Catholic Life News and Events
24 Hours for the Lord - Monday 24th March.
On Monday 24th March we will have the presence of Jesus in school all day for Eucharistic Adoration in the hall with the opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation for Years 4-6.
Parents are warmly invited to spend some time in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament between 11.15am - 1pm. If you would like to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation please contact the school office for more details.
The Big Lent Walk
Well done to all the classes for completing the Big Lent walk on Friday 7th March and raising £604.11 for CAFOD! It was a fantastic day putting our faith into action this Lent.
Father Richard visit to Blue Class
Father Richard visited Blue Class on Tuesday to talk to them about their learning in R.E. We talked about how important music was and how some of the music that we use in the church to help us celebrate mass is extremely old. Father Richard explained that in many countries, Mass is said in the country's native language but there are parts of the Mass that will be said in the same language no matter where you are in the world. We can see examples of Latin and Ancient Greek used in Mass. Together we said the words; 'Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy.' Father Richard taught us how to sing these words in Greek, 'Kyrie Eleison' and we practised singing these together. Blue Class really enjoyed their visit from Father Richard and it really helped us to understand our learning in our R.E. lessons.
Blue Class Mission Week
Blue Class have had a busy week this week learning about the work of CAFOD for their Mission Week. Having learnt about CAFOD's work supporting farmers experiencing a drought in Kenya, they got to work making posters and sharing their knowledge with all year groups. They shared their understanding in their assembly today and invited all the children across the school to join in with the 'Big Lent Walk.' Thank you to everyone who donated.
The Big Lent Walk
Today the children took part in the Big Lent Walk. Thank you for all your generous donations - we will update you on the final collection amount! Watch the video below to find out a bit more about how your donations are making a difference to families overcoming injustice and poverty.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X56z8yruC6M
Ash Wednesday
We marked the start of Lent this Wednesday with our Ash Wednesday Liturgies. Our Year 6 Prayer Council, after some formation, had the special ministry of distributing ashes to our school community. We reflected and prayed for our Lenten journey of fasting, prayer and sharing. The children have all made Lenten promises for the 40 days of preparation before the great celebration of Easter.
"When I gave the ashes to the KS1 I felt joy that I could give service to God and help people have a fresh start this Lent." George
"I felt really one with God doing the ashes. I felt special." Erin
"When I gave the ashes to KS2 and parents, I felt I was closer to God by serving him." Mia
Simple Lunch
Our simple lunch was a great success, with fantastic engagement from everyone across the school. The children were able to make a connection with our Catholic Social Teaching principles of Solidarity and Option for the poor.
Prayer Stations
During lunchtime of Ash Wednesday the Prayer Council organised and ran interactive prayer activities for everyone to engage with. These were very well received by the school community and there was lots of enthusiasm! The theme of the activities was Pilgrims of Hope and the children prayed for hope in all sorts of situations. One example was photographs of doors, reflecting and praying for those who might live or work behind the doors. There was also the opportunity for silent prayer in the school chapel.
"I felt calm and peaceful because it was nice and quiet and it was a time of reflection." Emily
"I felt like I was really helping others to come closer to God." Isla
"I did the stations of the cross and I felt happy because I got to share the Word with other people in school." Marlowe
"I felt proud." Victoria.
Amethyst Class Mass
Amethyst Class welcomed Fr. Bill on Friday to celebrate our first Class Mass of the year. Thank you to all parents who were able to join us and to Fr. Bill for saying the mass.
Feast of The Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas)
The dark mornings and evenings are still with us as we celebrate Candlemas, the feast of The Presentation of the Lord, on 2nd February. This feast day marks the official end of the Christmas season in the Catholic Church and reminds us again that Jesus is the light who came into the world to save us.
The Celebration of the Word for the first week of February celebrates the Presentation of the Lord, when Jesus was taken to the Temple as a baby to be presented to God - a religious tradition and duty for all Jews.
The Gospel story of this event reminds us how Simeon and Anna reflect on the amazing day when they saw Jesus and through eyes of faith and recognised Him as the promised Saviour. Children will come to know that they too can see Jesus with eyes of faith as the Light of the World - the light that leads us to joy, peace and truth.
With your child, you might like to…
- Light a candle in a darkened room or turn on a lamp or torch and ask your child to describe how light changes the look and feel of their surroundings. Talk about the title for Jesus - the ‘Light of the World’ and explain that Jesus guides us with His loving light.
- Talk about ways they can shine Jesus’ loving light in the world through their words and actions.
Pilgrims of Hope
These Year 3 children were so inspired by the launch of the Jubilee Year, Pilgrims of Hope, that they made badges and glasses to share the message with others! Well done children!
Jubilee Year 2025
This year marks the start of the Jubilee Year with the theme of Pilgrims of Hope.
Today we launched the Jubilee Year in school. We watched the CAFOD assembly and heard the words of Cardinal Vincent Nichols who inspired us to bring hope into our communities. In the coming weeks the children will bring a prayer card home which we invite you to use as you pray during this year. We have lots more planned for the Jubilee Year ahead to celebrate with the children!
