Notre Dame du Rosaire RC Primary School: Newsletter

Well done to everyone for such a brilliant fundraising effort last Friday. We had so many coins it took Mrs Marquis many days to count it but we raised a magnificent £1314.85. For a small school like ours to raise this amount in one day is truly wonderful.

Our Christmas concert donations totalled £355.34 which we are donating to the Pink Ladies. Thank you for that as well. We are awaiting a visit from a Pink Lady to receive the cheque during assembly.

This Sunday is the day on which we pray for everyone who works in our schools - pupils, staff and parents - that God will bless our endeavours and support us in all that we do.

This weekend either Mr McGovern or Mrs Shepherd, headteacher of St Mary and St Michael School, will be speaking at each Mass. We will be joined by our children, the best ambassadors of our schools, to ask for the support of the parish in two ways:

The Education Sunday collection: Our schools get no financial assistance from the States for the maintenance of our buildings so we are totally dependent on the Building Fund for repairs and improvements. This year our Reception classes were refurbished and a new outside play area created. The infant children’s toilets were replaced and we will shortly be commencing work on the junior children’s playgrounds. At St Mary and St Michael School the boilers were replaced and improvements made to the children’s play areas. Current parents already contribute generously through their monthly standing orders to the building fund – thank you for your generosity. Sunday’s collection will be a chance for the wider community to make donations to this fund and we hope that lots of our children will come along in school uniform to make their presence known and to encourage the parishioners to contribute.

Catholic children in Catholic schools: We are very proud of our schools which have an excellent reputation for academic achievement and for nurturing the spiritual and moral development of our children. At Notre Dame our numbers for next year’s reception intake are very healthy, yet there is a significant number of Catholic families in Guernsey who choose not to send their children to our schools. When asked, one of the reasons given by parents is that they did not know there was a Catholic school available!

To all of our parents: if you know a parent with pre-school children please encourage them to make contact. If you know a Catholic family who are moving to Guernsey, please encourage them to make contact. Details are given each week in The Link. We would like to see every Catholic child in a Catholic school. Please help us by promoting our schools and letting everyone know that we are here!

First Communion Candidates enrolment: Thank you to all the parents who attended last Tuesday’s meeting and participated so enthusiastically. Next Sunday we look forward to welcoming all the candidates to the 10.30am Mass in St Joseph’s Church. They will be formally accepted into the programme and we will invite the parish community to pray for them and their families.

Notre Dame was awarded “Healthy School” status four years ago and we are currently working towards a renewal of our accreditation. There is one area where we feel we have slipped and this is healthy eating.

Our litter bins are full of crisp packets and sweet wrappers each day and this is not a good indicator of a positive attitude towards food. Could we do better? We are sending home a questionnaire and we would be grateful if every parent could complete and return a copy. If we are to adopt an effective healthy eating policy we will need the full support of parents because almost everything the children eat is provided by you.

Do bear in mind that we are not in a position to provide cooked hot meals in school. English schools have a tradition of “school dinners” which can be traced back to the need for working mothers to support the war effort during the second world war. Guernsey has never had this tradition as, until recently, most Guernsey children went home for lunch. Now, it would be very expensive to provide schools with the catering facilities you see on the mainland.

Next Monday we are privileged to welcome back author and poet Brian Moses to our school. Brian will spend the morning leading writing workshops with Years 5 and 6. In the afternoon he will prepare and lead a performance which will be a mixture of his own work and writings from the children. This is an excellent opportunity for our older children to work for an extended period with a professional author and for all our children to enjoy what will surely be a unique performance. For a preview, and to hear him perform some of his poems visit his website: www.brianmoses.co.uk

There will be an opportunity for children to purchase signed copies of his books which are mostly priced at £5.99.

Our PTFA are launching a new project for Easter which is a Notre Dame Recipe Book. We are inviting our junior children to think of their favourite recipes and share them with everyone in what we hope will be an indispensible aid in the kitchen.

