Our lead lay chaplain Angela O’Brien is putting together weekly prayer sheets to help families pray together while we’re unable to go to Mass.
We hope you’ll be able to use the activities to help both children and adults grow in faith at this time.
Our lead lay chaplain Angela O’Brien is putting together weekly prayer sheets to help families pray together while we’re unable to go to Mass.
We hope you’ll be able to use the activities to help both children and adults grow in faith at this time.
Our lead lay chaplain Angela O’Brien is putting together weekly prayer sheets to help families pray together while we’re unable to go to Mass.
We hope you’ll be able to use the activities to help both children and adults grow in faith at this time.
Step 7 Pathway, Continuing your Child’s Journey in the NPCAT Family.
Please Click the Below Link to view the PDF Documentation for May 2020
NPCAT STEP 7 PATHWAY – MAY 2020
Thank you!
Free School Meals voucher provider Edenred has apologised for problems on its eCode redemption website earlier this week.
Edenred says it has identified an issue with its system on Monday April 27 and Tuesday April 28 when a message was saying “invalid code” was displayed.
It said: “Edenred would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and reassure you that our teams have worked hard to deploy a solution which has now rectified the problem.”
Anyone who tried to redeem an eCode received on Monday or Tuesday and received the error messages is asked to try again. If the problem persists, you may have entered the incorrect eCode.
If your code is still not accepted after several attempts, delete the browsing history on your device, which may be storing the incorrect code in its memory.
If you continue to experience problems, please email [email protected] or phone 03334005932 for further support.
Members of the Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust family of schools are being invited to take part in a special competition that celebrates faith in troubled times.
Inspired by the words of chapter 35 verse 35 in the Book of Exodus, Project 35:35 is an invitation to use our artistic talents to respond to the challenge of the coronavirus outbreak by giving glory to God.
In Exodus – which tells how God delivered the Israelites from slavery – the people were called upon to use their gifts to adorn the tabernacle that was built as a pace of worship before they reached the Promised Land.
He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them skilled workers and designers – Exodus 35:35
In these times of uncertainty, many people may question how anyone can possibly believe in God and, if they do, why he would let something like this happen.
Despite this, believers are flooding social media, reaching out to their places of faith, as faith leaders reach to them in return. They pray in earnest and yearn to be back in their places of worship. Why do they do this? What is your response in these times?
Explore your response to these questions by creating a piece of original art, a poem, a song or a dance.
Add a short explanation of your piece, including some of the following…
How did you create your work?
What inspired you?
How does your work demonstrate your faith response to coronavirus?
What has it made you think about?
What do you hope people will understand from it?
Bronze, silver and gold prizes will be awarded within each category.
To submit your work, please email a picture or video of the piece, along with your commentary, to [email protected]. The closing date is Sunday May 31.
Please state the category you are entering.
Category 1: EYFS and KS1
Category 2: KS2
Category 3: Years 7–9
Category 4: Years 10–13
Category 5: Extended family of NPCAT, open to staff, parents, grandparents, parish members and all associated with NPCAT.
Work will be displayed online and included in an exhibition when life is back to normal and we can all celebrate together as one family.
Project 35:35 is based on an idea from St Margaret Clitherow teacher Rochelle Nestor and is co-ordinated by NPCAT lay lead chaplain Angela O’Brien.
Our lead lay chaplain Angela O’Brien is putting together weekly prayer sheets to help families pray together while we’re unable to go to Mass.
We hope you’ll be able to use the activities to help both children and adults grow in faith at this time.
Two more families from Corpus Christi Primary School in Middlesbrough have begun receiving free school meals after submitting a simple form to the local authority.
The school’s child and family welfare lead Andrea Hurt says it’s a “very straightforward process” and the council responded on the same day.
“We had a couple of families who weren’t on our list for free school meals but thought they were eligible, so we put in new claims for them,” explained Andrea, whose role includes looking at safeguarding and being the first point of contact to support parents with issues such as housing, benefits, free school meals and even behaviour problems with their children.
“You just need to fill in details like name and address, you and your partner’s National Insurance number and the children’s date of birth and the school does the rest, faxing it over to the council’s free school meals department.
“You don’t have to show any other evidence at that point. We send it off to the council and they get straight back in touch – in the case of the two families in our school it was on the same day.
