Dear Parents/Carers,

In the second week of Lent, I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of our children for inspiring us all! Due to our partnership work, St. Joseph's was chosen be part of a International Women's Day Campaign for a global company! Our Y5 and Y6 girls demonstrated the self-belief and high aspirations that are instilled in the children of St. Joseph's from the moment they enter our schools. They are surrounded by positive role models at home and at school and what they created is an accumulation of the excellence we strive towards for them each and every day. Together we can, together they have, together they will!

Y5 and Y1 celebrated Mass at Virgo Fideles on Wednesday. Next wee Wednesday we will be celebrating our Patron Saint, St Joseph! All members of the school community are welcome to celebrate with us. Mass starts at 9.15am.

Many Y4 children had the most wonderful time on their PGL trip this week. It was wonderful to see the memories they created and the skills that they learned, such as archery and climbing. Outdoor learning develops children resilience and social skills and as usual the children identified unknown talents. The children (and teachers) were in a state of awe and wonder at the campfire and the pictures encapsulated how magical and special the evening was for them all. A huge thank you to Mrs Phillips would sourced 50% funding for all the children and Mrs Power and Mrs Marshall for their support. I know you will all sleep well.

This week was Assessment week and the children have been using the tests to show off their learning and progress. The children are beginning to love assessments and we remind the children that they are there to show us how clever they are and what we need to do next to keep their brains growing. We can't wait to share your child's progress with you at the Pupil Consultation Meetings from 24th-26th March. Please remember to book via Arbor.

If you have any concerns about your child or their develoment and would like to talk to us about it, please let us know via the office and we will ensure that a member of the leadership team follows up.

The children have been enjoying wellness lessons in the afternoons, a lovely reward to all the testing in the morning. Last year we introduced wellbeing lessons as part of our PSHE offering to ensure that children learned skills to develop a health lifestyle, mind and body. The discussions and reflections from the children show that they are conscientious and are thinking in alignment with our values.

We know that the special part of working in Primary schools is that we are teaching the children how to both learn and love. It is natural for children to support them with that from time to time. If your child is upset about something that has happened with a peer, do not approach the child or a member of their family. Remember to inform that class teacher in the first instance, they are with your child every day and know what is happening in their class, or you could contact the office and the teacher will get back to you about your concern. Thank you for your support with this.

We hope you have an amazing weekend and look forward to seeing you next week.

Mrs Ashley and the Team

This week, Nursery has been getting ready for spring! They’ve been planting sunflower seeds to fill the Nursery with bright yellow blooms. They’re so excited to watch them grow—even taller than they are! Alongside gardening, they’ve been enjoying The Very Hungry Caterpillar and learning about different fruits. After a fun class vote, strawberries were crowned our class’s favorite fruit! 

What a fantastic week it has been in Year 3! This week was all about assessments and I couldn’t be prouder of how hard the children have worked. They applied all the knowledge they’ve learned so far to tackle the Maths Arithmetic and Reasoning papers, the Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling tests, as well as and the Reading paper. They really gave it their best effort, and their focus and determination were wonderful to see!

Alongside assessments, we focused on the importance of a healthy lifestyle, looking at ways to stay active, eat well, and take care of our bodies. The children shared some brilliant ideas and really thought deeply about how to lead a healthy life.

In DT, we had a lot of fun learning about applique and stitching techniques, including cross-stitch and running stitch. The children thoroughly enjoyed the hands-on activities and were so proud of the work they created.

This term, Reception children have been exploring the creative world of weaving in their Design and Technology lessons. They began by weaving ribbons, developing their fine motor skills and understanding basic patterns. As their confidence grew, they progressed to weaving paper, experimenting with different textures and colours. By the end of the term, the children will be applying their newfound skills to sew their very own fabric chicks, using needles and string. It has been wonderful to see the children's creativity grow over the past few weeks and we cannot wait to the the outcome of their fabric chicks! 

Year 1 children have been building on their textile skills this term by learning how to join fabrics together using various methods. They’ve also mastered the art of using templates to create their own designs, and have focused on joining two fabrics together accurately to ensure their projects are neat and strong. The children are now working on creating their own puppets, and we can't wait to see the final results! Soon, they’ll be able to bring their puppets to life and start creating and telling exciting stories with them. 

We hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend.

The St. Joseph's Team