Full details are on the flyer with today’s newsletter. Recipes need to be set out on a single sheet of A4 which will be reduced to fit the A5 recipe book. Recipes should preferably be printed on a computer in portrait orientation.

We hope that the recipes will contain lots of healthy options, given the previous item and we are looking forward to providing you with an excellent Easter gift!

Beetle Drive: Places are still available for the Beetle Drive next Friday. This is a fun evening which can be enjoyed by adults and children alike so please return the flyer sent out last week with your menu choices.

WOW! This was everyone’s reaction when Fr PJ cut the ribbon on our new infants’ toilets and the children were able to step inside. See Gallery for photos

Thanks to all those parents who have subscribed to the building fund and have made this project possible.

Fr PJ came into school on Tuesday and blessed the children and our new facilities. This state of the art washroom could not have come at a better time, given the concerns about swine flu and personal hygiene.

The next phase in improving our facilities is the redevelopment of the grounds in the upper school. Subject to planning permission we are hoping to start in February and we have been promised a discount if we can give the go-ahead for a winter start. This depends on YOU! We have 44% of parents subscribing to the fund. Can we now ask the remaining 56% to chip in as well! Please ask for a form or collect one from the noticeboard in the lower school entrance.

Please be on the look out for flu-like symptoms and keep your child off for seven days if they arise. “Flu like symptoms” means a high temperature (above 38ºC, 100.4ºF) plus any two of: unusual tiredness, runny nose, shortness of breath or cough, aching muscles, loss of appetite, diarrhoea or vomiting.

Please note that a high temperature is the key symptom to look for. A thermometer should be an essential part of your first-aid kit at home. Mercury thermometers are old-fashioned now. You can get simple digital thermometers which can be placed under the tongue or in the ear or (cheaper but less reliable) fever strips which can be held against the forehead. The golden rule is that children with high temperatures must not be sent to school.

What we are doing: The new infant toilets are now in use. All junior classes have hand gel dispensers and every room has a lidded bin for used tissues. The children have had lessons in personal hygiene and know how to dispose of tissues properly.

Please be on the lookout for headlice as they are always present in the school. If your child has them it is a good idea to change the bed linen after treatment to prevent re-infestation. School nurses no longer check children’s heads in school so it is the parent’s responsibility to do this at least once a week. However if you need advice this is available from the nurses on 725241.

Back in 2006 we were very pleased that our school achieved the status of “Healthy School” validated from the UK in collaboration with our local education and health authorities. Time has moved on, standards have changed and we are now embarking on our goal to achieve the enhanced healthy school status by the end of this academic year.

Achieving Healthy School Status involves meeting national standards in four key areas. These are:

The School’s Personal Social and Health Education Curriculum: We need to evaluate this area to ensure we are providing pupils with the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes to make informed decisions about their lives. We also need to have mechanisms in place to ensure pupils’ and parents’ views are taken into account in all aspects of the life of the school. Our existing School Council was one of the successes which came from our last Healthy School project and we will be strengthening their involvement this time round.

Healthy eating: We need to ensure that children have the confidence, skills and understanding to make healthy food choices. Here in Guernsey where there is no school meals service it is even more important that children and their families understand what constitutes a healthy lunch box.

Emotional Health and Well-being: We need to promote positive emotional health and well-being to help pupils understand and express their feelings and build their confidence and emotional resilience. This will include and examination of all our policies including how we deal with behavioural issues and bullying, and doing what we can to improve the environment

Physical activity: We need to ensure we are providing pupils with a range of opportunities to be physically active. In this way they will understand how physical activity can help them to be more healthy and how physical activity can improve and be a part of their everyday life.

During the coming year we will be canvassing parents’ and children’s views on the above topics, through questionnaires, surveys and face-to-face discussions. Your help with these will be greatly appreciated and we will be keeping you informed of our progress through the newsletter. All of this evaluation will be done in the context of our faith. As a Christian community we need look no further than the Gospels for guidance on how to live our lives. As long as we keep the Good News close to our hearts we will not go far wrong.

