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Our Faith

Our Chaplaincy Team 2021 - 2022

Our Chaplaincy team plan our weekly sessions of extended time of prayer. They encourage all our pupils to live their faith in daily living and help the school to grow as a community of faith. 

 

 

 

School Assemblies and Masses    

All children have a daily act of worship. These take different forms.  Each week the children gather to praise God in singing, which supports our spiritual life and preparation for Mass and assemblies.

Each week, children across school who are  part of the Chaplaincy team plan and deliver the weekly Collective Worship session. This focuses on a variety of themes but includes the word of God and a 'go forth' activity to encourage children reflect on their own actions. 

Every Friday we have a 'Gifts of God' assembly, when all staff and children gather to praise God for our achievements. During this time, the children selected for their recommendation are announced and the angel of the week (a child from each class who has displayed the current virtues) are celebrated. Lots of celebrating all round!  Saint points and the house of week are announced and celebrated along with attendance and punctuality awards.  Children also share achievements from outside of school. 

Each class leads one class assembly during the year for the whole school to watch. All parents are invited to watch and be part of our weekly celebration assembly. 

Every Thursday there is a school Mass celebrated by the whole school.  Mass is celebrated in our school hall except for the first Thursday of each month when Mass is celebrated in the parish church. The Mass readings are prepared by children from Year  Three to Year Six, on a rota basis.  All parents and parishioners are very welcome to join the school at Mass, both in school and in church.  You will be kept informed about Mass via the weekly newsletter. Due to the current COVID restrictions, we have limited outside numbers attending School Mass. 

Non-Catholic parents will have discussed with the Principal the school’s mission and the integral nature of our prayer life, daily assemblies and Masses for the children’s spiritual development.  This will assist parents when deciding whether Holy Cross School is suitable for their children’s education.  Parents will have been informed of their right to withdraw their children from all aspects of assemblies, Masses and prayers. 

Any non-Catholic families who want to know more about the Catholic faith should contact our parish priest

Fr Neil Bayliss on 0121 351 2161

SMSVC

Spiritual, moral, social, vocational and cultural (SMSVC) is an outstanding feature of life at Holy Cross Catholic Primary school. Children are provided with a wealth of opportunities to develop spiritually through inspiring child led prayer services, outstanding collective worship, use of high quality prayer resources and thought-provoking lessons. From a moral perspective, the children are encouraged to approach problems and decisions focused on 'What Jesus would do?' Lots of opportunities are provided for pupils to socialise with others from different socioeconomic, ethnic and other religious groups so that children develop a respect for all people as children of God. Students' vocational development is catered for by dedicated mission weeks as a time to reflect on our call to serve others; this encompasses all that we do here at Holy Cross Catholic Primary school. Children's cultural development is enhanced by our topic work in which we study national and international topics; engaging with the cultures of people who live there.
SMSVC is a central aspect for our school as 'through faith and education we seek to achieve fullness of life' for all members of our community and the world in which we live, as God's people.

Gospel Virtues

Pupils at Holy Cross Catholic Primary school are growing to be . . .

Grateful for their own gifts, for the gift of other people, and for the blessings of each day; and generous with their gifts, becoming men and women for others.

Attentive to their experience and to their vocation; and discerning about the choices they make and the effects of those choices.

Compassionate towards others, near and far, especially the less fortunate; and loving by their just actions and forgiving words.

Faith-filled in their beliefs and hopeful for the future.

Eloquent and truthful in what they say of themselves, the relations between people, and the world.

Learned, finding God in all things; and wise in the ways they use their learning for the common good.

Curious about everything; and active in their engagement with the world, changing what they can for the better.

Intentional in the way they live and use the resources of the earth, guided by conscience; and prophetic in the example they set to others.

British Values

Promoting British Values at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

The DfE has recently reinforced the need "to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs."

As a Catholic school we follow the Gospel teachings – to love God and love one another.

  • We follow the example set by Jesus.
  • We believe we are all made in the image and likeness of God.
  • We show our love for others through contributing to the common good.
  • We show our love for others through respect for all members of God's family and as such reject all discrimination of any kind.

This forms the basis for all that we do at Holy Cross Catholic Primary school and ensures British Values are an integral part of this.

Democracy:
Pupils have the opportunity to have their voices heard through our School Council and Pupil questionnaires. The children have the chance to elect a representative from each class that they feel will represent their classes views. School council candidates were required to prepare campaign speeches outlining their suitability for the role and their vision for the school. The school council is actively involved in the life of the school and in decision making processes.

The Rule of Law:
The importance of Laws, whether they be those that govern the class, the school, or the country, are consistently reinforced throughout regular school days, as well as when dealing with behaviour and through school assemblies. Pupils are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken.

Individual Liberty:
Within school, pupils are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment. As a school we educate and provide boundaries for young pupils to make choices safely, through our provision of a safe environment and empowering education. Pupils are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and advise how to exercise these choices wisely.

Mutual Respect:
This is a fundamental part of our Faith and school ethos. Pupils have regular discussions and assemblies on what respect means and how it is shown to others.

Tolerance of those of Different Faiths and Beliefs:
This is achieved through enhancing pupils understanding of their place in a culturally diverse society and by giving them opportunities to experience such diversity. Each year group completes an in-depth study on different cultures and faiths through their Topic work and this is also part of the RE scheme of work. This is supported by visits to places of Worship.

Click here to visit the CES Website

Wednesday Word

The Wednesday Word is a double sided A4 leaflet that the children in school will bring home every Wednesday. The leaflet will support you to prepare your son or daughter for the Gospel at Mass on the following Sunday.

Click on the link below to download this week's Wednesday Word.

http://www.wednesdayword.org/index.html