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    October 2026

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    • Weekly Update 02/10/26

      Published 07/10/26

      What an exciting way to end our week.

      The children were so excited to see Kevin Sinfield running past our school this morning. It was wonderful to share such a special moment with so many of our families and members of our local community too. The children’s excitement really seemed to be infectious!

      We received a lovely message this afternoon from a member of our community who was watching from opposite the school:

      “I just wanted to say how lovely it was to see the children having so much fun this morning. I was with a group of friends outside the chemist, opposite the school. We were very impressed by the atmosphere that the children brought and how excited they were when any car, van or motorbike beeped!”

      Well done, St Stephens! I am so incredibly proud of you all! 💙

      We have been talking about Kevin’s incredible charity work throughout the week during our worship sessions, and the children have really embraced the spirit of giving and helping others. They have been inspired by his story, determination and kindness — what a wonderful role model he is.

      A huge thank you to everyone who made a donation too. It feels wonderful to be able to support such a worthy cause, while also showing our children how even small acts of kindness can make a real difference.

      We wish Kevin and his incredible team lots of luck as they complete the final stages of their journey. We hope they know just how many people are cheering them on!

      🌾 Harvest

      Next week, we have another wonderful opportunity to think about others as we celebrate Harvest.

      Our Harvest assemblies will take place on:

      Tuesday at 9.15am – Years 1, 3, 4 and 6
      Thursday at 9.15am – Reception, Years 2, 3 and 5

      This year, we will once again be supporting Atherton and Leigh Foodbank, helping families in our local communities who may need a little extra support.

      We are always so grateful for the generosity of our school community, and Harvest is a lovely opportunity to encourage our children to think about kindness, compassion and how we can help others.

      We will be accepting donations from Monday morning, so please feel free to send in any tins, packets, toiletries or other items that you feel could help someone in need.

      The foodbank has let us know that they are particularly short of:

      Soup – tins or packets
      Tinned tomatoes
      Deodorant – men’s and women’s
      Ready-made custard
      Pasta sauce
      Long-life milk
      Cordial/pop – orange or blackcurrant
      Shampoo
      Rice pudding
      Toothbrushes
      Shower gel

      Any donations, however big or small, will be very gratefully received and will make a real difference to families in our local community.

      Thank you, as always, for your kindness and generosity.

      📚 Meet the Teacher – Years 1–6

      For families in Years 1–6, we also have our Meet the Teacher sessions taking place on Wednesday 7th October at 5pm.

      If you haven’t attended a Meet the Teacher session before, these are short presentations from your child’s class teacher. They are a lovely opportunity for teachers to introduce themselves, share some information about the curriculum and learning for the year ahead, and talk about the exciting opportunities and experiences your child will have during their new year group.

      Please note that, as our site management team need to finish within their contracted working hours, there will unfortunately not be time during these sessions for individual discussions with teachers. If there is something you would like to discuss with your child’s teacher, please contact the school office and we will be very happy to arrange a more suitable time for a conversation.

      We look forward to welcoming you next week and sharing a little more about the exciting year ahead!

      Have a lovely weekend, everyone! See you on Monday morning!!

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    • Weekly Update 25/09/26

      Published 07/10/26

      Just a few messages from me this week. It looks as though Autumn has finally arrived and our lovely dry weather is over! However, our OPAL provision continues, and so we are asking from now until the spring, if your child wishes to play in our muddy area or on the grass that they change into wellies. These can be left in school (We have some super welly racks outside Year 3, right by the muddy area!) with your child’s name on for easy access.

      A gentle reminder that, at the end of the school day, the school car park is strictly for those who have an arranged access permit. Please ensure that your permit is clearly displayed in your vehicle.

      This week, we have unfortunately seen a few near misses as cars have attempted to leave the car park while families are still crossing the drive. The safety of our children and families is our absolute priority, so we would really appreciate everyone’s support in helping us to keep the site safe.

      If you require a car park permit, please speak to a member of the office team, who will be happy to arrange this for you.
      For those who are permitted to use the car park, please be aware that the gates will be locked at 3.15pm and will reopen at 3.35pm. Please remain in your parking space until the gates reopen, rather than attempting to leave while children are still on the drive.

