St Bernard's - A Specialist School

Otters Class have now completed the NSPCC Speak Out. Stay Safe. programme! This week the children celebrated their achievement by receiving their certificates. We are so proud of everyone for taking part and learning important messages about speaking out, staying safe and knowing who they can turn to for help!

This term our theme was Connection as one of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing. What better way to celebrate than by coming together for our very own St Bernard's Talent Show! Our students had a fantastic afternoon showcasing their amazing talents, cheering each other on and enjoying some quality time with friends over drinks and tasty treats. It was a wonderful afternoon filled with laughter, friendship and fun, reminding us just how important it is to connect with others. A huge well done to everyone who took part and helped make the afternoon so memorable!

St Bernard's is proud to support Mental Health Awareness by taking part in YoungMinds' #HelloYellow campaign! Throughout the day, we encouraged open and honest discussions about mental health and wellbeing, reminding everyone that it's okay not to be okay and that talking about our feelings is important. At St Bernard's, we recognise the importance of positive mental health and wellbeing. Through our broad and balanced curriculum, we strive to create a strong sense of belonging, connection and community, ensuring every child feels valued, included and supported. Alongside this, our amazing pastoral team plays a vital role in providing care, guidance and support, helping our children feel safe, listened to and ready to thrive. Together, we are building a school community where everyone belongs, everyone matters and no one feels alone.

This week, we held our first School Parliament meeting with our newly elected Cabinet Members and MPs! Our students got straight to work discussing what they would like to raise money for this year. So far, some fantastic suggestions include PE equipment and sensory circuit equipment. These ideas will now go to a whole class vote, giving everyone the opportunity to have their say. There was also lots of excitement about next week's Talent Show! This exciting event will support our 5 Ways to Wellbeing, encouraging confidence, connection and celebrating everyone's unique talents. We are so proud of our young leaders for sharing their ideas, listening to one another and helping to make a difference in our school community!

Exciting News! We're delighted to announce that the official Facebook page for St Lawrence School is now LIVE! Please help us spread the word by sharing this post with families, friends and members of our community. https://www.facebook.com/stlawrence.schoolhorncastle/

It has been wonderful to see our students having fun, smiling and communicating during our Rebound sessions! These sessions are a fantastic opportunity for our students to build confidence, connect with others and enjoy learning together. It's also lovely to see our CAB school values shining through: Communication-expressing ourselves and connecting with others Aspiration-building confidence, trying new things and celebrating achievements Belonging-feeling included, supported and part of our school community So many smiles, special moments and achievements to celebrate!

What a busy week it's been across the school! Otters have been taking part in the NSPCC's Speak Out. Stay Safe. programme with Buddy. Through stories and group discussions, the children are learning important ways to help keep themselves and others safe. This week, Otters explored personal boundaries and OK touch, helping them understand that their body belongs to them and that they can speak out if something doesn't feel right. Well done, Otters, for listening, sharing and taking part so thoughtfully!

Learning about Belonging Earlier this week, some classes used the book All People Are Beautiful to explore St Bernard's School values. The focus was Belonging. We talked about what belonging means and what it looks and feels like in their class and school community. To finish the activity, children wrote a sentence inspired by the book A lovely opportunity to celebrate how everyone belongs and is valued at St Bernard's.

The votes are in... now it's almost time for the results! Voting Day may have passed but the excitement isn't over yet! Our pupils have had their say and voted for who they would like to represent them on our School Parliament These are important roles, giving pupils the opportunity to share ideas, represent their classmates and help make a positive difference across our school. A huge well done to everyone who put themselves forward and took part in the democratic process. Now all that's left is to find out who has been elected this week! Good luck to all of our candidates!

The installation of our new fence in EYFS and KS1 area sparked lots of curiosity among the pupils this week. It was wonderful to see their inquisitive nature, enthusiasm and excitement as they watched the work unfold! And there's more to come! We'll soon be having a new ground surface installed, providing another exciting opportunity for the pupils to explore and learn as the improvements take shape.

Wear Yellow for Mental Health! 💛 This Mental Health Month, we're inviting our whole school community to wear yellow on Friday 9th October to show that no one should face mental health challenges alone. Let's brighten up our school, start positive conversations and remind each other that it's okay to ask for help.

Happy Monday from the EYFS and Key Stage 1 team! 🌟 We are ready to learn, play and have fun! Our learning environments are all set up, with so much to explore, discover and enjoy. We can't wait to see where the children's curiosity and imagination take them this week!