Weekly update for 9th May 2025

'To all of you, brothers and sisters of Rome, of Italy, of the whole world, we want to be a synodal Church, a Church that walks, a Church that always seeks peace, that always seeks charity, that always seeks to be close especially to those who suffer.

Today is the day of the Supplication to Our Lady of Pompeii. Our Mother Mary always wants to walk with us, to be close, to help us with her intercession and her love.

So I would like to pray together with you. Let us pray together for this new mission, for the whole Church, for peace in the world, and let us ask this special grace from Mary, our Mother.

Faithful God,
You guide us on the path of life
and your goodness is our constant companion.

Be with our new Shepherd, Pope Leo XIV,
in his service of the Church.
Fill him with the power of your Spirit,
the peace of your presence
and the compassion of Christ.

May he walk with you,
in wisdom and humility,
and lead us, together with all God’s people,
to embody your love for the world.
Amen.

Roblox and Parental Controls
Roblox, the popular minecraft 'style' game has announced a new raft of parental controls. The website which ranks among the most popular games for children in the e-space, has previously been accused of possessing weak child protection tools. Their new raft of adaptations is important due to the game's position among school aged children. The new features have been adopted to allow you to take control of their children's game time in a more comprehensive manner.

You are now able to block individuals who communicate with their children, as well as have more detailed oversight over their usage of the programme. Real-time awareness measures have been increased and these changes represent a big step forward in making popular multiplayer games more secure for all users. Please follow the link below for more:
https://swgfl.org.uk/magazine/roblox-launches-new-parental-controls/

Walsingham had a fantastic day out to The Science Museum in London. They had lots of opportunities to develop their understanding of life in space, the International Space Station and how spacecrafts have been sent to other planets. The children also explored the fantastic space gallery.

As part of our work studying theatre and playscripts, the children in Year 3 visited The National Theatre. After a train journey and a short walk along The South Bank, we had a tour of the building. Here, we visited two different types of theatre, discovered how props are made and had the opportunity to rehearse with props. We were very interested to find out that most props are made from recycled materials and the current feature performance is called ‘Dear England’. All about the England men’s football team! Our visit will help us to compare modern day theatre with ones in Ancient Greece.

The week of the 9^th June 2025 will be St. Mary’s Celebration of Diversity week. We want to invite you into the school! If you or a family member would like to come in and talk to the children about your culture or heritage, read a traditional story or do a ‘show and tell’ with the children (other ideas are all welcome!), please email us at reply@smi.hounslow.sch.uk and include ‘SMI Celebration of Diversity Week’ in the subject line.

We are delighted to announce that our Cultural Food Event is back and will take place on Thursday 12th June at 3.15pm in the school playground. After the success of last year’s event, we are excited to once again celebrate the wonderful diversity of our school community. We invite all families to join us by bringing a dish that represents their culture or heritage. This is a fantastic opportunity to share food, stories, and traditions with one another as we come together to celebrate and appreciate the richness of our different backgrounds. Everyone is welcome – we look forward to seeing you there!

In addition to the food event, Thursday 12^th June is also a day that children can come into school wearing traditional clothing from their culture, the colours of a flag or clothing that represents their culture.