Celebrations
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St Francis' Feast Day

The whole school celebrated the feast day of St Francis by visiting the Welsh National Museum of St Fagan's. Several coaches were required in order to transport the entire school for a fascinating day. Everyone from the new Reception children up to the adult helpers enjoyed investigating the changes seen in Welsh buildings over the years; from huddling together in Iron Age roundhouses to stretching out in Tudor townhouse luxury, a great deal was learnt in every dwelling. There was even a farmyard taking care of some animals - St Francis would have been pleased!

40th Anniversary Mass

We enjoyed a special visit from Bishop Declan who came to say mass as part of our 40th Anniversary Celebrations. He also launched the Extraordinary Month of Mission from our school and there is a podcast and some photos on the Diocesan website if you would like to look. Many thanks to all who helped with the preparation of the mass and the many people who worked behind the scenes to make it a very memorable day.

Decorating Crosses with Father Reg, Year of Prayer

Father Reg came to work with the school prayer team this week as part of the work we are doing in this Year of Prayer. They were decorating crosses which will be put around the school and used during class liturgies and other acts of worship.

Vocations Workshop, Year of Prayer

In response to an invitation from Bishop Declan, The Prayer Team attended a "Vocations Workshop" at St Bernadette's in Bristol. At the workshop the children found out that a vocation is a calling and when we are baptised, God gives each of us a special calling to follow Jesus and share his love. They spoke to nuns, sisters, monks, priests, a seminarian and a married couple and learnt that if we want to find out what our vocation is, we need to listen to Jesus' call and be ready to say yes to him.

Woodlands Church Visit, Year of Prayer

Mary Poppins (Prayer-ry Poppins) came to visit us today along with a team from Woodlands Church, Clifton to help us with our prayer activities. They visited each class and helped us to pray using torches, water, rockets, bubbles and a parachute. Thank you to the prayer team who invited them to our school as part of the Year of Prayer.

Lampedusa Cross, Year of Prayer

During this Year of Prayer, the Lampedusa cross has been visiting all the schools in the Diocese. The cross serves as a focus for prayer and reminds us of the plight of refugees. At our Easter Mass, each class brought up a small cross that they had decorated with messages of hope and prayers for refugees and asylum seekers.

Prayer Trail, Year of Prayer

Thank you to the Prayer Team who have been busy over the last few weeks preparing a prayer trail for us to use during this Year of Prayer. As each class followed the trail around the school they gave thanks for food and drink, said sorry for the things they have done wrong and prayed for people in our homes our school, our neighbourhood and our world. They also created sculptures and art work on the playground as they reflected on creation and the talents that God has given to us.

Vocations Assembly, Year of Prayer

Sister Elizabeth and Sister Reina from Brownshill Convent joined us to talk about Vocations and the Year of Prayer. Sister Elizabeth told us her favourite place to pray is outside, surrounded by God's creation.

Education Mass

Pupils, staff and governors attended the annual Education Mass at Clifton Cathedral and the children performed an offertory dance. The Mass was a lovely celebration of Catholic education and brought together schools from all over the Diocese.

May Procession

Year 5 did a wonderful job leading our May Procession this year. Thank you to all our year 5 children (and Mrs Field) who organised and led this so enthusiastically and for all who attended and helped make the occasion a special one.

Pentecost Assembly

A Pentecost Party took place this week to celebrate the birthday of the Church. Senior citizens from the parishes of St Francis' Nailsea and the Immaculate Conception Clevedon joined children and staff for a Pentecost Celebration in the school hall. Each class presented in word, song, dance and drama thoughts about the Holy Spirit and everyone enjoyed a slice of birthday cake. The celebration was organised by the School Prayer team who wanted to do something special for those who are elderly or live alone. Here are some comments from some of the visitors who spoke to the prayer team after the event "First class in all aspects!" "A really enjoyable morning. All the children did so well." "Thoroughly enjoyed it. Reminded me of my childhood!". "Fantastic assembly. Very creative". "Wonderful! The children have such a clear understanding of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit". "What a lovely way to celebrate the Church's birthday. Thank you St Francis' School!"

Advent and Blessing of the Wreaths

A wonderful number of Advent wreaths appeared in our classrooms and school hall. They were blessed by Father Reg and returned to the children's homes to enjoy as part of our families' Christmas preparations.

KS2 Carol Service

The rafters rang at St Francis’ Church as our Key Stage Two children did us proud with their wonderful retelling of the Christmas story through singing, acting, reading and dancing. What stood out for me this year was the enthusiastic participation of every single child.

A huge thank you goes to all the staff who have rehearsed, sung, stapled broken costumes, supervised children, made head dresses and carried furniture about - and always willingly and cheerfully.

KS1 Nativity

What a fantastic re-telling of the Christmas story we have been privileged to see this week, with our infant performance of ‘Christmas in the Stable’ whisking us back to Bethlehem all those many years ago. The children sang with gusto, the narrators and actors were crystal clear and the smiles on every child’s face showed how much they enjoyed performing for their parents, parishioners and other pupils.

Celebrations please click on the pictures to view full size...