Parents coming into school: Now that our children are well settled we would ask that parents do not routinely come into the building at the beginning and end of the day. Even our Reception children do not need help to hang up their coats and bags, and to allow children to do this by themselves helps them to become more independent. It also eases congestion in our narrow corridors.

Tumaini Fund: Dr Susan Wilson was very sorry to have missed our Harvest assembly but she has promised to come and see us before the end of term. Thank you to everyone who has donated items for the appeal. There is still time to hand in donations of stationery items or new T shirts for the AIDS orphans in Tanzania.

I would like to thank all parents, children and colleagues for their many generous gifts and best wishes on the occasion of my retirement in July.

The afternoon of musical memories was a very moving, though extremely enjoyable one. I am so grateful to those who organised it all and to the pupils, past and present, who delighted everyone with their performances.

I send my love to everyone. You will always be in my thoughts and prayers and Fr PJ will celebrate Mass for all of your intentions. God bless you all, always.

Left in school from last term: Brand new cycle helmet and lock. Please claim!

On Wednesday 16th September Notre Dame School joined representatives of all Catholic schools in the Diocese to greet the relics of St Thérèse on the first day of the relics’ tour of England. We travelled by train to Portsmouth and had a tasty breakfast of cereal, bacon and sausages at St John’s Cathedral school when we arrived.

We then made our way to the Cathedral which was full of children and took our places with St Mary and St Michael School. Bishop Crispian led the service at which every child was able to walk past the relics casket and bless themselves with holy water. Maninda, Tilly and Katy read the bidding prayers and Yasmin presented a card with prayers written by our children to Bishop Crispian. We were very pleased to be part of such a wonderful celebration. We saw Canon Hetherington who sends his good wishes to all.

In the afternoon we had a chance to take a tour of HMS Victory and were able to see how harsh life was for sailors 200 years ago. After some shopping it was time to make our way back to the station to take our train to the airport. We had a wonderful day. Our Guernsey children were beautifully behaved and excellent ambassadors for their schools. Visit our Gallery to see photos of our day out

Following the ceremony to welcome the relics of St Thérèse last week, Bishop Crispian has written to say, “There have been many occasions when I have been intensely proud to be Bishop of our Diocese of Portsmouth, but never more than now. I will keep the memory of these days, and, I hope, the graces that have flowed from them forever in my heart.” The Director of Schools, Rosemary Olivier, wrote to say, “I am very grateful for the part your pupils played in this by reading the bidding prayers and in helping the occasion to run smoothly. Please pass on my thanks to them for their participation.”

Early arrivals: Please note that we provide supervision for ten minutes before the start of the school day (i.e. from 8.35am for juniors and 8.50am for infants.) It is a concern to us that some children are arriving significantly earlier than this and problems could arise if a child has an accident or misbehaves and there is no staff member available. We have also noticed that some children are dropped early, then leave the school site unaccompanied when the parent has left. This is unacceptable!

Every Thursday you will receive a newsletter which is sent out with the eldest child in each family. We always keep to a regular day each week because children do not always remember to hand letters over so please check your child’s bag every Thursday. Spare copies are available from the school office or the leaflet dispenser in the Lower School entrance. The newsletter keeps you informed about school and parish events and allows us to share our successes in and out of the classroom. It also contains important information, including future dates and deadlines for returning information to school so please read it!

Absences: If your child is absent from school, please let us know in one of the following ways:

We are legally obliged to record a reason for every absence so please leave brief details with your message. Term time holidays are strongly discouraged. If you have to take your child out of school for a holiday during school time please inform us in writing if the absence is for five days or less. For longer holidays permission must be obtained by writing to the Director of Education. Please note that we do not undertake to set homework for children on holiday.

To see photos of Oliver! and some of our summer activities visit our gallery or click on

At the Performing Arts Centre last week the audience were certainly wanting MORE!

