Christian Ethos and Values

“though many we make up one”  (1 Corinthians, 12:12)

A thought from Vicar Jon

Hello,
I have been talking to Mrs Elliott and Mrs Maynard about St Martin’s School and what make’s it distinctive and the special environment it is.

As a Church of England School we reflect the ethos of the teachings of Jesus, to be his hands and his feet. Our vision statement for St Martin’s School further reflects this image with the quotation from St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. It says:

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body
1 Corinthians 12.12

Here St Paul is writing to a Church in Corinth telling them to work with one another and to be there to support and help one another. He uses the image of the human body saying that each part of the body is equally valued and need one another to function fully. When we gather together, we recognise that we all have different skills and abilities, but we do so echoing the values that we all need one another, that we are valued and we are all there to help one another and to be there for each other, both within the school and beyond in the wider community. These are core values that underpin our school community and that I am sure are important to us all whether we are people of faith or no faith at all.

One way we can demonstrate that we live in a caring environment is to witness our differences, to celebrate our diversity and respect one another to build a strong healthy body - a strong healthy school.

I am sure that is important to us all – children, parents, carers, staff, volunteers – all of us who are members of this special community here at St Martin’s School.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to talk to me about something. You can do this on revjonormrod@gmail.com

With Blessings to you all.
Vicar Jon

Some thoughts from our Governors

Our school governing board is made up of “many parts”, with representatives from the School Leadership, Staff, Parents, Foundation (Church) and the wider Community. Our prime vision is that all members of the school flourish through working (and playing) in a safe, healthy, secure and happy environment. Our aim is to represent the diverse make-up of the school, whilst recognising and acting in accordance with its Christian Foundation and values of Hope, Forgiveness, Thankfulness, Compassion, Endurance, Wisdom, Trust and Friendship. We achieve this through various reviews (meetings, visits, working with the Kaleidoscope MAT trustees) of the school’s academic and social achievements, working policies, financial performance, special needs (including safeguarding), whilst seeking to develop good relationships with our local community.

Please click on the following link to visit the St Martin's Church website -
>> St Martin's Church

OUR VALUES IN ACTION

                THANKFULNESS                                        HOPE

Children In Need --- Remembrance --- FoodBank --                MacMillan Cancer Coffee Morning Fundraiser --
    Red Nose Day fundraising -- Christingle Service              Harvest Festival -- Ukraine Support and Fundraising

     COMPASSION       FORGIVENESS                 TRUST AND FRIENDSHIP

               Children's cards delivered to Care Home residents  --- Diwali   ---   Playground Buddies 

        Food delivered to staff from parents --- Cards made for hospitals during Covid ---  Y6 Guided Reading 

       LIFE IN ALL ITS FULLNESS                           COMMUNITY   

   Wessex Water Visit -- Y1 Visit to Seafront -- Church Visits & Links -- Dance Festival Playhouse Theatre --
World Book Day -- Educational Visit to Lifeskills -- Outside Learning -- Crafts at Local Care Home -- Nativities

                  ENDURANCE                                                       WISDOM   

         Y6 Residential Camp --- Maths Challenge            Eco Warrior Club  -- Plant a Tree for Jubilee/Green Canopy 

Y4 Overnight Adventure--- Sports Days ---  Y6 Cycle Training   -- Explorer Dome Educational Science Visit 

How Kaleidoscope Supports Its Church Schools

Kaleidoscope celebrates and supports its Church Schools vision, values and Christian distinctiveness. Church Schools and the communities they serve are important and integral members of our MAT and we work hard to ensure that our policies, procedures and actions capture this. This is encapsulated in our 5Cs.

Half of our Members and Trustees are Foundation members and have been approved by the Diocese of Bath and Wells. Church Schools are a specific focus at our meetings and we have developed policies for the Church Schools within our MAT. Kaleidoscope has a close working partnership with the Diocese and our leaders and staff  attend meetings/training led by the Diocese. In addition to this, we have our Church Schools Forum where we discuss policy and develop best practice across our Church Schools. As a MAT, our schools and leaders work closely together to support each other. This is part of Kaleidoscopes collaborative ethos.

"In Term 6 children, Year 3 Fox class made friendship bracelets out of old t-shirts. We cut them up into strips and then knotted them into bracelets to take home. For our RE project, we wanted to do something which showed we are looking after God’s Earth and chose to use recycled t-shirts to create wearable art. We're proud of ourselves!"  Friendship is one of our whole school Christian Values.