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Our Houses
In the Summer term 2019, the Liturgy Team came together to think of ways in which we could further promote the Catholic identity of our school. Building upon a previous initiative which involved each class being given a Saint to mark All Saints day, the Liturgy team and Leadership team worked together and decided that the children in school will belong to different ‘house’, each with a designated Saint. Being a part of a Saint’s house reinforces our mission statement that we grow together as a family and also helps to nurture a sense of belonging.
When it came to deciding which Saint they’d choose, the children looked at the areas that Saints are the ‘Patron Saint’ for/of. We also wanted to ensure that there was an equal number of male and female Saints and that they were representative in terms of our diverse community.
We spoke about how it would be nice for the children in each house to come together when it is their Saint’s feast day. We now mark these days with a special liturgy that bring children from Reception to Year 6 together to hear more about the life of their Saint and to pray for their intercession.
Above our Rosary garden (via the entrance through the large hall) we have 4 stained-glass windows depicting our House Saints. We used iPads to research a range of imagery to display on the two remaining windows and we chose a dove and a cross. To help the younger children remember which house they are in, each Saint/House has been designated a colour.
Bishop John Sherrington blessed these windows when he visited to celebrate Mass for our school’s 80th anniversary.
We look forward to expanding upon this new venture through thinking of the many ways in which we can come together - such as raising money for charities linked to the causes for which our Saints are patrons of and partaking in House-based team activities. Children will also have the opportunity to receive House points in connection with our Going for Gold behaviour chart.
Feast days
St. Josephine Bakhita: 8th February
St. Thérèse of Lisieux: 1st October
St. Francis of Assisi: 4th October
St. Oscar Romero: 24th March
St. Josephine Bakhita, Pray for us.
St. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Pray for us.
St. Francis of Assisi, Pray for us.
St. Oscar Romero, Pray for us.
