As the month draws to a close, and with it the Christmas term, it is fair to say that these last few weeks of the term have been a whirlwind of activity and that our pupils have, once more, excelled in using their gifts and talents – as referenced in my last post – fully and for the benefit of many.
The Carol Services were one such example of this. On December 8th, the first of these took place at the Sacred Heart Church, in which parish the school is based. The service of Benediction and Carols – part of which was held by candlelight – was a truly beautiful and a reflective part of our Advent preparations for Christmas. The Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament offered a sense of peace and inner joy, the musical and prayer offerings of our pupils were uplifting and Canon Jason’s homily encouraged and strengthened our pupils, their families and all of those attending.
The annual Cathedral Carol Service was held the following Monday, 12th December, with Canon Paul Watson, who is also one of our school Governors, offering the opening prayer and the closing blessing. In this Carol Service, our choir, soloists, readers and musicians once more offered their talents in praise of God and in thanks for the gift of the Christ-child. We are grateful to Swansea Music Service, Canon Benedict for permitting us to hold this in the Cathedral, to Canon Jason, Canon Paul, and Father Rob, as well as grateful to the staff that worked with our pupils, grateful to the pupils themselves and grateful to their families for supporting their involvement in these beautiful events.
The Advent assemblies were a testament to the hard work of the Faith Council and the staff pantomime certainly ensured a humorous end to the term, as well as raising a considerable sum for those in need.
We also had a number of pieces of lovely news with which to end this term. We were delighted to hear that one of our pupils, Eguono Idiegbe, has been selected to join the advisory panel to the Children‘s Commissioner for Wales. Eguono was selected from a high number of applicants to work with the Children’s Commissioner on addressing the issues important to young people in Wales.
Also successful in a highly competitive field was Riya Scaria, whose Christmas card design was selected (from almost 400 entries in her category!) to be printed and sold throughout the Swansea and Neath Port Talbot Health Boards for their fundraiser in support of children and young people in hospital over Christmas. Riya was thrilled to hear that the funding raised would be used to pay for purchases such as iPads and for therapy dog visits to the children in hospital over the festive period.
Finally, we were also thrilled to see the publication of the Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide, which places Bishop Vaughan in the top ten schools in Wales on the basis of our pupils’ results. We know well just how much hard work went into the achievement of every single grade and qualification, and once more we congratulate our pupils on their achievements and acknowledge the support of parents and carers in enabling attainment at this level.
The termly newsletter, as always, provides more news than can be encapsulated in this post. We hope that you enjoy reading it; it can be accessed here.
On behalf of all staff and Governors, we wish you and your families a happy, holy and peaceful Christmas and the blessings of joy and good health in the New Year.
Mrs Pole