Welcome back to the final term of this academic year! This year seems to be going by so quickly. It has been wonderful to see all our children return with such positivity and focus. The energy and enthusiasm they have brought into school this week has been truly uplifting, and it sets a fantastic tone for what promises to be another productive and exciting term ahead. I pray that God blesses the children of St Joseph's with peace, confidence and joy as they enter the new term.

I am delighted to share some wonderful news about a project that is very close to my heart. A few months ago, Ms Lodge and I successfully secured £12,000 in funding to create a brand new library for our school. This week, work began to transform the old music room into a vibrant, welcoming library space for all our children to enjoy.

The room has already been painted, and furniture will be placed in the coming weeks. I am incredibly proud to be leading this project alongside our Senior Pupil Leadership Team, who have chosen this as their second legacy project. Their input and enthusiasm have been invaluable, and it is fitting that our pupils are helping to shape a space that will benefit generations of St Joseph's children to come.

We look forward to sharing more updates as the library takes shape, and we cannot wait to see our children enjoying this wonderful new resource. There couldn't be a more fitting way to mark the Year of Reading! We will keep you updated on this.

I would like to express a huge thank you to Mrs Swain, Mrs Rizzi, Mrs Scalafini and Mrs Johnson for organising and delivering such a successful parent meeting for our new Nursery and Reception families on Wednesday. The event was warm, welcoming and informative, and we're delighted with the positive feedback we've received. As a team, we always strive to be and do our best so we found the comments made by parents new to the schools and those remaining truly heart-warming.

On Friday, our children had the fantastic opportunity to attend a STEM Day at BTG. They came back absolutely animated and intrigued by all they had learned and experienced! It was brilliant to see their curiosity sparked and their minds buzzing with new ideas. A big thank you to the team at BTG for hosting us, it was wonderful to see past St Joseph's pupils doing well and leading experiments as part of the day. Thank you to Mrs Steen-Plomer for organising. The children had such a valuable learning experience.

Next week, we will be holding our Assessment Week, where children will have the opportunity to show us all the wonderful learning and progress they have made this year. We are so proud of how hard they have worked, and these assessments will help us celebrate their achievements and identify next steps in their learning journey.

To ensure our children feel calm, supported and not stressed during this time, we will also be running Wellbeing Week alongside assessments. In the afternoons, children will take part in calming, nurturing activities designed to promote relaxation and emotional wellbeing. This balanced approach means children can demonstrate their learning in the mornings while enjoying restorative time in the afternoons.

Special assessments taking place:

Year 1 will be completing their phonics assessments
Year 2 will be sitting their SATs
Year 4 will be undertaking the multiplication times table check

Our children are ready, and we wish them all the very best. Please continue to encourage and support them at home with plenty of rest, healthy meals, and positive reassurance. Remember, these assessments are just one snapshot of your child's progress – we are proud of every single one of them and the progress that they have made.

Next week, our Year 6 children will embark on an exciting PGL outdoor learning adventure to the Isle of Wight! This is a wonderful opportunity for them to challenge themselves, build resilience, develop teamwork skills, and create lasting memories as they approach the end of their time at St Joseph's.

Mrs Winters and I will be attending as leaders to ensure that everyone remains safe and has an enjoyable, enriching experience. We know our Year 6 children will represent our school brilliantly and make the most of every activity on offer.

Please ensure all final paperwork, medication and any outstanding payments are submitted by Monday. If you have any last minute questions, please don't hesitate to contact the school office.

Wishing you all a peaceful and relaxing weekend,

Mrs Ashley and the Team

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." - Philippians 4:13

Senior Pupil Leadership

Over the past few weeks, we finally finished our SATs, and we are so proud of how hard everyone worked. During the exams, we tried our best to show excellence, and we made sure to stay quiet and considerate for those who were still writing. The rest of St Joseph's showed us so much respect and kindness by staying quiet and patient in the corridors, which helped us stay calm. Now that the final half-term is here, the atmosphere is starting to relax, but it also feels strange because this July we are saying goodbye to St Joseph's forever. Leaving Year 6 is a massive deal, and we are going to miss the classrooms where we grew up, our favourite playground spots and Mrs Ashley and the teachers who showed us so much love every day. We are sad to leave these memories behind, but we are taking our school values with us to Year 7 and are so grateful for everything.

