Sapphire Class took a trip to Birmingham on Monday 15th January to visit Singer’s Hill Synagogue. We went to find out more about the Jewish faith, traditions and customs. We caught the bus and the tram to get to the synagogue and were met there by Geoffrey, who showed us around. We had a brilliant time and all learned such a lot- the synagogue was beautiful! We learned how the men and women had to pray in separate areas of the synagogue and we saw the Torah hidden in a special cupboard(which costs £75,000 and is written on parchment by hand!). We also learned about Jewish ceremonies such as wedding and Bar Mitzvahs and how the synagogue had changed over the years. It was a great day and we learned a lot!

“St Bernadette’s Catholic Primary School, in Wombourne, was nearly shut down for good in 2005 when low pupil numbers promoted a viability review.

After headcount reached an all time low of 49 in 2008, questions were asked again about keeping the school open, and fearful teachers and staff worked tirelessly to turn things around.

And their hard work paid off, as latest SAT results show the primary school, with 97 pupils currently, is ranked top of the league in Staffordshire, and 17th nationally for overall progress and attainment.”

Read more at https://www.expressandstar.com/news/education/2018/01/16/st-bernadettes-catholic-primary-school-from-closure-threat-to-top-of-the-class/

Emerald Class went to visit the Gurdwara in Wolverhampton in December so that we could find out more about the Sikh customs and traditions. We all caught the bus from Wombourne and then had to walk down to the Gurdwara. The man who showed us around was very helpful and showed us where to put our shoes and how to cover our heads.

We learned about the gurus, the 5 ks and the special book. We also learned how the Sikh faith is all about helping others. We went into the kitchen where volunteers were making food for anyone who wanted to visit. The kitchen is open from 5am in case anyone is hungry and needs food.

We had a fantastic time and learned lots about the Sikh faith.