Here are just a few of the messages we have received after our Oliver! performances:

“Thank you so much for the wonderful production of Oliver. My husband and I had the privilege of attending last night to see our grandchildren and the remainder of the school perform in the most outstanding manner. It was all very professional and thoroughly enjoyable. I know you must be extremely proud of them all for such a performance”

As you know, all my children have attended Notre Dame so my connection with the school has been for a few years now. In that time, I have had great pleasure in attending various plays etc which have all been excellent.

My daughters have been looking forward to appearing in the production and working along side Mr McGovern and Father PJ, and driving us mad with Oliver! songs. The result was amazing, Father PJ and Mr McGovern were the perfect casting for the parts, and the children really enjoyed having them both involved

The children playing the leading roles (Oliver, Nancy, Dodger, Bill Sykes to name just a few) were brilliant and the solo singing was just a joy to listen too, keep up the good work!

Dear Mr. Mc Govern, I just wanted to say how wonderful last night’s performance was. It is quite unbelievable to note that the cast were (mostly!) no more than 11 years old. You and your team have a lot to be very proud of. In my work today I will be “reviewing situations” and I will do it with a lighter heart following your rendition. Thank you very much

I had no idea what to expect but was completely overwhelmed by a fantastic performance. It was spectacular! I have nothing but praise for the school as a whole, but really just wanted to congratulate everyone involved in the production of the show. It must have taken a lot of effort and hard work and I just felt it might be nice to hear how much it was appreciated!

I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Oliver at the Performing Arts Centre last week. The hard work of the staff and children is to be commended. I know that Marilyn Salisbury is retiring at the end of the term and this performance of Oliver is a very worthy final production for her to be involved in. Please pass on my congratulations to everyone involved in the production.

The performance of Oliver! was very special for many reasons, not least because it was the first musical Mrs Salisbury ever put on when she started teaching and it was fitting that it should be the one which ended her retirement year. Many thanks to all who contributed to its success, not least the children for their talent and enthusiasm and the staff team. Special thanks to Mrs de Jersey for assisting with the music and musical rehearsals, Mrs Robertshaw, Mrs McLuskey and Mrs Cable for the costumes and props, Mrs Courtenay-Warren and Miss Higgins for rehearsals and liaising with the Performing Arts centre staff over the staging and technical side and of course our musical director Mrs Marilyn Salisbury!

The St Joseph’s rainbows, brownies and guides meet on Fridays in St Joseph’s hall and are looking for new members:

Rainbows: Age 5-7, 4.00-5.00pm. Contact: Miss Louise Carmichael -07839 736201

All these retailers are able to provide embroidered items. Please note that we are not changing our uniforms and that sweatshirts are not part of the Notre Dame uniform. Children should wear V neck jumpers or cardigans. These are available in the same material as sweatshirts and that is acceptable. Children should have black leather shoes for school and these can be purchased from any of the local shoe retailers.

Some children have suggested that we should have a Notre Dame fleece. Whilst there would be no problem putting our logo on a fleece we would not recommend it as fleeces are not waterproof. Our children do spend more time outdoors than other schools and we don’t let a drop of rain bother us! Podgers stock a waterproof reversible fleece at £15 which would take our logo very well and would be perfect for a school coat in mild weather.

Podgers and Fletchersports have both indicated that they plan to introduce an online service for ordering uniform items and we will keep you updated when this is available.

Is school uniform compulsory? YES. It is well established that school rules are legally enforceable provided that they are reasonable. This includes the wearing of school uniforms provided that the items are reasonably priced and readily available. However we prefer to encourage, rather than threaten parents and children to co-operate with our uniform policy and to be proud of our school. Financial assistance is available for families on benefits who may struggle to meet the cost. The Education Department will be happy to provide details in confidence, please phone 710821 and ask for the Education Welfare section. We also have a large collection of second hand uniform / unclaimed lost property which we are happy to give away. Please ask!