      Thank you so much for your understanding and cooperation. Your support in helping us to keep everyone safe is very much appreciated.

      We have shared the dates for our Harvest Festivals and our ‘Meet the Teacher’ sessions.
      For families who have not attended a ‘Meet the Teacher’ session before, these are short presentations from your child’s class teacher. They are an opportunity for teachers to introduce themselves, share some information about the curriculum for the year ahead, and talk about the opportunities and experiences your child will have in their new year group. Each session will last approximately 30 minutes.

      Please note that, due to our site management team needing to finish within their contracted working hours, there will not be time during these sessions for individual discussions with teachers.

      If you have any questions or concerns that you would like to discuss with your child’s teacher, please do get in touch with the school. We will be very happy to arrange a separate, mutually convenient time for you to speak with them.

      I think that’s everything for me this week! Have a wonderful weekend and a good rest and we will see you on Monday!
      A huge thank you for your ongoing support.

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    • Weekly Update 18/09/26

      Published 07/10/26

      Friday is here again!! Here are two photos of our youngest members... full of fun and cute as buttons!! They are settling just beautifully, it really feels like they have always been here!!! We have loved getting to know their little personalities!!!!
      Just a few little notes to keep you in the loop!
      Family worship starts this week with Year 1 and 2. This starts just after 9am (Once the children have done the register and ordered lunches!) The families of Years 1 and 2 are warmly invited to join us! It usually lasts about 20 – 25 mins and is a lovely way to start the day!
      A gentle reminder about earrings too. Thank you for those who have taken them out, we’ve seen a big reduction in the numbers of children wearing them, I do really appreciate your support! If there are any issues with this, please come and have a chat at the office and we will see if we can help.
      Our afterschool clubs are also up and running! It is great to see so many children trying new things or coming back to previous clubs they’ve tried before. They’ve been having such fun! Payments are now live on ParentPay for any still outstanding fees. A huge thank you to our staff for giving up their time after a busy day to run our clubs. Both the children and I really appreciate it!
      Since returning to school this year, we have been placing a strong focus on maintaining positive behaviours for learning, helping every child to feel happy, confident and able to reach their full potential.
      This includes listening carefully, being engaged in learning and, importantly, being mindful of how our choices and behaviour can affect the learning and wellbeing of others. We are already seeing some lovely progress and are keen to continue building on this together.
      We are very grateful to all our families for your continued support and for working alongside us to help our children make positive choices. By working together, we can make a real difference to the happiness, learning and achievement of our whole school community. I’m genuinely so excited to see the impact we can make to our school together!

      Have a wonderful weekend, fingers crossed these Autumn showers stay away and we will see you on Monday!

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    • Weekly Update 11/09/26

      Published 07/10/26

      Our first full week is done and dusted, and what a lovely week it’s been!! I have loved being back on the gates in the morning, it’s been great to be able to chat to you all and have a catch up with lots of parents from years gone by!

      This week, Mrs Deakin and Mr Lawrenson have also started their afternoons in class, it’s been great to hear their positive comments on the children’s behaviour and work in class and I know they’ve both really enjoyed spending time with so many children across school and are excited to see how much they’ll progress! I know the children have really enjoyed spending time with them too!

      It’s been so lovely to welcome our new Reception and Nursery children too, they have astounded us with how well they have settled!! We are already so proud of you all and cannot wait to see the wonderful things you’ll achieve as you grow! A huge thank you too to Miss Hilton, Miss Jones, Miss Chan, Miss Reynolds and Mrs Newton for all the work you have done to make sure that this first week has ran so smoothly and the children have all felt safe and happy. You all do such a fantastic job!

      A gentle reminder that earrings are not allowed in school. A number of children have returned to school wearing them and we politely request that they are removed before school in the morning. This is a rule that we have had for a number of years, following a spate of accidents involving earrings being caught during play. We do ask for the safety of all that the rule is adhered to, especially as we now have lots of equipment on the playgrounds as we strengthen our OPAL programme.

