SS Mary Michael Catholic Primary School - Garstang

Welcome to the Pupils' page

Our Focus for the week ending 5th March was Maths, the following children demonstrated an excellent understanding across the subject:-

Class 1 - Joseph Lechley; excellent addition and subtraction.
Class 2 - Kieran Leach; learning the 2x table and for participating in class discussions.
Class 3 - Peter Hubbard; excellent work on perimeter and area.
Class 4 - Gianluca Todd; very good conversion of measures.

Stars of the Week:

Class 1 - Amelia Welch
Class 2 - Gerard Thompson & Caitlin Ball
Class 3 - William Bisby
Class 4 - Gregory Place

The Class of the Week trophy was awarded this week to Class 2

Well done to you all!

For our 2009 Art Week the children enjoyed many activities based on our 'Circus' theme. As well as traditional art activities, this year the children had the chance to improve their performance art skills, including juggling, balancing and plate spinning. The children made masks, clown cars, finger puppets, clay models, posters and much more, as well as joining with Tots and Hummingbirds to help the younger children create their own circus themed art. The week culminated in an extremely colourful Open Day when the children and staff dressed up as various characters from the circus, much to the delight of our many visitors!

Below are some examples of the children's creations

Some of our 2009 'Circus' Art Week creations

Our annual Art Week 'scarecrow' competition took place once again during Art Week. This year to fit our 'Circus' theme the children and their families were asked to produce circus related 'scarecrows'. As usual the children were excited to see the scarecrows coming into school and all took part in the voting, the overall winner being Natalie & Nathan Whiteside's clown (bottom left below)

Our Golden Tapestry

At last our tapestry is finished and what fun we've had creating it over the last 6 months. Our whole school community has been involved; pupils, staff, governors, parents and grandparents, as well as friends from our parish. However it has been the children who have had the starring role - selecting materials, suggesting ideas and sewing it all together - and what a fabulous achievement it is!

Our given brief was 'Stories and Legends' and the month of November.
As a result, our tapestry depicts the following;

The centre piece is the ancient market cross (restored in 1897) at the heart of Garstang. Around are faces of farmers and farm hands who came to sell their livestock at the November fair that took place in the main High Street many years ago, the charter being granted in 1680. The High Street was impassable for one day each November and shopkeepers would board up their windows!
The last fair was held c. 1934/35.

Then, beneath the market cross are poppies, symbols of remembrance placed at the war memorial in the town on Remembrance Sunday.

Also on the cross above our school logo, is the fair-trade logo. Garstang is the world's first fair-trade town and its residents continue to work hard to use and promote fair-trade goods.

To the left of the cross is a magnificent bonfire, as seen throughout towns and cities in England on November 5th, to commemorate Guy Fawkes' failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London (The Gunpowder Plot) in 1605.

The sparks reach up into a starry November sky glistening above the hills of Bowland, which form the backdrop of our town. Then, on a small hill, just outside Garstang stand the ruins of Greenhalgh castle. This castle, built in 1490 by Thomas Stanley, First Earl of Derby, was virtually destroyed by Oliver Cromwell in 1646, but the ruins of one of the towers still remains today.

Beneath the castle are sheep grazing in the fields, perhaps to be brought to market by the farmers and then kneeling by the River Wyre, which flows through the town towards the Irish Sea, is St. John Plessington, our local Saint and one of the forty martyrs of England and Wales. He was born at Dimples Hall in Garstang, not far from Greenhalgh Castle, in c 1637. He trained to be a priest and was later executed near Chester in 1679, his crime; being a priest.

We hope you enjoy reading about the history, stories and legends behind our tapestry. We've all had great fun making it and have found out a lot about our lovely town too!

Our Golden Tapestry

The metre square tapestry is now complete and ready to be sent out to Australia for the 2006 Commonwealth Games, where it will be joined with thousands of other tapestry squares to produce 'The Golden Tapestry'. This commonwealth wide arts project has been undertaken by children across the globe, to mark the Queen's 50th jubilee celebrations. It's great to think that Garstang will be represented at the Commonwealth Games - we hope the Queen likes it!



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SS Mary and Michael Catholic Primary School
Garstang - Lancashire

Picture showing 4 cartoon children