Catholic Education Week began yesterday, with the theme for this year being ‘Developing as communities of Faith and Learning’. Please make a special point of praying for St Bartholomew’s Primary over the coming week. You may also wish to visit the ‘Faith’ section of the website to find out more about the Catholic ethos and faith dimension of our school.

It was great to see such a high turn-out at yesterday’s Education Sunday Mass. I could see lots of St Bart’s pupils and parents dotted around the church and I very much appreciate those pupils who welcomed people at the door, sang in the choir, did the offertory and read the bidding prayers. You were stars, as always!

Many congratulations to Carlos who received his First Holy Communion during Mass yesterday. Please continue to pray for Carlos as he receives the Sacrament of Confirmation at St Bridget’s church, Garrowhill on Tuesday evening.

I had the opportunity to give the Head Teacher’s address during yesterday’s Mass. The full address will be posted in the Faith section of our website later today. However, I thought I’d share an excerpt from it on today’s blog as our school community embarks on Catholic Education Week 2017.

“If faith is the bedrock which permeates all aspects of St Bartholomew’s Primary and St Ambrose High School, then learning and teaching is our core business, our ‘bread and butter’. Put simply, we have a responsibility – and, for those of us who teach in Catholic schools, this is our God-given vocation and calling – to provide the children in our care with the very highest quality of education. The Catholic Church has a strong tradition of educating the young, from the early monastic schools, to the world-class places of learning run by religious orders such as the Jesuits. Following in their footsteps, St Bartholomew’s and St Ambrose cannot only be about getting along as a caring community or developing the faith dimension of the school, vital as these two things are. We must also be about academic excellence, delivered by teachers of the highest calibre and supported by the absolute best facilities and resources. God, who wants the best for all of us, wouldn’t expect anything less.

This I can say with absolute certainty: St Bartholomew’s staff are collectively the hardest working and most dedicated team of people I have encountered in my 24 years in the job. They set themselves the highest of standards and never fail to go the extra mile to provide a wealth of exciting learning opportunities for the children of St Bart’s. You only need to walk through the corridors and look at our fantastic wall displays, or stand at a classroom door and listen in to one of the creative lessons that fill each and every school day, or cast your eye over Twitter or the school website to see evidence of the unwavering energy and commitment of the St Bart’s team. Please can I express my sincere thanks to the staff of St Bartholomew’s for your dedication, hard work and genuine personal faith. I’m so fortunate to lead such a talented and committed team and I know that Mrs Douglas will have the same sentiments about the dedicated staff of St Ambrose High School.”