“One parent was immediately eligible and the other just had to take a photograph to show they had been claiming Universal Credit for three months.”
Nicholas Postage Catholic Academy Trust is keen to make sure families whose circumstance have changed due to the coronavirus crisis do not miss out.
For more details of eligibility and to download the form, click here.
Teachers at Trinity College have scored a surprise hit after putting together a special video of their school hymn to give pupils a message of hope during the coronavirus crisis.
Staff recorded themselves singing Do Not Be Afraid, planning to send it to students who are currently forced to have their lessons at home.
But after being posted on YouTube the video became an instant social media sensation, racking up well over 4,000 views.
The recording was the brainchild of the Ladgate Lane school’s head of music, Alastair Knox, together with head of drama Amy Myers.
“When we knew the students were going to be sent home, we made plans to ensure they could continue their lessons via Google Classroom,” explained Alastair.
“But we also put plans in place to continue the pastoral care of our pupils, so that even when they aren’t at school they are still greeted by their form tutor every morning on Google Classroom, with the idea of making it a normal school day but virtual.
“Singing a hymn is another normal part of the normal school day, so we thought it would be nice to keep that going as well.
“I made a backing track and sent it out to the staff and asked them to record themselves singing along while wearing headphones, so that everyone’s perfectly in time.”
Alastair then had to learn how to edit the contributions into a single video – and everyone agrees he did a great job.
He said: “We did it for us, for Trinity, seeing it as part of the regular pastoral material we send out every day, but social media has taken it to a much wider audience. Messages started coming in first thing in the morning and I realised it was taking off.
“I love the idea of the students seeing all the staff together at the same time. It shows that we’re all still together, we’re just not all in the same place.”
Headteacher Louise Dwyer says the video epitomises the spirit of the school and projects exactly the right message at the right time.
“As a school, we are conscious that our pupils will be missing the interaction with staff and one another,” she said.
“We are posting lots on social media so that the pupils still feel a part of our vibrant community and I’m delighted that Alastair and Amy have come up with this way of recreating the singing of a hymn, just as we do in school every day.
“Do Not Be Afraid is a school favourite and we felt that the sentiment of the hymn was perfect for the pandemic. The video demonstrates just how much our staff care about our pupils.”
Alastair is hoping to produce a new video each week and while his first set of stars took a bit of persuading, several teachers who missed out have already been in touch saying they want to take part in the next one.
Like all the 26 schools throughout Teesside and North Yorkshire that make up Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust, Trinity has been open looking after the children of key workers.
Google Classroom was rolled out across the whole trust shortly before pupils were sent home, and teachers are also keeping in touch with pupils by making a weekly phone call to all parents.
Dear Member of Staff
This week, Holy Week, is a very special time for Christians when we recall
the Last Supper, Christ’s Crucifixion and death, and then his glorious
Resurrection. Yet this year Lent has been different as we face the
challenge of the coronavirus.
At the Last Supper we recall Jesus washing the feet of his disciples,
modelling that “service to others” that he exhorts us to do. Can I thank
you for the service that you have given over the past fortnight and that
you will continue to give including during the Easter holiday period. We
are in the midst of a huge challenge and you and your fellow staff have
responded magnificently.
Once again thank you to all our staff in leadership roles who have had to
plan, organise and make decisions within a totally unexpected set of
circumstances.
We are all facing uncertainty, just like the disciples of Jesus during the first
Holy Week. By the end of Good Friday they must have been full of despair
and yet we know that Easter Sunday was about to follow. In the story of
Lazarus, Jesus declares “I am the Resurrection and the Life”. These words
have brought comfort and reassurance down through the centuries. They
remind us that even in the darkest of times the light and hope of the
Risen Christ will continue to shine.
When we look outside, we see the signs of spring and I will conclude with
a short spring blessing I came across:
With each unfolding seed, with every Spring,
He breathes the rumour of his resurrection,
As birdsong calls your hidden heart to sing.
So may this season be his benediction,
To lift your love and bid your prayer take wing,
To thaw your frozen hope, to warm your mind,
For Spring has come! Can Heaven be far behind?
With best wishes
Joe Hughes
Chair NPCAT
