Bambinelli Sunday links children with Christ.

This morning, at our Christmas Mass, Fr Bruce blessed all our beautiful creations.

Grandparents & parents have taken inspiration from the Pope as they seek to ensure children celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

Each year on the third Sunday of Advent children and adults bring their Baby Jesus figures from their crib at home to St Peter’s Square where the Pope blesses the people and the figurines. 

Our children had designed some truly wonderful creations and were proud to lay them on the Altar, for Fr Bruce to bless them all. Well done to all the children who took part; it was wonderful to see so many.

UPDATE FROM DUDLEY SAFEGUARDING TEAM

UNICO LIVE is the latest app to come onto our radar, which poses significant risks to children and young people. We’ve put together the features, risks and what you can do to protect children and young people in your care.

Key features:

● Users can publicly live-stream themselves or share a screen with another person.
● Users can chat, share gifts (of monetary value) and subscribe to be notified of future live streams.
● Users can use stickers and filters to customise their stream.
● Viewers can send love, and share gifts of monetary value.

What Dudley Safeguarding Team found:

● Our team testing the app found high levels of engagement from adults instructing children to engage in sexualised activity.
● Each live stream has a message stating that streams are moderated 24hrs a day, but there was no evidence of moderation despite open and public requests for young people to remove their clothing.
● There did not appear to be any reporting function.

The issues/concerns:

●The gifting feature on this platform gives individuals with a deviant sexual interest in children, the tools to encourage, entice and exploit vulnerable young people on the platform via these gifts.
● In one sample live stream, a child younger than ten was being asked to remove her clothing by multiple adult users while simultaneously being gifted coins.
● It appears that this app has been removed from Apple’s UK store and has been brought to the attention of UK police and several safeguarding boards. At the time of publishing, it is still available on Android.

Advice from Dudley Safeguarding Team:

● Check young people’s devices for this app – and help them remove it.
● Remember even if the app is removed from app stores, it will still work on devices it’s been downloaded on.
● Engage young people in a conversation – about keeping safe online and who they would talk to if someone made them feel uncomfortable online.
● Check that they only engage with other people they know online.
● Check that they understand what they should do if they see something online that upsets or worries them.

You can also submit an online report to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP).

If you have concerns about the immediate safety of a young person, you should contact the emergency services on 999 (emergency number).

A huge congratulations to Annabelle who has just finished playing Tiny Tim in the Crescent Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol.  Mrs Finnegan, Mrs Turner, Mrs Sweeney, Mrs Foley and Mr Hyde went to see her in the performance and were so impressed with her professionalism and superb acting.  What a star!  It was a family affair with her Dad, Paul as Stage Manager, her Mom, Trish as costume team and big brother William playing young Scrooge and Turkey Boy! Well done to all of the family!  

Look at the marvellous creations taking shape at our mums wreath making evening in school tonight! Very festive 🎄💕🎄 Thank you to Sarah, our HSA Chair, for organising the whole event! Nice mulled wine 🍷 too! 😉

Wow!! Look at the final pieces! What super talented moms we have; thank you for joining us this evening, we are really pleased you could join us! Love from Mrs F 💕🎄💕

Vinnie cannot come to see us this Christmas as he is awaiting another operation on his heart; do he sent us a message instead! 💕 Check out our Mini Vinnie page for his message! Please keep Vinnie & his family in your prayers this Christmas! 🙏💕🙏

What a wonderful afternoon we had at our Christmas Fair today! Thank you to all our families for their amazing generosity with their donations of gifts, chocolate & wine! Thank you to all our super staff for organising it all. 💕

Our Mini Vinnies almost sold out at their Mini Vinnie shop; Turning Concern into Action, raising funds for the homeless this Christmas! Thank you to Scarlet, Max & Lily for giving up their own time to organise it all! 🙏😊🙏

Our wonderful school choir , led by Miss Harris, gave us a taste of their songs that they will perform at the Merryhill next week! So proud of them all. 🙏💕🙏

Mrs Sweeney & Mrs Ray were brilliant on the wine stall & Mrs Barber was selling all her own crafts! What super talented staff we have in school. 🍷🍷🍾💕

Huge congratulations go to our Y5 children, who organised all their own fundraising activities as part of their £5 challenge! All monies raised will go to Mary Stevens Hospice! Thank you to everyone who supported the children with the planning & preparation; great teamwork! 😉

What a wonderful day we have all had; preparing for Advent with Dan & Emily.

The day began with a staff prayer service, inviting us all to think about Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and how humble she was when she was asked to carry the Son of God; She said ‘Yes!’ 
 

Throughout the day the whole school came together to ‘Wait with Mary’ & prepare for the start of Advent. Children and staff, used the quiet time to pray & reflect on what Advent means to them; thinking about what they are doing to prepare their hearts & minds for the Birth of Jesus! 
 

Everybody really enjoyed taking the time out of the usually busy curriculum, to spend time in prayer. The children were so reverent & respectful throughout the day and especially when we ended the day, just like we started, with a whole school prayer service! 
 

We are extremely excited to light our first candle on the Advent Wreath next week, & look forward to the weeks ahead; KS1 Christmas Nativity & KS2 Carol Service!