Our Faith Journey at St Paul's
"Pupils have roles and responsibilities that they enjoy. Pupils selected to be Mini Vinnies help to promote the Catholic life and values of the school. Leaders prioritise and promote virtues, such as hope , forgiveness, tolerance and respect. As a result, all pupils value and celebrate difference. One pupil told inspectors, 'St Paul's is a kind school. People look after one another. We respect each other.' "(Ofsted Section 5 Inspection November 2021)
Our Whole School Assembly on our Mission.
2023 -2024
Lent 2024
Our Lenten journey for 2024 has focused on prayerful reflection, almsgiving and love for our neighbour. Bishop Marcus, in his pastoral letter, quoted The Holy Father, Pope Francis, and we have used his words as our mission for 2024.
Our Lenten Promises
Some lovely Lenten promises from our children.
Pilgrimage and Prayer
Mr Bowker and Mrs Gaffey took some of our children to Sacred Heart CPS VA to visit their Lenten Stations of prayer. It was a beautiful and reverent, prayerful and reflective morning. Thank you to Mr Masley and Mrs Bates for inviting us.
First Reconciliation
Congratulations to our Year 3 children who made their First Reconciliation on Saturday 23rd March 2024 at St Paul's Catholic Church. Thank you to Father Dennis and Father Yemane for celebrating the special sacrament with the children.
The Importance of Going to Church
Our children learning about the Holy Mass and how to pray in church.
Red Wednesday
In November we joined Father Henry to think about Red Wednesday and persecution all around the world.
Advent 2023
During Advent, our children have planned, organised and taken part in a range of activities to reflect on and to bring the true meaning of Advent and Christmas to the forefront of their minds.
Our Advent journey began with Advent Day in school when our children made their class Advent wreath, decorated the classrooms and thought about their Advent promises.
The First Sunday of Advent was a a wonderful celebration of our Family Mass where the children led all of the readings, singing and special parts of the Mass.
On Monday 4th December, Year 5 led a beautiful Advent Garden to remind us how to follow the light of Jesus and share our light during Advent.
During Advent, our children enjoying taking the Travelling Cribs home to share with their families and they also enjoyed taking part in our Advent Prayer Stations.
Our school choir visited our local care homes, Yew Tree Court and Cramner Court and sang to the residents and delivered sweet treats. They also visited St Gemma's Hospice Day Centre to sing Christmas Carols to the patients.
We also enjoyed three special Advent services. Reception Class led a fabulous Advent assembly, Key Stage 1 performed The Twinkly Nativity and then Key Stage 2 led us in a beautiful Advent Service at church.
We celebrated Mass as church as a whole school on the last day of term and we finished the day with a big family gathering for Carols round the Tree.
Our work with the SVP charity
On 15th December, our Mini-Vinnies and school choir were invited to visit the SVP Centre in Leeds 9 following our generous Harvest Festival donations. Before the visit, our Mini-Vinnies organised a Toy Appeal to collect new toys to give out to children who rely on the centre for support. The staff and children enjoyed a tour of the centre and Caroline (the centre manager) told the children about the important work that centre does for those in need in the community and how our donations would be used. Our children then sang in the SVP shop and for the visitors who were at the centre for a special Christmas lunch.
Remembrance Day 2023
Our wonderful Year 4 children led a moving whole school collective worship on Remembrance Day. The children spoke respectfully and eloquently about why we remember in November. We were delighted that so many of our parents and grandparents could join us for this special event.
Our Year 6 children also planned and led a class collective worship on the theme of Remembrance Day
Harvest Festival
We celebrated a beautiful Harvest Festival Mass in church. Father Yemane used the opportunity to 'quiz' the children about St Luke, as the day fell on St Luke's feast day. We were also humbled by the heart-warming story about how the St Vincent de Paul society support families across Leeds. By donating everyday items, such as a simple tin of beans, families are given hope, and a light at the end of what is often a very dark tunnel. Thank you to all of our families for donating to the Harvest collection.
Mark 10 Mission Rosary Challenge - October 2023
October is the month of the Holy Rosary and this October, we joined The Mark 10 Mission's Rosary Challenge. Our children (and staff) prayed a decade of the rosary every day at school. A decade of the Holy Rosary is: 1 x Our Father, 10 x Hail Mary and 1 x Glory Be.