There was a panel of children who had taken part in different sports and Sarah, Natalie and I represented Year 6. This amazing moment happened on Thursday morning at 11am.

Colin answered a number of questions from the panel and the other children and staff. He has received an MBE and CBE. His favourite sports at school were athletics and cricket. He has broken two world records, has 25 medals and numerous trophies.

It was amazing seeing a star right in front of you, it’s not an experience you get every day by India

Our youngest panellist, tap dancer Grace, grilled him about his time on Strictly Come Dancing. His favourite dance was the foxtrot and his least favourite was the tango. He didn’t really mind losing to Darren Gough because he never expected that either of them would get that far. He commented that sports stars do well on the show because they are used to being coached and taking advice on improving their performances. He says that, although the judges seem grumpy, they are really friendly behind the scenes.

Our artistic roller skaters, Caitlin and Monica were wondering whether we would see him in ‘Dancing on Ice’. He said he had been offered the chance to take part but he thought it would be too hard and he would worry about dropping one of the celebrity girls.

One thing I will remember best was the huge applause at the start of assembly when he came through the door with the camera crew Andrew

What I found funny was when Mr le Page asked to see his starting position and his warm-up. He said he’s too old now and hasn’t been training in ages. Gearóid

I never thought a sportsman could be so kind. I was surprised to find out that Colin Jackson can play the violin and the recorder Maria

I was surprised that Colin has never seen a rugby union match because he comes from Wales Theo

The panel were great asking their questions. They dressed in the clothes which they wear for their sports. He was so clear with his answers and he inspired me not to give up. Kerry

He made me laugh when he said he couldn’t ride a horse but would like to learn. Ronan

I was inspired by how determined he was and he never gave up even though his coach was a bit picky. He didn’t boast, he was just happy and smiling. Orla

He is forty years old, has had nine knee operations and twenty five major medals which he keeps at his mum’s house. Lily-Mae

Colin Jackson was easy to understand and fun to listen to. He was really friendly, smiley and ‘normal’ even though he has won all those medals and trophies. He taught me never to give up even when it seems like everything has gone wrong. He is always ready to learn something new. Ellie

I was amazed how lucky I was to see a real world champion in front of me. I realised that he isn’t a typical champion, showing off, but a good natured, kind man who showed me that I could be a good runner if I follow his advice. I will always remember him when I run for England (that is, if I am good enough!) Daniel

It was the best day we have ever had! We should invite more celebrities. We asked him lots of questions and Mr le Page asked him to show us his warm-up but he didn’t show us. Never mind! Mara

Please do not send sick children into school! It is difficult for working parents when children are sick but the needs of the sick child and the rest of the class and the staff should be the priority.

We have received updated advice from the UK Health Protection Agency (which our local health authority has passed to us) concerning children with diarrhoea and / or vomiting. Children with these symptoms should now stay off school for 48 hours from the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting (this was previously 24 hours). In addition children with diarrhoea should be excluded from swimming for two weeks following the last episode.

Impetigo: This is a bacterial infection which causes sores, often around the mouth.

As Impetigo is contagious, children should see a doctor if this is suspected, and the condition will normally be treated with antibiotics. Children should stay off school until the sores have crusted or healed.

Headlice: Infestation with headlice is always a possibility and parents are asked to check children’s hair regularly. Headlice are unpleasant but not harmful and children should not be kept off school because of them. Wet combing with conditioner is an effective method of control (although it requires great patience). There is a variety of treatments available from pharmacies.

If you have any concerns about your child’s health, our school nurse, Fiona Hardy offers a free monthly drop-in.

Healthy lifestyles survey: Year 6 have recently completed this survey along with all other schools. The survey is designed to measure their attitudes towards such matters as healthy eating, exercise, smoking and keeping safe. The children’s individual answers are confidential but the school’s aggregated results show some interesting statistics, for example:

Child protection checks

All employed staff currently have to be checked against police records for child protection reasons and this is now being extended to those who regularly help in school. We will be approaching all our regular helpers to ask them to complete a disclosure form which they will then need to take to the Education Department with photo I.D.

