Catholic Mission – Living, Feeling, Dreaming
As you enter our School, you know you are at St. Francis’, due to our stunning rural location, where we care for the environment, like our patron saint, Saint Francis. Everyone is warmly welcomed at our school, you are greeted with humility, care and compassion and respect. We hold our school values in high esteem as they have come directly from the Gospel Values.
St. Francis will greet you on your arrival, as you will be lead through past the offices you are surrounded by our beautiful station of the cross and through to our promise corridors. Our corridors are filled with Laudato Si, Care for our common home promises, along with our Season of Creation display.
Walking down the corridor to the hall, you are greeted by Mary, and our Visio Divina display to remind us of the importance Mary has in our Catholic faith. Walking into the hall the vales tree displays the New Testament wall, Bible Buddies corner is underneath the Old Testament interactive display and our links with friends in Kenya display.
Each classroom has a unique RE and worship area, with resources for the children to interact with. Our school and displays demonstrate ur dedication to LIVING, FEELING, DREAMING.
2023 SEASON OF CREATION
The school hall was transformed into an art gallery, demonstrating art inspired by creation! Each class took a theme related to there BIG ETHICAL MORAL QUESTIONS. These are the big questions that inspires each classroom topic, each individually created by the staff to reflect Catholic Social Teaching and linked to a cross-curricular topics. We celebrated the Season of Creation throughout school, as each class learnt about the Genesis story of creation. We incorporated Science Week, with a focus on space and our solar system, to link with with the big questions and wonder of creation.
2022: THE YEAR OF LUKE
The Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales designated 2020 as a year in celebration of “The God who Speaks”, inviting the Church in England and Wales to listen afresh to the Word of God, as did Our Blessed Lady at the Annunciation, to encounter anew the presence of that Word, and to proclaim it afresh in the Church and the World. It was also the 10th anniversary of Verbum Domini – Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation on ‘The Word of the Lord’, and the 1600th anniversary of the death of St Jerome who translated the Bible into Latin.
During that time – which ran from 1st December 2019 (the first Sunday of Advent) to 22nd November 2020 (the Feast of Christ the King), the emphasis was on the Gospel of Matthew which was the Sunday Gospel for Cycle A of the Church’s liturgical year. Subsequently the following year the intention was to focus on the Gospel of Mark which was the Gospel for Cycle B. The ‘Year of Luke’ began on the first Sunday of Advent 2021.
Luke is a master storyteller and his gospel alone begins with a personal dedication. His message is universal and moves from the poor of God in Judaea and Galilee to Jerusalem and then from Jerusalem to Rome, and then to the whole world. He uniquely records some of Jesus’ most famous stories such as the parable of the Good Samaritan; Jesus’ praise of the faith of the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian (Luke 4:25-27); and the story of the one grateful leper, a Samaritan (Luke 17:11-19).
Luke bridges the gulf between the old Israel and the newly emerging faith community. Luke’s Jesus insists on mercy for sinners and opens up new possibilities for all but especially the marginalised: Samaritans, women, lepers, tax collectors, prostitutes, children and widows. Only Luke celebrates this depth of divine forgiveness in the story of the Prodigal Son welcomed back by a forgiving father; and scandalously, for the righteous, the commendation of a forgiven woman sinner who disrupts a public feast to wash Jesus’ feet with her tears. Around Jesus no-one is outside the love of God …
There are six miracles and 18 parables which Luke has uniquely saved for us. They particularly reflect mental and physical healing, and hospitality and service; with Jesus stating: ‘I am among you as one who serves’ (Luke 22: 25-27) and inviting us to follow him. Luke celebrates Jesus’ opening up of shared table fellowship to the rich and poor, the saints and sinners, excluding no-one as a sign of the coming of God’s reign. It is Luke who has Jesus teach “Blessed are the poor” and choose to share his and his disciples’ life with the outcasts and the destitute… Fleur Dorrell.
The main focus for this Term is on the parables of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. Four parables are explored in some detail with the hope that this will then give teachers the confidence to look at other parables during the course of the year. At the end of the booklet there is a ‘stand alone’ suggestion for schools about celebrating the Gospel of Luke during Holy Week though a single piece of artwork.