During each decade, we prayed with a Mystery of the Rosary. Mysteries are moments in the life of Jesus and Mary. There are four sets of five Mysteries: The Joyful Mysteries, The Glorious Mysteries, The Luminous Mysteries, The Sorrowful Mysteries.
Our children thoroughly enjoyed this challenge and have asked if we can do other prayer challenges throughout the year so watch this space for our next challenge!
Helpful parishioners!
Our pupil's take a leading role in activities which promote the school’s Catholic Life and mission both within school and in the wider community. On Sunday 14th May, some of our pupils stayed after Mass to help Mrs Bowyer (a parishioner, former governor, and volunteer in school) to sell 'Sunflowers for Ukraine' to raise money and ask our parishioner to pray for peace in Ukraine. We are so proud of how well these pupils represented St Paul's today.
Easter Passion Play 2023
Year 4 have worked incredibly hard to produce a wonderful Passion Play, representing Jesus' journey through Holy Week through acting, song and dance. It is a brilliant, poignant celebration of the most important time in our Church year, and we are incredibly proud of all the children.
Our Lenten Journey 2023
During Lent, we have been praying for and thinking of others, especially those who are less fortunate. Each class has organised fundraising activities in order to raise money for The Good Shepherd Appeal, St Gemma's Hospice and CAFOD's Turkey-Syria Crisis Appeal.
Reception and Year 6 worked together to run games during lunchtime for every class.
Year 1 and Year 5 created 'Guess the name of the teddy' and 'How many sweets in the jar?'.
Year 2 and Year 3 sold toast at breaktimes, and Year 4 held a bake sale.
All of the staff donated Easter Eggs for an Easter Egg Raffle and raffle tickets were sold throughout Lent to raise money.
Altogether, we raised over £700 for our charities.
Each class has also learned about the Easter Story through a range of activities in RE and Collective Worship.
Stations of the Cross
On the final day of term, we gathered as a whole school to reflect on the events of Good Friday through the Stations of the Cross. Following this, Year 4 led us in a wonderful Passion Play to end our school's Holy Week.
Mini-Vinnies visit to Golden Acre Park
On Wednesday 22nd March, our Mini-Vinnies were invited to take part in a joint event with Mini-Vinnies from the other primary schools in our Trust. Mrs Gaffey and Mrs Bowyer (governor) travelled with the Mini-Vinnies to Golden Acre Park to participate in Lenten Reflections. This involved a walk around the park, pausing at different stations to pray, read and reflect.
We also enjoyed a picnic lunch and a joint collective worship led by Fr Gerard (St Urban's Parish Priest) before experiencing the Lenten Reflections in smaller groups.
First Reconciliation 18th March 2023
During Lent, our Year 3 children have been preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The children completed their 'Heart speaks to Heart' books over a 6 week period with support from Miss Ivory-Connor, Mrs Gaffey and Fr Dennis.
On Saturday 18th March 2023, our children made their First Confession at St Paul's Church with Fr Dennis and Fr Yemane. This was a reverent service for our Year 3 families and an important step on their journey in faith.
Our Advent Journey 2022
We have enjoyed a wonderful Advent Journey in school. This began with a special Advent Day in school for each class to prepare their Advent Wreath and decorate their classroom. On Sunday 27th November, we had a Family Mass at St Paul's where the children led us in prayer and song to celebrate the first Sunday of Advent.
On Friday 25th November, Year 3 delivered a fabulous class assembly on the theme of Advent. On Monday 28th November, Year 5 led us in a beautiful Advent Garden, blessing all of our Advent wreaths and leading us in a prayerful way to start Advent in school.
During Advent, our school choir visited two local care homes to sing carols and bring gifts for the residents. The staff also accompanied the choir to do Carol Singing outside Marks and Spencers, to raise money for St Gemma's Hospice.
We enjoyed three wonderful Nativity performances. A special assembly led by Reception, a show-stopping Nativity play by Key Stage One and an inspiring Advent Service led by Key Stage Two.
For our final day in school, we celebrated Mass at St Paul's and then our families joined us to song Christmas carols around the tree.