Ella and Foma

Headgirl and Deputy Headboy

Early Years

Reception have started their new topic journeys. We made boats using a variety of materials and thought about where our boats could travel to. We would like our boats to go to Disney Land, Jamica and Nigeria where we can have a wonderful adventure.

Key Stage 1

🎉 Year 2's library adventure came to an epic finale this week! We've absolutely loved exploring West Norwood Library and diving into incredible stories together. This time, we played an awesome game of headbands – guessing tricky words all about libraries and the magical tales hiding on the shelves. We can't wait to get stuck into these stories and let our imaginations run wild with even more amazing ideas! 📚✨

Lower Key Stage 2

Year 3 pupils have had a busy and active week. They have been preparing for assessment week (next week), working hard to unpick key strategies and answer sample questions. They have also enjoyed a wonderful swimming session and the progress they have made in the pool is fantastic. Thank you to all the parents who give freely of their time each week to accompany us.

Upper Key Stage 2

Year 5 have come back with a great thirst to learn this last half term. We have focussed on grammar in our writing, and perimeter in Maths. We started Science on Human Timeline and discussed how we change as we age.

English Review

This term, pupils across the schools have shown great enthusiasm and enjoyment in their writing. Pupils have approached writing with creativity and confidence, demonstrating pride in their ideas and a willingness to experiment with language. It is clear that they have enjoyed exploring a range of genres, including narrative and poetry, and have responded positively to opportunities for imaginative and expressive writing.

Presentation throughout their work is very pleasing. Many pupils are taking increasing care with handwriting, layout and overall organisation of their work, showing pride in the finished outcome. Published pieces in particular reflect our pupils’ commitment to producing work of a high standard and celebrating their achievements as writers.

The range of genres covered this term has supported pupils in their development as creative writers. Narrative writing demonstrates their ability to build characters, settings and suspense, while the poetry shows increasing confidence with imagery, rhythm and expressive language. Through these varied experiences, pupils are developing a broader understanding of audience and purpose, as well as a richer appreciation of language and creativity in writing.

Happy Birthday!

Everyone at St. Joseph's wishes you the happiest of birthdays

Year 5: Kadel and Marjus Year 4: Khali

Year 2: Reuben Year 1: Sirr, Sariyah, Ramaiya and Alissa

Staff: Ms De Jesus

Key Dates

01.06.25 - 05.06.25

Year 4 Multiplication Check

20.06.26

Catholic Schools Swimming Gala

10.06 - 12.06.26

Yr6 PGL

22.06.25 - 25.06.26

Science Week

26.06.2026

Year 3 trip to Battersea Park School

TBC.06.26

Yr5 BTG Netball Tournament

TBC.06.26

Yr5 BTG Football Tournament

TBC.06.26

Croydon Schools Athletics - Girls

TBC.06.26

Croydon Schools Athletics - Boys

TBC.06.26

Croydon Schools Athletics - FINALS

TBC.06.26

Catholic Athletics @ St James the Great

TBC.06.26

Dulwich College Boys Visit

TBC.06.26

Partnership Visit to Dulwich College

30.06.25 - 02.07.26

Year 6 PGL Residential

TBC.06.26

Infants Catholic Sports Day @ St Thomas Becket

10.07.26

Year 6 Production (tbc)

9.07.26

Reception Trip to Norwood Park

17.07.26

End of Year Mass-parents/carers welcome

Yr 6 End of Year Celebration Party

18.07.26

Last Day of the Year

Information

We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

From all the team at St. Joseph's!

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