At St. Mary’s Catholic First School we live out our Mission statement:

‘We Live, We Love, We Learn as followers of Jesus’

Encouraged to do so via our vision & values that focus on: Aspiration, Well-being & Global Citizenship as we endeavor to live out the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching in our everyday lives.

Mini Vinnies

Our Mini Vinnies group is made up from children in our Key Stage 2 classes, and is led by Miss. Baird. Mini Vinnies come together to form a part of the St. Vincent de Paul Society England and Wales, a voluntary organisation dedicated to tackling poverty in all its forms. Our Mini Vinnies group meets regularly to pray, discuss and support however they can to help make a difference in our school and parish communities. Mini Vinnies truly turn concern into action as they use the simple formula of ‘see, think, do’ to find people in need and help them. 

Last year, Mini Vinnies have decided to continue to support ‘The People’s Kitchen’ to help them provide more Christmas dinners to people on Christmas day. Click here to look at some of the things Mini Vinnies have accomplished recently.

Every year, our KS2 Mini Vinnies visit and sing for the elderly in our local care homes, our Mini Vinnies are proactive in supporting lots of charitable causes.  This year, they have coordinated the school’s combat against loneliness in creating and distributing Christmas and Easter cards as well as prayer intention cards for the people of the parish. 

Charitable Causes & Social Justice Projects

Pope Francis has written a letter to everyone (Frutelli Tutti), asking us to reach out to our sisters and brothers in need, whoever they are, wherever they may come from. We are all challenged to think of ourselves as a single global family living in a common home, and neighbours to all. In St. Mary’s, we strive to live out our mission statement by implementing our vision and values, by being good global citizens and looking after the wellbeing of others.

St. Mary’s are committed to supporting charitable causes and social justice projects, both within our local community and further afield.   

MacMillan Cancer Care

Every September we hold a coffee afternoon in school, selling cakes which the school community have donated. We invite families and parishioners to the event, all monies raised is donated to MacMillan Cancer Care.

Macmillan Cancer Support is here to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer. Raising money to provide vital cancer services, research and campaign to achieve better cancer care, and support the cancer workforce. 

The Big Lent Walk

Over the last two years, our school community has generously supported the emerging refugee crisis in Eastern Europe and during Lent we participated in CAFOD’s ‘Big Lent Walk’ fundraiser to support overseas development.  Closer to home, we have ongoing foodbank collections and we work closely with partners in the Hexham community on a range of charitable and goodwill projects.  

The People’s Kitchen

During each autumn term, we have regularly supported ‘The People’s kitchen’ in Newcastle, the children brought in food donations.

The People’s Kitchen support vulnerable people who might be at risk of homelessness,
unemployed, lonely or living in poverty. Thanks to the generosity of the families and children of St. Mary’s during Harvest Festival time, the warehouse at The People’s Kitchen was replenished with essential food items and the team can keep cooking hearty meals for people in need throughout the year.

Operation Christmas Child

Operation Christmas Child brings great joy and the Good News of Jesus Christ to children around the world. During the autumn term, the St. Mary’s community collect and contribute to shoeboxes for this fantastic charity. It is not just a gift for Christmas it is also the gift of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

CAFOD-Live Simply Award

Within our school we understand that God has entrusted us with our beautiful earth, and that we have a responsibility to look after it and make sure that it survives for many more generations to come.  We learn about environmental issues though our Geography and science curriculum, and we also have a Regenerators Club. 

The Regenerators explore ways of making our school as sustainable as it can be, while also promoting this important message around school and encouraging everyone to take the message home too. Alongside this, we have our Gardening Club, helping children look at other ways of caring for our environment, including planting and growing their own vegetables! 

This year our school is working towards the CAFOD Live Simply Award. The Live Simply award is an opportunity for Catholic communities – parishes, schools, religious orders and chaplaincies – to respond to Pope Francis’ invitation in Laudato Si’ to “work with generosity and tenderness in protecting this world which God has entrusted to us”. 

The children are learning and sharing with others about the important work CAFOD do. How CAFOD can spend funds that are raised including, buying crops, medical services, providing meals and even radios. 

We have a lot of ideas for topics and discussion. These include; showing films and documentaries on climate change and it’s impact, presentations on climate change and effects on the poor and disadvantaged, looking at overseas aid programmes and economic development including sustainable agriculture and food production.