It was wonderful to attend St. Matthew's church on Sunday and celebrate Mass with St. Joseph's children and families who attend. Fr Celestine's homily focused on peace in the world and being grateful to God for we we have. He mentioned how small acts of kindness can make a pivotal difference in people's lives and called us all to being kind and loving as we prepare for the birth of Jesus.

On Monday, Fr Luke came to school and led an Advent assembly. The children and staff enjoyed his message about the hope that Jesus brings and the difference He makes in our lives. We are so grateful to Fr Luke, for his time and spiritual guidance.

The Infant and Junior school Christmas Carol Concerts, brought festive cheer and joy to our hearts. The children's singing uplifted us all and the shared the message of Christmas with us. The children are developing in confidence and oracy skills. There are definitely some budding Westend stars at St. Joseph's.

Thank you to all the children and the staff who worked so hard to prepare such high caliber performances. The children's eyes widened and their faces beamed as they noticed loved ones in the audience. Thank you all for coming and supporting the children.

The team have been working hard in readiness for our Health and Safety audit, which happened on Wednesday. It was a very intensive process, yet the auditor was impressed by the sheer amount of work and progress we have made as a team. We will get the report in the new year. This will help capture what we have done well and any areas for improvement. I want to extend a special thanks to Ms Johnson and Mr Teles for helping with the audit. A true example of St. Joseph's mission in action 'Together we can.'

This afternoon the children had a private video call with Santa! We know he is extremely busy in the run up to Christmas, so we are so grateful to him for his time!

Next Wednesday is Christmas Jumper Day and Christmas Dinner at School. The children will also be doing a Santa Run in the afternoon, an event organised by our Prayer leaders and approved by the Senior Pupil Leadership Team. The children have chosen to sponsor others to go to school and support CAFORD. They have requested a donation of £1, but any silver coin will be greatly appreciated.

On Thursday afternoon, it's the children's Christmas class parties. We break up on Friday at 2pm. Please ensure you collect your children on time.

We hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend, remembering that Jesus was born to save you,

Mrs Ashley and the Team

Wellbeing

With all the Christmas activities at school this week and plenty to look forward to next week, the children are naturally going to be very excited. We have included a Self-care booklet for primary school children that has been put together by the Anna Freud Institute

Just as we look after our physical health, it’s important to look after our mental health. Self-care is all about what you can do to help yourself feel better or to keep yourself feeling good. It’s a way that we can look after our own mental health and wellbeing. It can help your body and mind to relax, drift away, or be more energised. There are lots of different ways you can try self-care: dancing, spending time with friends, playing sports, laughing, drawing, spending time with pets - anything that makes you feel good! Anna Freud have listed some activity suggestions in this booklet designed to help improve your child's mood - give them a try and see what works for you and your child!

Early Years

In the nursery, the children are busy getting ready for Christmas by learning about the story of Jesus' birth, discussing how Jesus came into the world on that special night in Bethlehem. We have decorated the nursery Christmas tree, made decorations using finger paints, put together a Retablo and acted out the Christmas story and lots more. The nursery is a warm, festive place, where the spirit of Christmas comes to life through songs, stories, and the joy of preparing for the holiday together.

Lower Key Stage 2

What a busy week we've had in Year 3!

We started the week with a special whole-school assembly with Father Luke, who taught us about the true meaning of Christmas. This inspired us to prepare for our own festive performances.

We were lucky enough to watch the Key Stage 1 carol concert, where we saw some familiar faces on stage! Then, it was our turn to shine as we performed our own carol concert for our parents. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

In DT, we've been busy bakers, making our own delicious apple tarts from scratch. We were very proud of our tasty creations and couldn't wait to share them with our families. We're looking forward to a fun-filled last week of term!

Upper Key Stage 2

This week, Year 5 has been busy with exciting learning across all subjects!

In English, we’ve completed our narrative stories about a disastrous day out with the family, showcasing amazing creativity, and we’re nearly finished reading our thrilling class book Stormbreaker. In Maths, we’re almost done with fractions, and in RE, we’ve been modernising the 10 Commandments and exploring the meaning of Advent.

Science has been hands-on as we’ve learned about life cycles and measured plant growth. In Geography, we’ve created vibrant travel brochures about the Alps. Finally, in PE, we wrapped up our cricket sessions with Surrey County Cricket Club and made great use of the fantastic active wall to keep fit. It’s been a fantastic term of learning and growth!

Curriculum Focus

This half term has been a whirlwind of activities and events in RE. We began in November with a visit from CAFOD who presented an assembly a about helping to educate others around the world. Following on from this the Prayer Leaders have organised for us to do a Santa Run on Wednesday 18th December, to raise money to send as a donation to CAFOD.

Y6 then presented an assembly all about Remembrance Day, explaining why it is important that we commemorate those who have lost their lives fighting for freedom.

Advent began on 1st December. Since then, Years 2, 5 and 6 have celebrated early morning mass at Virgo Fidelis and Years 3 and 4 will be going this coming Tuesday; Father Luke has been into school to talk to both the Juniors and Infants about Advent and preparing for the birth of Christ; on the 6th December, Y4 took part in the Diocesan Advent Service at St George's Cathedral.

Information

Happy Birthday!

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

Rec: King Year 3: Lemuel Year 4: Ruben, Sebastian Year 5: Danielle, Angre, Gabriel

Staff: Mrs LaTouche and Mrs Langford-Jackson (who turned 60!)

Key Dates

16/12/24 Junior Christmas Orienteering Day 9.00am - 3.00pm

16/12/24 Infants West End in Schools Experience 9.00am – 3.pm

17/12/24 Morning Mass 9.00am Virgo Fidelis Y3 & Y4

18/12/24 Christmas Dinner, Christmas Jumper Day & Santa Run

18/12/24 Whole Federation Pantomime

19/12/24 Class Christmas Parties

20/12/24 Break up, 2pm

We hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend

The St. Joseph's Team

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