Advent Mission
The Prayer Council would like to thank all our families who donated games as our Advent charity offering. We had close to one hundred games which were split between two local charities!
We had the pleasure of welcoming Daphne from Homestart who explained the work of her charity to the Prayer Council and explained where are games would go.
Prayer Council Advent Mission
Thank you to everyone who donated 'Orchard Toys' games towards our collection.
International Food Afternoon
Following our celebration of Christ the King, we held an International Food Afternoon in the hall. A great big thank you is due to all the parents and guardians who prepared wonderful food, decorated tables, demonstrated food preparation and provided the opportunities for all of us to celebrate and enjoy food from so many countries.
The afternoon was a great success and was very well attended by very many parents and children.
St George's RE Event
On Thursday 21st November, two of our Year 4 children joined children at St George's junior school and St Charles Borromeo to partake in a morning of deeper learning in RE. The children discussed the teachings of Jesus on how to live and were asked to reflect on 'What would Jesus do?'; our children were a credit to Cardinal Newman through their behaviour and deep RE knowledge.
Sapphire Class Mission Week
This week, Sapphire Class had their mission week, which was based around the theme of Anti-Bullying. Well done Sapphire Class on such a wonderful assembly, and reminding us all on how important it is to treat every person with respect and that we are all uniquely created and loved by God. Everyone enjoyed the class rendition of True Colours, accompanied by Mr Doe on the guitar!
Emerald Class Mission Week
This week, Emerald Class had their mission week, which was based around the theme of Remembrance, with a particular focus on peace. We created an Emerald Class poppy wreath to honour and remember those who have been affected by wars around the world. Next week, we are going to visit the Hersham War Memorial and will talk about the impact of war on our local area, say some prayers and lay down our wreath.
Well done Emerald Class for such an excellently delivered assembly this morning - so so proud of you all!!!
Food bank delivery
This week some of our Year 4 Prayer Council children helped to deliver the generous harvest collection to the Foodbank in Hersham.
Here are some quotes from the children about their experience:
"I found out they put the food in boxes in alphabetical order."
"We were able to help them put things in boxes. They told us that they need a lot of jam at the moment!"
"It made me think about home and how I am grateful that I have all I need."
"It made me think about how much I have compared to other."
Food bank collection
Thank you to all who donated towards the food bank collection. Your generosity is greatly appreciated.
Rosary led by the Prayer Council
The Prayer Council led the Rosary on Wednesdays and Thursdays during October. It was lovely to see lots of our families joining with us in the morning.
Green Class Mission Week
Green Class had their class Mission Week last. The theme was Our Lady of the Rosary. We know how important the Rosary is. The children enjoyed learning that Our Lady is honoured around the world. The children also enjoyed hearing and praying the Hail ary in the languages of their families. As their mission, the children decided to support Mary's Meals and did little jobs at home for 10p each, as 10p buys a dinner for a child. We have so far raised enough to feed one child for a year, which was our aim.
Feast Day of St John Henry Newman
We celebrated our school Feast day on Wednesday with the celebration of Mass in the morning followed by an afternoon of activities about the life of St John Henry Newman. We gathered together in the afternoon for us to hear from children across the school about what they had learnt. This year we particularly focussed on being a 'link in a chain' from the words of St John Henry Newman's prayer. The day concluded with a celebratory ice-lolly!
If you'd like to find out more about St John Henry Newman, there are some good resources here: Feast of St John Henry Newman - Mission Together
Amethyst Class Mission Week
Amethyst Class engaged with interest and enthusiasm during their recent Mission Week. As every year, Year 6 were entrusted with the very special mission of welcoming new members of the community to our school. To help our new Reception children settle into life at Cardinal Newman School, Amethyst carried out a number of important jobs, including: writing welcome letters to their new buddies, reading with members of Red and Orange classes, writing and filming an important safety video to help the youngest members of our school stay safe during Opal Play, and making each child a special Blessing Bag, full of special symbols, prayers and wishes for their journey ahead. Our attention also turned to those children who are unable to receive a full education due to illness. We proudly supported the Rainbow Trust, a charity which strives to support children, and their families, who suffer from life-long or terminal illnesses. Amethyst Class held their own bake sale at the end of their week to raise money for this worthy cause. We thank all parents who were able to support Amethyst Class in this important act of service.
Faith in Action Awards
On Friday 12th July, children and families from the Surrey schools of our diocese gathered at Christ Prince of Peace Church in Weybridge for the Faith in Action awards. This was the first year that children from Cardinal Newman have worked on the award. It was a brilliant experience for the Year 6 Prayer Council who have been putting their 'faith into action' all year by serving and praying. The liturgy on Friday was celebrated by Bishop Richard and included the children being awarded with their badge. We wish them every success and hope they take on the challenge of Bronze award next year.
RE Learners at St Georges Junior
On Thursday 20th June, Eve and Jack from Year 5 attended a greater depth in RE event at St George’s Junior school. The morning was led by Fr Andrew, a Salesian priest and Head of RE at Salesian school, Battersea. The children worked with other pupils from our local deanery schools to think about some religious concepts more deeply. Eve and Jack really impressed Fr Andrew with their knowledge and religious literacy. The morning concluded with a delicious lunch!