We wish to foster our pupils’ relationship with God and with others in order to be capable of reaching their full potential as responsible and caring adults. We are involved in many local and global initiatives to live our lives and Jesus taught us to.
Macmillan Coffee Morning and Music Concert
Hymns with Reception Class
Every week, Mr McGill teaches the Reception children two new hymns and they enthusiastically sing these to the whole school in assemblies. We have learnt a beautiful and emotive hymn to sing for Mother’s Day Mass.
Celebrating Ash Wednesday
It was lovely to have a full church as we enter our journey with Jesus throughout Lent. Thank you to all who came and well done to Reception children from both schools for singing a joyful hymn together.
Local Environment Group
Here to make a change. As we continue to learn about our environment and how we can make a difference as stewards of creation, we congratulate the children who have been working hard as part of the Longridge Environmental Group. It is our responsibility to make a difference in our world and look after our common home.
Well done children from all schools, who showed care, dedication and determination in standing up for what is right.
Community creation Thanksgiving Day
The displays were absolutely beautiful and we even had help from staff at Blackpool Zoo to prepare the animal hunt and learn about animals. We had real animals and we also welcomed a butterfly and a ladybird, who must have got the memo that church would be full of all things creation! Church had a feel of that episode of The Vicar of Dibley, where the animals were welcomed into church for a blessing and all things creation were celebrated with love and great affection! Children and families brought special things to add to the displays and I was amazed to see Dot’s home grown pineapple…an experiment we will certainly be trying at school.
Following our beautiful creation celebration, please read page 4 of The Catholic Voice for an article by Mary Doran. Thank you again to all who contributed and attended.
LAUDATO SI – LIVE SIMPLY
Proud to have been awarded the Live Simply Laudato Si Award
WORKING WITH CAFOD HEADQUARTERS
We had a visit last week, a lovely man, who works for CAFOD Headquarters in London, came to visit our school to speak specifically with the CAFOD Club. The CAFOD Club has been up and running for two years now, and we are the first official Primary School CAFOD Club in the UK. We have supported CAFOD develop resources for their website, and resources to send out to school – so that all other Catholic schools can start-up their own CAFOD Clubs. The children took the opportunity to show CAFOD what we have been learning about in school, and to show them what an assembly by the St. Francis CAFOD Club looks like! We look forward to continuing to support CAFOD, helping them get important messages out to more young people!
Another Wonderful May Procession
Class Prayer and Liturgy
Our children have toolkits to enable them to plan and deliver reflective worships, with Lectio Divina at the heart of listening to and feeling God’s words to us.
Parlick class embracing the light of God with the glorious sunshine in February. All children are very confident leading our class worships.
YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST
Holy Hour
Schools of the Diocese of Lancaster have been invited by Bishop Paul to observe a ‘Year of the Eucharist’ to recognise the importance of Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist,
To introduce ‘The Year of the Eucharist’ we held a holy hour in church, during which each class took part in Eucharistic Adoration and quiet reflection in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. The Blessed Sacrament (blessed host) was on display in the monstrance on the altar. We prepared music, prayers and readings. Pendle Class talked about the Monstrance, went to see it in church and have painted their own. They are beautiful.
Year 1/2 Class Worship
In Parlick class, Year 2’s have been doing a fantastic job leading our class worships. They have shown such maturity and confidence deciding the theme and giving other pupils’ roles to help read prayers, select music and choose objects for our worship space, So proud of them! Parlick class have also enjoyed learning all about WW1 through the 100 years Armistice celebrations and exploring the wonderful display at church by the parishioners. As a class, Parlick produced a beautiful 3d wreath to present at our Remembrance Family Mass. Please see the photo’s below…
FEATURED IN THE CATHOLIC VOICE
Lancaster final proof Click on the link to check it out. Catholic Voice write up about the incredible ‘Open Air Mass and Creation Day’ with our catholic cluster.
St Francis appear in the Catholic Voice once again. What an incredible write up – what an incredible school we have.