Mr Bowker's Assembly on Friendship for Anti-Bullying Week.
Remembrance Day 2022
Across school, each class has been learning about Remembrance Day. From making poppies in Reception, to learning about the World Wars in Year 5 and 6, all of our children have shown an excellent understanding of why we remember. Year 4 also led a wonderful class assembly on the theme of remembrance and peace; our children showed maturity, empathy and respect when speaking and singing about these topics.
RE and Collective Worship during Autumn 1
Below are some examples of the wonderful work our children have done through the RE curriculum, Collective Worship and the Catholic Life of our school, during Autumn term 1.
21st October 2022 Staff Retreat
On Friday 21st October, our staff enjoyed a lovely retreat day in Masham. We took time to reflect on our school's Mission and explored ways to enhance the Catholic Life of our school even further.
20th October 2022 Harvest Festival Mass
On Thursday, Fr Dennis led us in a wonderful Harvest Festival Mass. Our families have been sending donations in to school over the past few weeks and SVP were delighted to collect the items to distribute across Leeds.
18th October 2022 One Million Children Praying the Rosary
This morning, the whole school joined ‘One Million Children Praying the Rosary’ to pray for peace and unity. St Paul’s were proud to be involved in this worldwide campaign.
17th October 2022 Mini-Vinnies visit to see the statue of Our Lady of Fatima.
Our Mini-Vinnies were invited to Immaculate Heart of Mary Primary School to take part in the Visitation of the Pilgrim Relics of Saint Jacinta and Francisco.
17th October 2022 A visit from Fr Dennis
Fr Dennis led two wonderful collective worships in school this afternoon for key stage 1 and key stage 2, on the theme of Gratitude. We showed our gratitude to him, with some gifts to mark his 30 year anniversary as a priest. Thank you for all you do for us, Fr Dennis!
29th September 2022 Mini-Vinnie Mass
On Wednesday 29th September, our Mini-Vinnies were invited to a special recommissioning Mass at Leeds Cathedral. The Mass was led by Bishop Marcus and was a wonderful celebration of the fantastic work that our Mini-Vinnies, from schools across the diocese of Leeds, do every year.
2021-2022
July 2022 Visits to the Etz Chaim Synagogue
Year 2 and Year 5 enjoyed visits to the Etz Chaim Synagogue to enhance their leaning about Judaism. Malcolm talked to the children about the special signs and symbols of Judaism and the children asked lots of interesting questions and looked at artefacts.
1st July 2022 Parish Strawberry Fayre
We were delighted to support the parish by holding a non-uniform day in lieu of donations for the Strawberry Fayre. Our families were extremely generous and Fr Dennis was delighted with our contributions.
13th July 2022 Other Faiths
Mrs Neeru and Mrs Seetha (our lunchtime supervisors) came to speak to Year 1 about Hinduism this afternoon. The children had some fantastic questions and enjoyed listening to the interesting responses. Thank you Mrs Neeru and Mrs Seetha!
18th June 2022 First Holy Communion
Congratulations to our Year 4 pupils who received the Sacrament of First Holy Communion on Saturday. Thank you Fr Dennis for two very special Masses for our families.
19th May 2022 Marian Service
Year 1 led a wonderful Marian Service for the whole school. During May, we honour Mary our Mother in heaven, we pray the rosary and have this special liturgy for Mary.
May 2022 The Good Shepherd Mass
Three of our Mini-Vinnies represented St Paul's at The Good Shepherd Mass. Bishop Marcus led a wonderful service and spoke to the children from each school to thank them for their fundraising efforts during Lent.
Our Lenten Journey 2022
We have tried our best to observe a reflective Lenten season in school.
We started Lent by visiting church for the Ash Wednesday Mass, with Reception and KS1 receiving their ashes in a service in school. The staff also had a reflective session with Father Dennis for their first staff meeting of the half term, along with staff from Christ the King Catholic Primary.
Charity/Almsgiving
Each week, different year groups organised events to raise money for charity the Good Shepherd Appeal and CAFOD.
Year 4 sold prepared and toast each breaktime.
Year 6 and Reception had a 'Name the Teddy' competition and also organised games lunchtime.
Year 5 and Year 1 had a 'Guess How Many Packs of Sweets in the Jar' competition and held a bun and biscuit sale each playtime.