      Our family worship sessions will begin again on Tuesday 22nd September for Years 1 and 2. You are warmly invited to come and spend some time with us; it is always a lovely time to be together! Grannies and Grandads are welcome too!!

      A quick reminder too that our clubs start again this week. If you are unsure if your child has a place, please pop in the office to confirm.
      I think that’s everything! I hope you have had a wonderful weekend and we will see you all in the morning!

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    • Weekly Update 04/09/26

      Published 07/10/26

      Well, we have finally reached the end of our first week back, and what a week it’s been!!! It’s been wonderful to be back together again and hear everybody’s news!

      Your children have returned to school brilliantly! They looked so smart coming into school and its been so lovely to be greeted with so many smiley faces at the gates! What a smashing start to our school year!

      Next week on Friday, our swimming lessons start for our Year 3 children at the Pelican Centre and our brass lessons start for Year 4. Our music lessons with Wigan Music Service also begin next week for those who have chosen to have individual tuition. Due to the range of instruments chosen, these lessons will take place on different days - Mrs Norbury will be in touch to let you all know about days and times!

      I think that’s all our news so far! I’d just like to say thank you to our fantastic staff who have worked so hard over the holidays to make sure that school was ready for the children to return. The classrooms look lovely… you’ve all done so well.

      And finally a huge thank you to you all for your support, kindness, patience and smiles this week. I am so proud and so honoured to be the head teacher of St Stephen’s. I know I have a lot to learn (And very big boots to fill after the fantastic Mrs Southern!) but I am so excited to get started! Your support and friendliness this week has really shown me what a fantastic community we are and what amazing things we will achieve together!! (Enjoy the photos from Year 1 to Year 6 above! Reception and Nursery photos will be posted next week once we have dojo permission slips back!)

      Have a wonderful weekend! We will see you all on Monday!!

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    • Weekly Update 17/07/26

      Published 07/10/26

      Thank you so much for the kind words, cards, hugs, gifts and flowers I received last week. I had such a lovely last week in school, and I was completely overwhelmed by everyone's kindness and generosity. I have spent my weekend arranging flowers, opening gifts and reading your messages in the cards. Thank you. Your kind words mean so much. I have loved every moment of my 37 year teaching career, especially this last year seeing our nursery open. I am now ready for the next chapter. Sending much love to you and your families. The school is in safe hands with Mrs Lowe, Mr Lawrenson and Mrs Deakin. I look forward to seeing all you achieve together. Hope you have a lovely Summer.

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    • Weekly Update 10/07/26

      Published 07/10/26

      We have had a bit of a quieter week this week. On Tuesday it was lovely to see all the children in their new classes, and we had both Miss Wakefield and Mrs Kaye in school with us. We hope the 2 pass up days have supported the children as they prepare to move to their new classes in September. Do let us know if there is anything at all that they are worrying about. Yesterday our Y6 class joined some of our local schools at a Leavers’ Service at St. George’s. They sang their song about being superheroes beautifully, with Emily starting off singing solo. You were all amazing – but so proud of Emily! Bella was presented with her prize for designing the new ATSA logo. She chose an England shirt with her name on it. Good timing Bella – ready for the game tomorrow! Mason received a certificate for always shining like a star. Today Y2 have visited Staircase House, and the rest of school were treated to a dress rehearsal of the Y6 performance, Ye-Ha! Tonight our Y6’s come back to school for their Leavers’ Ball.

      As we look to next week, the children are welcome to come to school each day in the clothing they find most comfortable – whether that is their P.E. kit or uniform. They are invited to join us in their own choice of clothing on Friday for our last day together. We are having our last celebration on Monday morning. Do send in any awards/ certificates for the final time this year. Year 6 have 2 performances of their show next week- one on Monday afternoon and one on Tuesday evening. On Wednesday morning our Year 6 families are invited to join us for a leaver’s service in the school hall. On Thursday Year 6 spend the day at Gulliver’s World and Year 4 visit Lancashire Mining Museum. Friday is our last day in school as we break up for Summer. Just to note – there are no after-school clubs running next week.

      Looks like this lovely weather should continue over the weekend.

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