takes place a week today (Thursday 13th February) and tickets are now available from the office. Please remember that the school is closed to pupils on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, so there are only three school days left to grab a ticket. The Halloween Disco was a great success back in October and I’m sure the boys and girls will have an equally fun time next Thursday.