Last we had a wonderful time learning about the Chinese New Year. It was great to celebrate the culture of many in our school community and Chef Mo created a special menu for us to mark the occassion. A huge thanks to our catering team who made this happen for our children. They said the food was very tasty and have asked for more themed menu days.

Next we the Consul-General of Portugal, Manuel Grainha do Vale is visiting St. Joseph's! I have been trying to arrange this visit since last year and I am delighted that he will be joining us on Thursday for Internal Mother Tongue Day! Children can wear cultural dress or clothes representing a country from their heritage. We have special events planned for the day and I am so grateful to Mrs Santos and Miss Arthur for their hard work and support in making this happen for our children.

The Senior Pupil Leadership Team, interviewed a HR manager in leadership Meeting this week. They asked thoughtful questions to discover how this role supports and benefits schools across Croydon and our own. We discussed future projects and ways that they utilise their roles to drive change across the school. They will be collaborating with staff leaders after the half term and we are really excited to share these projects with you next term.

If you are experiencing difficulty, I just want to remind you that we are here for you and your family. We have access to the Catholic Crisis fund and we referred families last year and attained grants for the families. We can also signpost you to different services for wellbeing support. Please let us know in person or via the office and we will do all we can to help.

“During the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.”

Pope Francis

We hope you have a good weekend,

Mrs Ashley and the Team

Wellbeing

Health Benefits Of Walking For Children

We all know that movement is a must for a healthy body, no matter how old you are. However, as technology continues to make life easier and more convenient, it also tends to result in more inactivity, even in children. Encouraging children to move is a great way to balance out screentime, and according to the experts, walks are an essential part of healthy development for kids.

Here are a few benefits of walking for your little ones:

Increased stimulation and learning opportunities

Walks can be beneficial even if the kids can’t technically walk yet! The mere act of heading out into a new environment is an opportunity to discover the world. Babies get to hear, see, smell, and feel different things from the comfort of their stroller seat, even if they can’t interact with the world around them yet.

Improved mental health

Research has proven that walking can improve mood and boost feelings of well-being. This applies to toddlers and children just as much as adults! These effects are amplified if the walk takes place in a natural, green space.

Better sleep patterns

Do the babies and toddlers in your care have trouble going to sleep sometimes? Try letting them burn off some of that energy during a walk. Regular physical exercise can improve sleep cycles as well as the quality of sleep that children get.

Strengthens children’s bodies

Walking helps build strength in bones, muscles, hearts and lungs. Research shows that even walks as short as three minutes can help improve the health and metabolism of children. All that arm waving babies do from the pram seat contributes towards strength building too.

Helps develop motor skills

Although the act of walking feels effortless to adults, it’s still a skill in progress for toddlers. A research study from Loughborough University reported that nearly 30% of four-year-olds are not physically ready to start school because they’re lacking in essential motor skills, such as the ability to hold a pencil or sit up straight. This is attributed to a lack of physical activity overall during the early years. Every walk improves balance, posture, flexibility and coordination.

Reduces risk of disease

Regular physical activity, such as walking, can reduce children’s risk of developing heart disease, cancer, and type-2 diabetes later in life. Keeping them moving throughout the day helps to build healthy bodies.

Early Years

Reception have been busy learning how to use a balance scale. We have been weighing and comparing objects seeing which objects are heavier or lighter. We have been weighing objects to see how heavy the objects are using unifix and seeing if we can balance the scales using numicon.

Key Stage 1

Year 2 had a fantastic time turning their 2D map drawings into 3D relief maps! They started by remembering what they knew about maps and learning about 3D artwork, inspired by artist Emma Johnson. Using materials like paper, string, and fabric, they got creative, layering and sticking different textures to bring their maps to life. They had fun choosing the best materials to show rivers, roads, and buildings, thinking carefully about how to make their maps look real.

Lower Key Stage 2

Year 3's Mummification Experience!

This week, Year 3 have been exploring the fascinating beliefs and practices of the Ancient Egyptians, particularly their views on the afterlife. As part of our Ancient Egypt topic, the pupils had an exciting hands-on experience learning about mummification. They even had the chance to mummify their own given teddy bears! This interactive activity brought history to life, helping them understand the careful process the Egyptians followed to prepare for the afterlife. What a fantastic week of learning! Some were ore successful than others. However, the children thoroughly enjoyed the experience and gained a deeper appreciation for this ancient tradition.

Upper Key Stage 2

In Year 6, we have been focusing on retrieval and inference questions in reading and children are making good progress.

In English, children have been working on a creative writing piece. After watching a video about a boy with superpowers, children wrote diary entries and drew story boards in preparation for writing their own science fiction stories, based on a short story called 'Titanium' by M.Abdul Haq. This has given them the opportunity to use a range of literary devices, including imagery ('show, not tell'), repetition and simile. After editing their work, they will get the chance to share their writing and peer evaluate.

Information

Happy Birthday!

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

Year 5: Hope and Tyler Year 1: Uche Reception: Joshua, Marcus and Amelia

Nursery: Niamh

Staff: Mrs Swain

Key Dates

12/02/25- Year 2 Trip to Science Museum

12/02/25 - Y4 trip to the British Museum

13/02/25- Last day of half term for children

14/02/25- Inset Day

24/02/25- Year 2 and RH Library Trip

27/02/25- Year 4 and RP Library Trip

03.03.25-07.04.25 -Whole School Book Week

25/03/25 Y4 Cinema Trip to West Norwood Cinema

We hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend.

The St. Joseph's Team

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