--- title: "Squirrels Class Enjoy Fantastic Start to the New School Year at St Mary's" url: "https://stmarysna.bhcet.org.uk/news/2026-09-08-squirrels-class-enjoy-fantastic-start-to-the-new-school-year-at-st-mary-s" school: "St. Mary's Catholic Primary School" --- Admissions Consultation BHCET schools in County Durham [Click Here](https://stmarysna.bhcet.org.uk/our-school/admissions-consultation) **Tel:** 01325 300339 **Email:** office@stmarysna.bhcet.org.uk # Squirrels Class Enjoy Fantastic Start to the New School Year at St Mary's ![Image of Squirrels Class Enjoy Fantastic Start to the New School Year at St Mary's](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-catholic-primary-school-durham-2/images/news/799487162_1048653621497718_5044610079340480752_n.jpg) 8 September 2026 There has been plenty of excitement in Squirrels Class at St Mary's Catholic Primary School in Newton Aycliffe as pupils settled into the new academic year with a week full of fun activities, friendship and learning. ### Building Friendships and Confidence To help ease any first-day nerves, the children made Jitter Juice, a special activity designed to help chase away those back-to-school butterflies. Pupils also welcomed a new class member, Snowy the Squirrel, and spent time making friendship bracelets while learning about the importance of kindness, teamwork and how their classroom community is like a family. ### Bringing Stories to Life As part of their learning, the children enjoyed reading *When Jelly Had a Wobble* and took part in a hands-on activity by making their own jelly. The week ended on a sweet note when pupils enjoyed their homemade jelly as a special treat, celebrating their excellent start to the school year. ### A Positive Beginning Staff have been incredibly proud of how well the children have settled into class life, embracing new experiences and building strong friendships from day one. [Learning](https://stmarysna.bhcet.org.uk/news/tag/learning) [ St Mary's Pupils Enjoy Seaside Adventures at Seaham Beach](https://stmarysna.bhcet.org.uk/news/2026-09-03-st-mary-s-pupils-enjoy-seaside-adventures-at-seaham-beach) [Year 6 Enjoys Wellbeing and Teamwork Adventure at Hamsterley Forest ](https://stmarysna.bhcet.org.uk/news/2026-09-15-year-6-enjoys-wellbeing-and-teamwork-adventure-at-hamsterley-forest) ![St. Mary's Catholic Primary School](https://files.schudio.com/st-mary-s-catholic-primary-school-durham-2/images/logo/Bishop_Hogarth_and_Hexham_Logo_new_(1).png) ### St. Mary's Catholic Primary School Central Avenue Newton Aycliffe Co. Durham DL5 5NP 01325 300339 ### Social Media - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/stmaryscatholicprimaryschool/) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/stmarys_newtonacyliffe/) ### Translation ### Office 365 [Sign in to Office 365](https://outlook.office.com/) © Copyright 2025–2026 St. Mary's Catholic Primary School School & Trust Websites by [ ![Schudio logo](https://stmarysna.bhcet.org.uk/img/logo/light.png) ](https://www.schudio.com/)