Year 3 and Year 2 organised games for the children to play at breaktimes.
Some children did some extra work for charity - Angus chose to raise money for the people of Ukraine, by cycling a total of 117 miles in a week!
Fasting
At our family mass on March 6th, Father Dennis Mrs Norwood spoke to us about Family Fast Day on March 11th to encourage us to abstain during Lent but especially on Family Fast Day. All the children made a Lenten Promise to try to give something up or make an extre special effort to do something.
Prayer
Prayer helps us to become mindful of God and to awaken our love for God. Throughout the whole of the term, a different class has attended the parish mass at church on Wednesday morning. Throughout Lent, it has been the turn of Reception and Key Stage One. We have been using the Mark 10 Mission as part of our whole school and class worship and, as the weather briefly became more Spring-like, held some child-led worship in the prayer garden.
Passion Play
Year 4 led us on a wonderfully dramatic journey through Holy Week with their Easter Passion Play.
26th March 2022
First Reconciliation
After completing the 'Heart Speaks to the Heart: the Gift of Reconciliation' course and booklet, with Mrs Gaffey, Year 3 made the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday 26th March.
25th March 2022
Fundraiser and service for the people of Ukraine at Cardinal Heenan Catholic High School
Year 3 went to Cardinal Heenan, along with other schools in our Trust, to join in a service for the people of Ukraine. The school community have been very supportive in bringing in donations for refugees.
13th March 2022
St Patrick's Day Parade
Some of the staff, parents and children took part in the St Patrick's Day Parade in Leeds, along with our friends from Christ the King Catholic Primary School. We had great fun on our float and some of the children did some amazing Irish dancing and tin whistle playing at the event.
6th March 2022
Family Mass
7th February 2022
Sylvia Wright Trust Visit
We had some special visitors to our assembly from the Sylvia Wright Trust today, who came to talk to us about all the amazing work they do and how we help them by sponsoring a child.
25th January 2022
Feast of the Conversion of St Paul
We took time out of our normal lessons to think about St Paul on this special. The children created beautiful artwork, wrote factfiles and even shared what they knew about St Paul in a 'Just a Minute' activity. All of this work has been used to create a lovely display in our hall.
January 6th 2022
The Feast of the Epiphany
Classes celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany in different ways throughout school.
Our Advent Journey 2021
We enjoyed many celebrations during Advent in school.
We started our journey with a wonderful Advent Garden led by Year 5 and classes spending time preparing their classrooms for the season of Advent.
Reception led a lovely Advent class assembly.
Key Stage One led their 'Lights, Camel, Action' nativity and also took home a 'travelling crib'.
Key Stage Two led us in a prayerful service in church.
We also celebrated Mass with Father Henry on the last day of term and enjoyed an outdoor carol service.
We were delighted that so many of our parents could join us for some of these events.
Supporting the local community during Advent
Our choir and our Mini-Vinnies walked to a local residential home during the last week of term to sing in the courtyard for the elderly residents and to deliver some mince pies. The staff and the residents all enjoyed it so much and were so grateful that we could visit them for Christmas.
FOSP led a 'Feed a Family' campaign and created 28 hampers to donate to families from St Paul's and Christ the King who may have otherwise struggled to feed their families during the holidays. Our families were extremely generous and we had extra boxes full of food to donate to SVP to be distributed city wide to those in need.
Some of our Autumn Collective Worship
October 21st 2021
Harvest Festival Mass
The Mini Vinnies helped to collect and sort all the generous contributions from our school community. Sheena Eastwood, from the St Vincent de Paul Society, joined us at our Harvest Festival celebration in church before taking all the harvest offerings to be shared amongst families in need.
October 18th 2021
One Million Children Praying the Rosary
This morning, the whole school joined ‘One Million Children Praying the Rosary’ to pray for peace and unity. St Paul’s were proud to be involved in this worldwide campaign.
15th October 2021
Mini Vinnies Commissioned
We are very proud of our new 2021 Mini Vinnies. We know they will do some great work for the parish and local community.
5th October 2021
We were very proud to donate a minibus full of clothing, shoes and equipment to the Clothing Bank at Brotherton. Our families are very kind and generous.