Celebrating The Feast of St Francis
THE HARVEST FESTIVAL
The St Francis family came together again this week to celebrate the harvest festival. We had a wonderful turn out, as we also had a McMillan Coffee concert collection. As well as asking for food for those who have none, we also collected for those who are suffering from this terrible illness. The children collected many items of food to be taken to the local food bank. It is important for children to not only ‘act out’ aspects of the gospel, but also to live it! Jesus taught us that the Kingdom of Heaven is for those who are rich in spirit. The children learn so much by giving to those less fortunate than ourselves, it brings us closer to God and to true happiness.
CALL FOR CREATION (Pope Francis)
SIGN THE PLEDGE
St Francis’ has signed up to live ‘Laudato Si’. As a school, we are going to make every effort to make sure governors, staff and children are doing their part to make the world a better place. Pope Francis wrote a letter to the world two years ago, to call for all humans to clean up their act. Two years on, Pope Francis is now calling us all to sign the pledge, spread the word and do our part. St Francis’ are proud to be a part of the LiveLaudatoSi movement. Hving already been awarded a ‘Laudato Si Award’ by CAFOD, the school will do all it can to continue to make the world a better place. The Pope has released a prayer for those who have signed the pledge ( you can find this below). The prayer will be used in school, it has been published on the website so you can use it too.
WIDER GLOBAL LINKS
Click on the link to see the children of Beacon Class make new friends and support children in Kenya. Having created a link last year the children are considering charitable ways to support children their age in a remote village in Kenya. Jesus taught us to cloth the naked, feed the hungry and love thy neighbor. Children at St Francis are acting stewards of the earth – actively making it a better place. Kenya pen pals
CLASS WORSHIP
LEARNING THE MASS YEAR 1/2
HOLY HOUR
LEARNING ABOUT JUDAISM
Wider Global Links
Children from Years 3 and 4 joined together with children from schools in our local Catholic Cluster, to learn about Judaism. Judaism is an ancient religion that children learn about in the Old Testament and then in the New Testament, as Jesus was brought up Jewish in a Jewish family; therefore they share many common morals and Christianity. Being part of a world with many different faiths and beliefs, it is important that children act as Jesus would and accept and respect all people. The children learnt a lot and enjoyed time spent with children in our Catholic cluster.
ABOVE AND BEYOND
Do unto those as I would do unto you.
Year 6 student Tallulah Hodson has been inspired to help those who are not as fortunate as us. Part of the catholic spirit of St Francis is to be active disciples of Jesus and help others. Tallulah is a shining example and received much support from her family and the catholic community of St Francis. By sacrificing what she has for others and by raising money – she is making a difference.
DEN BUILDING DAY!
St Francis made the news for the fantastic Den Building Day. The children were raising money to support those that are less fortunate than us. Romans 12:13
Laudato Si’ Award
We are thrilled to have recognition for our work and dedication towards ‘Care for our Common Home’. Our award was presented by a CAFOD volunteer this week. Getting the award was no mean feat. Children had to prove that they have done their part to make the earth a cleaner, healthier and better place to live. The work done by the children, both in class and the impact around school was inspected by a CAFOD volunteer to make sure standards had been achieved. This goes to show how OUTSTANDING the children are at St Francis’ and the effort they go to, to improve the world we live in.
WE ARE HERE TO TEACH OTHERS
ST FRANCIS LEADERS IN CATHOLIC EDUCATION
We have also gained our own copyright CD ROM in the scheme of work for Catholic schools ‘The Way, The Truth and The Life’ which means that schools that use this popular scheme of work will see our May Procession. Amazing!
Jacob’s Join to welcome Father Sony
Holy Week and Easter
“So it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead” (Luke 24:46)
Holy Week April 9th -15th
Palm Sunday begins our Holy Week as Christ was welcomed by crowds back into Jerusalem. Such love was shown towards Him, yet there were many who were jealous and disbelieved that He was God’s Son. Palm Sunday is the Sunday before Easter. The Triduum is the culmination of the Church’s Liturgical year…
The Last Supper
The Triduum begins on Thursday evening with the Lord’s Supper Mass, which was the beginning of the Holy Eucharist. This is the reason we celebrate Mass and marked the sharing of Christ’s body and blood for us all. The disciples were very scared and nervous about the events. This was the last meal Jesus would share with His Disciples and during the meal, Jesus predicts His betrayal by Judas. Christ washed the feet of His Disciples and they became the first Priests. As we are co- creators with God, we too must serve one another and work as equals to care for our common home.
