I’m absolutely delighted to announce that St Bartholomew’s has raised the fantastic sum of £320.75 for Mary’s Meals. Our original aim was for each class to raise £12.20, the amount it costs to feed one child in a developing country for an entire year. £320.75 allows us to feed 26 children – the equivalent of an entire class! If this isn’t good enough news, the government has pledged to double any money raised for Mary’s Meals, bringing our actual St Bart’s total to a phenomenal £641.50: 52 children fed for an entire year! A huge thank you to pupils and staff for your incredible fund-raising efforts. What a fitting start to the ‘Year of Mercy’ when we are called to give food to the hungry and drink to the thirsty.

Our P1-3 nativity, ‘It’s a Baby’ is now only a day away. The dress rehearsal takes place this morning, giving us a chance to iron out any last minute issues. I got a big surprise when I walked into the hall at the end of the day yesterday. Mrs Ruddy, Mrs Dolan and Mr Lynch had been busy adding finishing touches to the stage, including a beautiful star of Bethlehem. The photograph below doesn’t do it justice… you’ll need to wait until tomorrow’s performance to see it in all its glory!

Finally, two very proud Primary 3 girls appeared at my office yesterday afternoon to show me the dancing awards they won over the weekend. What a talented bunch of children we have in St Bart’s! Well done, girls!