Lightfever

29th September 2017Mrs D Ferris

Today we had our first Lightfever of this academic year. The students of St Edmund’s love Lightfever, they welcome the opportunity to come into the Chapel during lunchtime or tutor time to light a candle and say a quiet prayer quietly for their friends, family or themselves. All our welcome, sometimes members of staff come in to join us too.
We ask that each students that comes, bring a friend, sometimes students go back into the dinner hall and invite their friends into the Chapel.
After they have lit their candle, said a prayer and had some quiet reflection time, they often want to light another candle. We have music playing in the background from many artist including music by CJM and Matt Redman.
Lightfever is on the last Thursday of every month and is based on the ‘Pillar nights’ that take part in the Diocese. Invited people into your place of worship.

Macmillan Cake Sale

27th September 2017Mrs D Ferris

On Friday our 6 form and Chaplaincy Team will be holding a Macmillan Cake Sale. This Charity is close to many people’s hearts and we are kindly asking students and staff to bring in any cakes for sale. Also, parents could you please send you child into school with some extra money, 50p if possible.
There will also be an opportunity to guess the weight of the cake, this will be 50p a go, the winner gets a cake for Friday night tea!
There are now 2.5 million people in the UK living with cancer. By 2030, it will be 4 million people, and we want to be there for them all.
One in three of us will get cancer, and it will be one of the toughest things we’ll ever have to face. Our goal is to make sure no one faces cancer alone.
We provide medical, emotional, practical and financial support, as well as campaigning for better cancer care. And because cancer affects more than just those facing it, we’re there for friends and family too. We are Macmillan.

Thank you in advance for your support and generosity

Chaplaincy Commissioning Mass

27th September 2017Mrs D Ferris

Today 15 St Edmund’s students from St Edmund’s Chaplaincy team travelled to St Chad’s Cathedral, in Birmingham, along with other schools in the Diocese to attend the annual Chaplaincy Commissioning Mass.
Archbishop Bernard Longley being the main celebrant along with other priests from the Archdiocese. BCYS and Kenelm Trust led the music. Sinead Cullen Barrett of our Sixth-form Chaplaincy team gave a reading and two of our altar servers, Abigail Caron and Jessica Roberts, assisted the Archbishop and priests throughout the Mass.
Archbishop Bernard opened his homily by saying ‘Do not be afraid’ taken from the Gospel reading today. He explained to the students and congregation that he and the Lord understands that sometimes it can be hard to be different, to say you believe in God and thanked everyone for their commitment in making our schools a faithful caring example to others.
The Archbishop also spoke of the Bishops’ Synod in 2018 on ‘Youth, Faith and Discernment’ and asked us to listen to the words of Pope Francis , “So today, my friends, Jesus is inviting you, calling you, to leave your mark on life, to leave a mark on history, your own and that of many others as well.”
“So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven” taken from the Gospel of Luke.
During the Mass, Lay Chaplains of the Archdiocese were presented with the ‘Archdiocese of Birmingham Certificate of Lay Chaplaincy’ after 18 months of dedicated study. Mrs Ferris, our Lay Chaplain, received her certificate from the Archbishop. Mrs Ferris’s ministry to the community of St Edmund’s grows stronger and deeper. We are very proud of her richly deserved success.
All the students loved being part of the celebrations today. Mrs Hughes and Mrs Ferris are proud of our students for their commitment to Chaplaincy, the school and their faith.

 

St Edmund’s Receive Cooper Cup Award

21st September 2017Mr M Jones

St Edmund’s Catholic Academy were placed 3rd in the Tettenhall & District Horticultural Society’s Annual Show on 2 September 2017 at a presentation at Tettenhall College, Wolverhampton.  Year 8 student Bhavesh Balarajan was presented with a Certificate and received the Cooper Cup for the 3rd Best School Garden for this year.  The garden has been nurtured by our member of staff, Mrs Rous, who attended the event with Bhavesh and his family.  A group of students with an interest in horticulture have worked tirelessly with Mrs Rous this year to learn about and grow a variety of produce.

Bhavesh was  very proud to collect the award on behalf of the academy.