The Good Shepherd Celebration
On Thursday 27th June, Mrs Burnham and Miss Bealin-Kelly accompanied the Year 4 Prayer Council to the annual Good Shepherd celebration at Worth Abbey. Bishop Richard led the celebration for the schools of the diocese with the focus on the Year of Prayer. It was a lovely joyful celebration.
Some quotes from the children:
Sofia: "It was amazing to see the artwork each school had made about the Our Father, I love how everyone pictured the message".
Mia: "I was amazed at the size of Worth Abbey inside and I liked seeing the side chapel with the tabernacle. Also the event helped me to see the size of the diocese and I liked looking at all the different school banners".
World Faiths Week
Monday 8th July marks the start of our World Faiths week at Cardinal Newman. Year groups will encounter and dialogue other worldviews during the week in their RE lessons. It is an opportunity to learn more about others who hold a different worldview, alongside helping to build a culture of peace and respect. On Monday 15th July the PA have kindly funded a visit from Judaism for Schools who will lead workshops for children in YR-4. This will allow the children to ask questions and dialogue with an authentic Jewish believer.
Wintershall Life of Christ
On Tuesday 18th March Year 5 had the experience of watching the Life of Christ production at Wintershall. The children found the experience immersive as the play was acted out around them. It was lovely to see how our Cardinal Newman children were able to identify key moments in the life of Jesus and place these in context.
Some quotes from the children:
“The Life of Christ helps you to see Jesus as a person”
“It really helps me to understand the feelings of the people in the Bible stories”
“It brings the Bible stories to life”
Adoration
On Monday, the Prayer Council in Year 6 spent some time over lunch praying and reflecting with the Blessed Sacrament. This formed one of their reflection moments for the Faith in Action award. They thought about our commitment to serve and love.
The whole school spent some time with our Lord, with opportunities for reconciliation in Years 4, 5 and 6. Fr Richard led us in Benediction to end a very fruitful day. .
Faith in Action Award
Today we launched the Faith in Action award which is described on the website as:
The Faith in Action Award encourages young people through recognising, rewarding and celebrating their active faith lived out through service and reflection. The Award helps them connect their life and faith in a tangible manner.
In journeying through the Award, young people should experience a deepening of their relationship with God and find themselves exploring that relationship. It is hoped that through their relationship and action, others will see God's love through them.
The Faith in Action Award rewards young people's active service to others in their local and wider community. Young people accrue credits of service and reflect on that service in the context of the teachings of the Catholic Church throughout their award journey.
Our Year 6 Prayer Council will demonstrate their faith through their service in our school community, earning credits and recognition for what they do. We will have times of prayer and reflection to give space for us to listen to God's word in our heart as we work through the award.
Cardinal Newman Ash Wednesday
On Wednesday we celebrated our Cardinal Newman Ash Wednesday in school to mark the start of Lent with the children. We reflected on our commitment in Lent to pray, fast and share. The Year 6 Prayer Council distributed our ashes reverently and prayerful whilst we sang 'Jesus remember me when I come into your kingdom.' The children responded to our liturgy by writing their Lent promises.
CAFOD family fast day
Today as part of our CAFOD family fast day, the Prayer Council led the children in the school in some prayer activities during Lent. It was lovely to see so many of our school community engaging in active prayer.
"During our Lenten lunch when the Prayer Council ran the prayer stations I felt loved and appreciated by God."
"I got to read and I felt like everyone was waiting on me, and it was very holy, even though it was only on the playground."
"I felt happy to serve God and Jesus."
Rosary
We had a lovely start to our Rosary Fridays during Lent. The Prayer Council would like to invite as many families as possible to join us. We hope to see you next Friday 1st March at 8.30 am.
Celebration Mass for the work of Mission Together
On Thursday 25th January our Year 5 Prayer Council children attended a celebration Mass for the work of Mission Together. The Mass brought schools from several dioceses together to pray and reflect on the charities work. It was a lovely occasion.
Quotes from the children
"I felt calm and reminded that I was part of the Church family."
"I felt very special there and I think all the others schools did too."
"During the experience I felt happy, excited and close to God. The hot chocolate was really nice!"
"I felt relieved and hopeful because Fr Noah told us that we are all equal."
"At the charity Mass I felt like I had a very important role. I also felt like God was speaking to me."
"I felt hopeful about the Mass because of how we got to send children around the world a message."
Wintershall Travelling Nativity
On Monday 20th November we were very blessed to have Wintershall's travelling nativity come to the school field. The whole school experienced the immersive workshops with characters from the Nativity story.
Here is what some of our Prayer Council had to say about the experience:
"I liked the different, unusual smells at the Wise Men staff because it was a really fun to experience new things from Jesus' time." Sofia
"Wintershall told me a different perspective of the nativity." Maia
"I liked Wintershall because the way they made it feel like a real pilgrimage." Evie
"I learnt to respect Advent and the journey to Bethlehem." Cianna
Hands on London coat collection
Thank you to everyone who donated coats on Wednesday. Five massive bags were delivered to Surbiton Fire Station to be distributed across London this winter.