Good Friday
The Crucifixion of Christ
On Good Friday, we gather for the Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion- the events of such sorrow. Christ was betrayed and crucified on Calvary. Crucifixion was reserved for the worst criminals and Jesus was mocked and tortured. Jesus fell three times carrying the heavy cross. Our 14 beautiful ‘Stations of the Cross’ pieces of art work, created by our children, can be seen in our school entrance area.
After Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, his body was taken down from the cross, and placed in a tomb. The tomb was sealed with an enormous stone and guarded by Roman soldiers to prevent Jesus’ body being stolen. When Mary Magdalene visited the tomb on Easter Sunday she found that the stone had been moved, and that Jesus’ body had gone.
On Holy Saturday we wait.
Easter Sunday
Christ is alive! We celebrate the Resurrection. Easter Sunday marks the end of Holy Week-a week after Palm Sunday.The wonderful news that Jesus came back to life and made himself known to His discpiles gives us great faith, hope and joy. As we celebrate Easter and welcome new life and growth all around us at Spring time, we will continue to grow together in the great love that Jesus has for each and every one of us.
Masses for Holy Week:
- Maundy Thursday: Claughton-7.00pm
- Good Friday: The Passion of Our Lord-Hill Chapel-3.00pm
- Easter Vigil: Claughton-8.00pm
- Easter Sunday: Hill Chapel- 10.30am
Fundraising in Lent
Check out our ‘Music Videos’ section on our homepage to see our children perform at our most recent concert-all in aid of Big Fish…
More fundraising throughout Lent 2017. We welcomed Christine from CAFOD on Monday to talk to us about the Lent fundraiser ‘Big Fish’. We were involved in workshops and discussed how we could help make a difference.
Holocaust Memorial Service
Last week, our head boy and girl were invited to represent our school at St John’s church in Preston to a service to mark the 2017 Holocaust Memorial Day. The Mayor and Mayoress of Preston were joined by representatives from various groups in Preston to remember all those were affected by the Holocaust.
Harvest Food Bank Collection: Feed the Hungry
More fundraising for worthy causes-Children in Need.
FEAST OF ST. FRANCIS
It is the important time of the year again whee the children of St. Francis’ Catholic Primary School, celebrate the feast day of the school’s patron saint. The children had a special Saint Francis assembly with Miss Deakin on Monday. The children have also been learning about St Francis in their classrooms. The whole school then came together on the 4th October to celebrate the feast at mass.
Open Air Mass with our small schools Catholic Cluster
What a wonderful day we had! It began at 9.30am, when six of our cluster schools arrived at St.Francis.’ This year, we hosted, organised and led a day full of workshops, followed by Open Air Mass after lunch.We used as many spaces as we could in school and the children were all mixed up into different groups so they could make lots of new friends. We wrote prayers on stars in The Millennium Walk, drew pictures of our pets or favourite animals using charcoal and laptops, collaged parts of the creation story to take up to our St.Francis icon in Mass, planted seeds to take home, cared for chickens and undertook Laudato Sii activities in The Cottage. Father Smith even arranged for helium balloons to feature in the Mass.
We have spent a lot of time this year reflecting on Pope Francis’ Encyclical and are really linking this with The Year of Mercy as we care for our common home: plants, animals, the environment and each other.
Here are some pictures of our very special day. We even learned the Peruvian Gloria!
UFA Opens up Community Care opportunities
The children have been busily preparing to welcome residents from local care homes into school for dominoes, bingo, chatter and refreshments. Each Friday will be an opportunity to spend quality time with care home residents as we open our school hall to the community. The children have planned, prepared and written letters to publicise this new addition to our UFA time and are looking forward to learning from experienced members of the public about days past and present.