Education Sunday

21st September 2017Mr M Jones

Education Sunday
Education Sunday took place in all parishes yesterday, on Sunday 10 September 2017.
Education Sunday is a day of celebration for all those involved in education. For over a century it has been part of an ecumenical celebration in which the Catholic Church participates. The Catholic Education Service’s theme for Education Sunday 2017 is ‘gathered in my name’.
Education Sunday is an opportunity for schools and parishes to come together to celebrate and give thanks for all the students, staff and parents who work so hard in and for Catholic schools. It is also a chance for us to reflect upon the contribution that Catholic education makes to our communities.
The staff of St Edmund’s Catholic Academy ’ gathered’ together to marked this day during their Staff Briefing with the intersessions;-
INTERCESSIONS
Lord, we pray that we may be a community where all are welcome. Welcome to pray, to worship,
to explore. May these communities provide comfort to the lonely, hope for the broken and rest
to the weary. Help us to create spaces where people can come together with love and respect for
difference.
Be present in those spaces, to heal divisions and to forge friendships.
Lord, hear us
O Lord hear my
We pray that our schools may be places where all are welcome, Welcome to learn, to study,
to work. Help us to support the excluded and to stand alongside those who need us. We pray
particularly for students and staff who come to us as refugees. May we greet them with the love
they deserve, and provide the safety they seek. May our campuses be places of tolerance, inclusion
and diversity.
Lord, hear us
O Lord hear my prayer, O Lord hear my prayer
We pray that governments may see the value of difference and enact policies that welcome and
do not turn away. Where injustice reigns, may hearts be changed and may walls that have been
built be torn down. Make us instruments of change and give us the courage not to stand on
the sidelines but to fight injustice in our communities and be witnesses to the Gospel message
of inclusion. Mould us into prophetic voices for change, that we may in turn mould our
communities into your kingdom.
Lord, hear us
O Lord hear my prayer.

The Feast of the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary

21st September 2017Mr M Jones

The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of September 8, nine months after the December 8 celebration of her Immaculate Conception as the child of Saints Joachim and Anne.
We celebrated this Feast on Friday by welcoming the New Year 12’s in their next part of their education here at St Edmund’s Catholic Academy, many who were already members of the St Edmund’s family and others from different schools.
We hope they feel the presence of our Lord every day and that his love gives them the strength to be people of God in all they say and do.
After Mass some of the Altar Servers placed a plant at the foot of our new statue of our lady in the peace garden. Saint Augustine described the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic significance, and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ. “She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of the valley,” he said.

Welcome Mass

21st September 2017Mr M Jones

On Tuesday September, we welcomed year 7 to the Community of St Edmunds Catholic Academy by inviting them and their families to celebrate Mass in the Arena.

Many of the new students took part in the mass, reading and bringing the gifts of bread and wine to the Altar. We are blessed with lots of new Altar Servers from different churches who are a credit to their parishes. Fr Mark and the staff  were impressed with the service they gave.

We wish all the new students and staff a happy time at St Edmund’s and look forward to seeing them develop into the saints they can be, as Mrs Hughes said ‘one of them may even be the future Prime minster or a future Olympian’.

Prayers to Begin a School Year

God of wisdom and might,

we praise you for the wonder of our being,

for mind, body and spirit.

Be with our children as they begin

a new school year.

Bless them and their teachers and staff.

Give the strength and grace as their bodies grow;

wisdom and knowledge to their minds

as they search for understanding;

and peace and zeal to their hearts.

We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Vacancy for Site Manager

21st September 2017Mr M Jones

Part of Bishop Cleary Catholic Multi Academy Company, St Michael’s are seeking to appoint a motivated, adaptable and well-qualified Site Manager to maintain and improve the academy building and grounds. Our excellent, hard-working staff and pupils are looking for a site manager with a high calibre of DIY skills, excellent communication at all levels and good working knowledge of Health and Safety to join our team.

For more information, please follow this link below:

http://stmichaels-academy.co.uk/jobs/

Vacancy for Academy Cleaner

21st September 2017Mr M Jones

We are seeking to appoint an Academy Cleaner to carry out under reasonable direction the appropriate duties in the case of buildings and the teaching environment, in matters of safety, cleanliness and comfort, conducive to the working needs of pupils, staff and other site users.

Required as soon as possible

Scale 1 £7.83 per hour

15 hours per week – 3.45pm – 6.45pm Monday to Friday

This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check.

See our vacancies page for more information: http://www.stedmundscloud.co.uk/jobs/academy-cleaner-6/

Scholastic Book Club

21st September 2017Mr M Jones

Our new Scholastic Book Club is up and running. Orders can be placed using the C2C Booklet and returned it to school with payment.  Alternatively go to http://schools.scholastic.co.uk/st-edmunds-wv3 to browse the latest books and order online.

For every £1 you spend on this month’s Book Club, our school will earn 25p in Scholastic Rewards.

Please place your order online by September 25th, 2017.

See Mrs Lowe in the Library for more information.