Community Christmas Fayre Fancy gift donations

Parish Community Christmas Fayre on Saturday, 29^th November, in St. Joseph’s Church at 10.30am-12.30pm

Preparations are now underway for our second Christmas Fayre.  We are looking forward to a festive morning when we can enjoy time together and with our wider community.

Each weekend, we will be collecting donations for our stalls. 

Thank you to everyone for your continued generous donations towards our community Christmas Fayre. Next weekend, 15^th/16^th  November we are seeking Fancy Goods/Gift Sets. There is a box at the back of Church for you to place your donations in. 

The parish is grateful for all continued support in making our Christmas Fayre special.

Our parish and community groups will all be represented on the day and we look forward both to spending time together and to supporting some of our local charities who will also be in attendance. To make this day a success we really need your help, not only to come along but to help with preparations and clear-up. Please contact Cynthia (cdunn2112@sky.com) or Erica (e.smith47@outlook.com) if you are able to help.

Thank you for your support.  Also, please spread the word Santa will be attending and looks forward to meeting children in the community Ho! Ho! Ho!

7th November News from our Parish Schools

Parish School pages on our website

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

https://stjosephsgilesgate.bwcet.com/

On Monday 10^th November we will be celebrating the start of Anti- Bullying week in school.

Odd Sock Day is an annual event that marks the start of Anti - Bullying week and the children can wear mismatched odd socks to celebrate individuality and to promote kindness. 

On Wednesday 12^th November the children in Year 5 and 6 will be attending Mass in church at 10am. All families and friends are welcome to attend. 

On Friday 14^th November it is a non uniform day and a donation of a bottle for our Christmas Fayre would be greatly received. We thank you always for the generosity and support we receive to help support the events we have in school.

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St Godric's Catholic Primary School

https://stgodricsdurham.bwcet.com/

This week the children took part in Other Faiths Week as part of our Come and See Religious Education curriculum.  The focus was on Judaism and the children explored how Jewish people show their faith in God through worship, family life and celebrations. 

Next week, we will be celebrating Anti-bullying Week.  This will start with Odd Socks day on Monday, when children and staff are invited to wear odd socks to celebrate what makes us unique.  The theme for the week is ‘Power for good’ - we are all reminded to use our power for good; to speak out support others and make respectful, powerful choices.  

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St Thomas More Catholic Primary School

https://stthomasmorebelmont.bwcet.com/

Some of our oldest children enjoyed making some lanterns, for the Parish of the Durham Martyrs, in school this week. The lanterns will be used in a procession from St. Leonard's to St. Godric's Church on Saturday 8^th November and then will be displayed during Durham's Lumière Festival.

In school next week, all our classes are looking forward to performing a dance in order to raise some pennies for the Children in Need Charity. This will take place on Friday 14^th November. We hope our families can join us - to cheer us on!

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St Leonard's Catholic Secondary School

https://stleonardsdurham.bwcet.com/

It is a pleasure to share with you the outcome of our recent Catholic School Inspection. It is a credit to the entire community – families, students, staff and our parishes – to be graded ‘Outstanding’ across all areas. When you read the report, which is now available online, you will see that it is the students that bring a strong sense of joy and vibrancy to the St. Leonard’s community. One of the most profound lines of the report from a comment by one of our students: "This school has made me become a better person." Whilst we do not know which student said this, we do know that everyone - teachers, support staff, families and students - have all taken their part in building such a powerful and transformative school community.

We look forward to our next youth led Mass at St Joseph's, sharing our thanks and joy with our local parish. 

Agenda for Lantern Procession

We're looking forward to our lantern procession this Saturday, we hope to see you there.

The plan is (please note times are approximate)

* 6:20 - 6:30 Meet at St Leonard's (N End, Durham DH1 4NG)

* 6:30 - 7:00 walk from St Leonard's to St Godric's Church

* 7:00 - 7:45 (at the latest) Activities at St Godric's