St. Mary's College - Bright Sparks and Early Years

With Sports Day just around the corner for our Kindergarten and Pre-School children, our Tots have been enjoying a Sports Day of their very own on the playground! 🏃‍♂️✨

The children had great fun taking part in a variety of activities, including bowling, hopping and bean bag throwing. There were plenty of smiles, determination and even a double thumbs-up from the children as they practised their fine motor skills and put their hand-eye coordination to the test.

To finish off a fantastic Mini Tots Sports Day, everyone celebrated by blowing and catching bubbles!

📣Sports Day Postponed 📣

Unfortunately, due to today’s poor weather and tomorrow's forecast, the Kindergarten Sports Day will not take place tomorrow as originally scheduled.

The good news is that Mrs H has a backup plan in place and therefore the Sports Day will now take place on Thursday, 11th June at the same scheduled time.

We look forward to welcoming families then and, hopefully, the sunshine and drier weather too!

“I’m really sorry to share this news, as I had hoped we would be able to go ahead. However, following a meeting with our Site Manager, Health & Safety Officer, and the field maintenance team, we have had to make the difficult decision to postpone Sports Day. The current forecast of strong winds and thunderstorms remains uncertain, and despite completing a risk assessment on the field yesterday, the weather conditions mean it is not safe or viable to hold the event.

The forecast for next Thursday looks more promising. While there is still a chance of intermittent showers, conditions are expected to be much safer—so let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope those clouds move on! Thank you for your understanding and continued support".

👔 Uniform Shop Update 👔

Please note that the Uniform Shop will be closed today (Tuesday 26th May) due to our system services being upgraded.

The shop will reopen on Thursday and resume normal opening hours from 12:30pm to 5:30pm.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your understanding.

We are officially an Elklan approved Communication Friendly Setting! 🌟

Following many months of hard work and training by our dedicated staff, we are delighted to have achieved accredited recognition as a communication-friendly Early Years setting, with specialist training to support the development of children’s speech, language and communication skills.

This accreditation was truly a whole team effort. A group of our Early Years practitioners first completed Elklan’s Speech and Language Support programme, achieving Level 3 accreditation and becoming Lead Communication Practitioners (LCPs). They then shared their knowledge and supported the wider team, including our welfare assistants, in achieving Level 4 accreditation.

Communication Friendly School (CFS) status is awarded to settings accredited by Elklan and OCN London. Every member of staff took part in the training, from practitioners to the welfare assistants, and we are incredibly proud to have achieved a 100% pass rate, exceeding the 97% required to pass.

Achieving CFS status means our whole setting has received an accredited award and is now recognised as an environment that actively supports the communication and language development of every child.

WE'RE HIRING! ✨

St. Mary’s Bright Sparks and Early Years Nursery is an outstanding early years setting with an excellent local reputation. We are looking to appoint a Senior Nursery Practitioner to join our team!

⏰The role is Full Time, All Year Round, Monday – Friday (Inclusive), 7.00am – 6.00pm on a rota basis (37 hours per week).

📍 Bright Sparks and Early Years Nursery, Claremont House Liverpool Road, Crosby, Liverpool, L23 5TX.

This role is perfect if you:
🩵 Have a strong understanding of EYFS & child development
🩵 Have excellent communication & interpersonal skills
🩵 Are organised, proactive & have a flexible approach
🩵 Have NVQ Level 3 in Childcare (or equivalent)

Why you’ll love working with us:
✔ Daily lunch provided
✔ 33 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays)
✔ Christmas closure
✔ Supportive leadership
✔ Gym membership
✔ Uniform provided – financial help with trousers and trainers
✔ Career progression – full training provided
✔ Listening ear to your ideas
✔ Work with a highly experienced team

Come and be part of a team where you’re valued, supported, and never bored. ✨

📩 To apply or find out more, please visit our website: https://stmarys.ac/vacancy/senior-nursery-practitioner/

Sliding into Friday with smiles all round at Bright Sparks! 🛝✨

The children have been recently enjoying lots of outdoor fun with their friends, taking turns on the slide, dancing to music in the sunshine, and enjoying every minute.

From laughter and games to music and movement, the fun never stops.

Happy Deaf Awareness Week! ✨

Small changes can make a big difference in supporting deaf people and creating an environment where everyone feels understood and included. Here are some simple ways you can be more deaf aware:

☝️ Do not cover your mouth or eat when speaking.
👍 Ask or clarify a person's communication preference. Do not assume.
👉 Face the person you are talking to and speak clearly.
🤲 Be open to repeating and rephrasing.
👋 Use appropriate gestures and facial expressions to support speech.
🫶 Be aware of the environment and use a well-lit, quiet area.
👌 Caption videos or use subtitles.
👏 Learn basic sign language.

These are just a few ways we can support the deaf community and help create a more inclusive world for everyone, while highlighting this year’s theme: “The Right to Understand – Together We Break Barriers.”

To find out more about Deaf Awareness Week, visit: https://rnid.org.uk/deaf-awareness-week/

St. Mary's College Preparatory School are now a donation point for The Children's Book Project! ✨

We’re inviting families from our St. Mary's College community and beyond to donate any children’s books they no longer need. You can bring books in at any time and simply pop them into the bin by the inner gate at the Prep!

📍 The Mount, Blundellsands Rd W, Blundellsands, Crosby, Liverpool, L23 6TF.

Our Big Yellow Book Bin is Here! 💛📚

Look out for our bright yellow book bin by the inner gate as we begin collecting donations for the Children’s Book Project.

We’re inviting families from both our school community and beyond to donate any children’s books they no longer need. You can bring books in at any time and simply pop them into the bin – it’s that easy!

This is an ongoing collection, so every donation, big or small, really makes a difference.

Thalia in Reception was the very first to make a donation and use our new bin – what a brilliant example to us all!

Let’s work together to fill our yellow bin and help share the joy of reading with other children. Thank you for your support!

St. Mary's College, Crosby St. Mary's College - Bright Sparks and Early Years Crosby Bubble

Gardening with our Grandparents! 🌞🌱

We’ve been delighted to welcome even more grandparents to our garden area recently, helping us prepare our vegetable patch for the growing season as we head into the warmer months.

The children have been busy planting little seedlings into the beds, ready to watch them grow into colourful, tasty vegetables to enjoy.

They’ve thoroughly enjoyed welcoming our helpful visitors, with so many getting stuck in and making the most of the outdoors.

A huge thank you to all the grandparents who joined us. It was a real team effort and a lovely experience for everyone involved.

✨ WE’RE HIRING! ✨

Our Bright Sparks and Early Years Nursery is an outstanding early years setting with an excellent reputation locally. Due to overwhelming demand for places, we’re delighted to be expanding our team and inviting passionate, caring individuals to join us. 🩵

We seek to appoint two Part Time Nursery Assistants! ✨

⏰ 20 hours per week, Monday – Thursday Inclusive
(8.45am – 1.45pm & 11.30am – 4.30pm on a rota basis)

This role is perfect if you:

🎶 Don’t mind singing out of tune
🌧 Love outdoor play in all weathers
☕ Can sip endless cups of pretend tea
💛 Enjoy laughter, hugs and making a difference every day

Why you’ll love working with us:

✔ Daily lunch provided
✔ 28 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays) – Pro Rata ✔ Christmas closure
✔ Supportive leadership
✔ Gym membership
✔ Uniform provided – financial help with trousers and trainers

Come and be part of a team where you’re valued, supported, and never bored. ✨

📩 To apply or find out more, please visit our website: https://stmarys.ac/vacancy/part-time-nursery-assistants/