We hope that parents will understand the reasons for these checks and will not mind the inconvenience. Helpers can be assured that these checks are carried out in the strictest confidence and the results are only available to named Education Department staff. School staff do not have access to the results, other than to know that an individual has been approved as a helper. The checks cover offences which would make a person unsuitable to have contact with children.

Canadian memories

Our website, www.notredame.sch.gg has caught the eye of a former Notre Dame pupil on the other side of the world. Margaret Cornick (née Carbery) now lives in Vancouver on the west coast of Canada and has sent us these memories:

"I attended Notre Dame du Rosaire School for about four years, I think it was 1936-1940, and was evacuated to Hollymount Convent in 1940, because of the German Occupation. My mother was caretaker of the school during the time we were there, and after the war we returned to Guernsey and moved back to our house which was in the grounds above the school yard. We shared the house with the gardener and his family. We had half the house each. The gardener and his family were called Riochet. Sister Francois de Sales was the Mother Superior, and there was a music teacher - Sister Cecile, and a Sister Marguerite and others - I don't remember them all. I still have a reference written for me by Sister Francois de Sales when I needed to apply for my first job at the age of 14. That was the school leaving age in those days.

We attended Notre Dame Church next to the school. The priest was Father Bourde. I made my First Communion in that church and also sang in the choir. If we sang in the choir on Sunday Father Bourde would come to the school every Monday and give those who sang in the choir an orange. My brother James served as an altar boy.

It was great finding and reading through your site, and finding that the school is still there. I was so interested in reading the news right up to date. I have many happy memories of Notre Dame du Rosaire School and I also remember that the nuns used to serve fantastic homemade soup during the winter which all children could have at lunchtime.

There was a Marion Brouard, a young girl who lived with the nuns in those days, and we all played together by the hour in the school yard under the tree in summer to stay in the shade.

The nuns had gardens and grew all their own fruit and vegetables and flowers. They also had vines growing in the greenhouse attached to their convent living quarters, which was closer to Mill Street, just a bit further down Burnt Lane from the school. Whenever I had to go to the nuns for anything, like an errand of some kind, or to take something to them from my mother they would give me grapes to eat and some to take to my mother. Then also, some of the nuns used to live in the house facing the school yard (now the Highlands Flats). They used to have Chapel (Vespers I think) and they used to sing beautifully. I would lie in my bed with my window open some evening and listening to them singing, it was lovely.

Just after the war started there was fear that the Germans would take over the Channel Islands. We had to black out our windows. Since our house was quite high and overlooked St peter Port the air raid wardens would come to our house every night to check up on anyone who they thought was showing light through their windows. The next day they would visit those houses with a warning. I slept in the front bedroom on the top floor of the house and that's the window they came to look through.

When we went out anywhere at night time, we used to have to go down some steps off the school yard and we had a big key (it seemed big at the time anyway). We had to unlock the gate and lock it up again so as no one could get into the convent or the school. I remember how much I loved school in those days. Compared to today it was so different. It was quite strict and we were there to learn. We learned how to be respectful, how to be good living, and never tell a lie or use a swear word. I was always referred to as a "goodygood" so I think I learned my lesson well.

Even today I know times have changed but I wouldn't change anything from my schooldays at Notre Dame du Rosaire or Hollymount Convent. I am sorry the nuns have gone. They were lovely to be and to learn from.

I hope your students have as happy a time as myself and my brother and sister, James and Rose did whilst at your school.

We are sure that if Mrs Cornick came back to Guernsey she would see that many things have stayed the same. The sisters are, sadly, no longer with us but the school buildings haven't changed. We still unlock the gates every day with a big key, and, of course, all our children are still respectful and would NEVER tell a lie or use a swear word!