A - 5th Easter

Christ - Our Way, Truth & Life

The Fifth Sunday of Easter is a very special one for St Joseph's - we hear the reading from John's Gospel that inspires our school motto, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." Jesus explains to his followers that he is preparing a place in the heavenly kingdom for them and, to find their way to it, they simply need to follow his example.

We explored how we might interpret Jesus' example - by following his way, seeking to understand the truth he shares and being bold enough to embrace the opportunities afforded to us in this life. So, to meet Jesus in his heavenly kingdom, we are trying to follow his example in heart, mind and soul.

Nursery Grows Up

The children in Nursery had a lovely time exploring what it means to be healthy and how to look after themselves. Through discussions and activities, they learned about where food comes from and began to understand that eating a variety of foods helps their bodies grow big and strong. They were keen to share their ideas about their favourite healthy foods and talked about how sleep, exercise, and keeping clean all help us feel our best.

The children really enjoyed learning about how we grow and change. They were fascinated by the differences between babies, children and adults, and had lots to say about what babies can and can’t do. It was wonderful to see them recognise all the things they can now do by themselves, showing pride in their growing independence.

One of the highlights was looking at baby photos of the children. There was lots of laughter and excitement as everyone tried to guess who was who—some guesses were spot on, while others were very imaginative! This activity helped the children see how much we all change as we grow, while also creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

Overall, the children were enthusiastic, curious, and eager to join in. They are developing a positive understanding of how to stay healthy and are beginning to recognise just how much they are growing and learning every day.

Magnetic Attraction

This week in Science, Year 3 investigated the strength of different magnets. Presented with four magnets (wand magnet, bar magnet, horseshoe magnet, ball magnet) and a pot of paperclips, children predicted which magnet would attract the most paper clips. Then came the fun part of testing! There were lots of excited comments of, "Wow!", "Look at this!" and gasps in amazement. After recording the results in a table, children wrote their conclusions and were proud their prediction was correct. A great afternoon of science investigating!

Success on the Slopes!

A huge congratulations to Lilian for coming 2nd place in both her dry ski slope races at the Pembrey Club National in South Wales this weekend. This is her first year racing in the U14 category so she was one of the youngest competing in her category - remarkable!. Well done Lilian!

Learning about Love

In PSHE this week, Year 1 have been learning about the idea of 'three in one'. We started by looking at the idea of the holy trinity in a context that was more understanding to the children - Lucy's mum is a mum, a daughter and a wife. She is three in one. From this, we looked at God being God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - also three in one, and made a physical representation of the Holy Trinity using lollipop sticks. We then recognised the fact that we are made in God's image and this means being called to be loved and to love others.

Guildfordians!

This week Year 2 children visited Guildford town centre to see some of the features that we have been learning about. Each class visited on a different day and had great fun bundling on to the public bus and seeing the sights! The walk started on the High Street where we saw one of the oldest buildings in Guildford, then through Tunsgate to see the old marketplace and on to Guildford Castle. We stopped here for lunch and a runaround whilst also studying the different types of stone that the castle was made from. On Thursday, half of 2N were lucky enough to receive a talk from Minister Paul at St Mary’s Church on Quarry Street and we had a look around - it is the oldest building in Guildford! Even older than the castle! The other half got to go to the top of the castle and do brass rubbings! We then continued our walk to see the river, of which we had learned its importance recently, and then went back to the bus to return to school. We all had a fantastic time!

International Acclaim!

A huge well done to Charlotte who went all the way to Florida to compete in the 2026 Summit Youth Championships. Her cheer team came 4th out of a division of 63 and were the highest scoring UK team of the event. What an achievement! Well done Charlotte.

The Great Year 6 Reading Escape

This week, our Year 6 pupils put their reading skills to the test with an exciting and slightly mysterious “Reading Escape Challenge” as part of their SATs revision.

The classroom buzzed with energy as children worked in teams to solve a series of reading tasks. Each group was given a set of extracts to explore and they needed to read each one carefully and thoughtfully. They answered a range of questions designed to challenge their comprehension, inference and vocabulary skills: just like those they will encounter in their SATs.

But there was a twist... The final question for each extract revealed just one word from the text. The children quickly realised that these words were important clues. Once they had worked through all eight extracts, they collected their words and collaborated to piece them together into a secret sentence. Jack and Josiah worked brilliantly together to work out the secret code and shared how much they enjoyed themselves. A huge congratulations to Mattias, Spencer and Will from 6M who cracked the code first!

It was fantastic to see how well the pupils worked as teams - discussing ideas, supporting one another and applying the skills they’ve developed during our guided reading lessons. Their resilience and enthusiasm really stood out especially when faced with more challenging questions. Not only did the activity reinforce key reading skills but it also made revision engaging and fun. The sense of achievement when teams cracked the final sentence was clear to see!

We’re very proud of the effort Year 6 put in and we’re looking forward to building on this success. Next week, we’ll be upping the challenge even further!

Lightbulb Moments!

Last week, Year 4 enjoyed a fantastic Art Day as they brought their Sketching unit to a close. The day began with an exciting visit to the Lightbox Gallery. For many children, it was their very first experience visiting an art gallery, and they were fascinated by the wide variety of artworks on display, created in many different mediums.

During a guided tour, the pupils explored a range of portraits and learnt how artists use expression, colour and technique to bring their subjects to life. Afterwards, they were taken into a studio space for a short masterclass in sketching self-portraits. Inspired and full of new ideas, the children then had the opportunity to create their own clay head sculptures - an activity that proved to be both fun and wonderfully messy!

In the afternoon, back at school, the children used everything they had learnt to complete their final piece: a detailed self-portrait. It was fantastic to see them applying newly acquired skills with such confidence and enthusiasm.

We would like to extend a huge thank you to all our parent helpers for supporting the trip and helping make the day such a memorable experience for Year 4.

End of Season Success

Last week, on a very hot and sunny afternoon, our Year 5 team competed in the highly anticipated Tormead Netball Tournament. The tournament was played in a round-robin format, which meant every team would face off against each other. With all the teams bringing their best game, the pressure was definitely on to win every match. However, Year 5 were ready to take on the challenge!

This has already been an incredible year for Year 5, with the team winning every match and tournament they’ve participated in so far. Their confidence and skill were on full display at the Tormead tournament, where they played with impressive accuracy and teamwork. Their fast passes, quick decision-making, and determination were key factors in their success.

They won every single game, ultimately securing the tournament victory. This fantastic win means that Year 5 have remained undefeated all season long. What a truly amazing achievement!

We are so proud of Year 5, and we hope they take a moment to celebrate their hard-earned success. As they look ahead to Year 6, we can’t wait to see what the future holds for these talented athletes. Well done, Year 5 – you’ve set the bar high for next year!

Out of this world!

In Reception, children have been enjoying some different arts and crafts this week linked to their topic on Space. They explored some of Peter Thorpe’s work in class and we can definitely see this inspired their work...

The Common Good

Our thanks to St Hugh's Class for an inspiring whole school worship this morning, all about the Common Good. The children reminded us that, "Working together makes life better." We heard about the generosity of the boy with five loaves and two fish, and how Jesus transforms our small acts of love into meaningful change that benefits the wider world. Through story, drama, poem and song the children led us in recognising and celebrating the Catholic Social Teaching principle of the Common Good.

Witnesses to the Common Good

Congratulations to our band of Witness Award winners, all of whom have demonstrated their understanding and commitment to the common good this week. They have all performed small acts of generosity that God has helped to transform into positive change for the world around them, in their classes, year group and across the whole school! Well done and God bless you all.