#Christmas2020 at St Julian’s

Undaunted by the pandemic, the school has been celebrating Christmas since the beginning of December.
As dictated by tradition, our teacher, Mrs Isabel Albergaria decorated the Christmas tree and the Christmas nativity scene with her Y11 students, setting a collected tone for the days ahead.
Our support staff worked unceasingly in the preparation of the decorations for the season, putting together dozens of rows of lights and decorations, throughout our patio, stairs and in our departments. Although the Carols in the patio and Christmas plays couldn’t be presented in the usual manner, given the current social distancing guidelines, students were invited to celebrate this special time of the year in and outside the classroom.

In Primary, children played games, sang songs, wrote letters to Santa, and prepared presents for parents amongst many other seasonal activities. In spite of the fact that it was impossible to organise normal school presentations, some have been uploaded to Seesaw and Google Classroom for the enjoyment of parents and families.

In Secondary, this season is really influential on day to day activities. Music is an important part of the curriculum at St. Julian’s, and students participate in many Christmas performances. The music department worked on a virtual mini-concert with students from Yr 6 to Yr 13 which will be shared with the community this week. We would like to share with you a very special performance from our students of the "Ding Dong Merrily on High" that you can access here.

Several charity initiatives were carried out, such as a Y12 CAS shoebox appeal project, in which shoeboxes and items were requested for families in need. The CAS group designed and made stickers, posters and a video to promote the project to the school community. The Christmas shoeboxes and money donations will be delivered by the students to the Lisbon Project - integrating and protecting the lives of migrants and refugees in Lisbon (https://lisbonproject.org/).
Our Parents’ Association was key, as always, in supporting two different local charities. One project was coordinated in conjunction with Year 8: Labels for Less charity which is part of the WRVS - Women's Royal Voluntary Service, Lisbon. WRVS supports a long list of families in Cascais, providing food and gifts. The Parents' Association also supported the Carcavelos Community Centre. Both these charities received gifts for children in need. Our community rallied together and the response to these initiatives has been overwhelming.
For students and staff, the celebration of Christmas Jumper Day offered a fabulous medley of colour and fun! 
Undoubtedly, the secret Santa traditions could not be forgotten. There is a staff Christmas Secret Santa group that exchanges gifts on the last day of school, and in Primary, staff become Christmas Elves during the last week of term, performing secret acts of kindness towards others.
Many other events were prepared by a wonderful December well-being staff team. They have organised a Christmas comedy evening, the Great St Julian's Bake-off holiday special and even….a Xmas Day/Boxing Day beach dip/surf.

A Christmas Lunch for students and staff will take place tomorrow. We can’t wait to try the tasty delicacies provided by Thomas Franks!

Last but certainly not least, a surprise House Talent Show will be broadcast to all school on Friday.
We leave with a thought for the community members, teachers and staff, who might not be able to go home and be with their families this year. Thank you all for your dedication and support!