Weekly Update for 10th November 2023

Bishops' Statement on the ongoing war and violence in the Holy Land

Bishop Declan Lang, Chair of the Bishops’ Conference’s International Affairs department, and Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Chair of the Holy Land Co-ordination have released a statement on the ongoing Israel/Hamas war.

To our brothers and sisters across the Holy Land, particularly those sheltering in the Parish of the Holy Family in Gaza along with those in the West Bank, we remain close to you and in constant prayer for you at this most difficult, terrifying, and testing of times. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you always.

To our own government, we urge you to continue your diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire, the immediate release of all hostages and the facilitation of humanitarian aid so that desperately needed food, water, fuel, and medical supplies can be safely delivered into Gaza. We will continue to add our voice to the impassioned chorus calling for justice, peace, and the cessation of the suffering that has descended upon the Holy Land.

To the Catholic Community here in England and Wales, please join us in prayer for those in the Holy Land, particularly for those who have been taken hostage, those who have been killed, those who have been injured, and their families.“We also pray for those who are wearied by the conflict to receive strength, and those in positions of power and authority receive the wisdom to guide them into ways of peace and justice.

Bishop Declan Lang
Chair, Department for International Affairs

Bishop Nicholas Hudson
Chair, Holy Land Co-ordination

Remembrance Sunday 

This Sunday children from St Mary's will take part in the annual Remembrance Sunday witness at the memorial just outside of school on Memorial Square.  Some of them will wear sashes bearing the name of a solider who is commentated on the Isleworth War Memorial.  You can read about those who gave their lives for our freedom and freedoms here: https://www.isleworthww1.co.uk/.   During November and this Sunday we pray:

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.  May they rest in peace.  Amen.

May their souls and the the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen

Anti-Bullying week 2023

Next week we'll be focussing on our anti-bullying work. 

The Anti-Bullying alliance defines bullying as; the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online.  

Bullying can take many forms:

Physical – pushing, poking, kicking, hitting, biting, pinching etc.
Verbal - name calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, threats, teasing, belittling.
Emotional – isolating others, tormenting, hiding books, threatening gestures, ridicule, humiliation, intimidating, excluding, manipulation and coercion.
Sexual – unwanted physical contact, inappropriate touching, abusive comments, homophobic abuse, exposure to inappropriate films etc.
Online /cyber – posting on social media, sharing photos, sending nasty text messages, social exclusion
Indirect - Can include the exploitation of individuals.

The work to stop bullying is on-going but next week we get to focus on it and build up capacity and resilience in all of our children.  To get the focus week off to a flying start we'll be holding the annual Odd Sock's Day on Monday 13th October.  Odd Sock's Day is an opportunity to encourage everyone to express themselves and celebrate their individuality and what makes us all unique!  

Speak CAMHS helpline

https://www.smi.hounslow.sch.uk/docs/letters_whole_school/Speak_CAMHS.pdf 

Provides advice and guidance to children and young people, their families, carers, CAMHS colleagues in West London, and other professionals who work with children in the community, such as GPs, social workers, and teachers.

Works closely with the wider CAMHS network to ensure that children and young people, families, carers and referrers receive an efficient timely response when they need advice, support and signposting to other services.

Aims to avoid and de-escalate periods of crisis for children and young people, reducing visits to emergency departments and avoiding admissions to psychiatric hospital.

Head Lice in Year 3 & 4
We have cases on headline in Year 3 and Year 4.  Without careful and consistent vigilance headline can spread quickly.  Headlice crawl from head to head (they can't jump or fly) and so it's really important that longer hair is tied up or back.  This is one of the most important way of stopping them from moving from head to head.  Please also have a look here and follow the advice given by the NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/head-lice-and-nits/.

Maths Parent Workshops