Dear Parents/Carers,

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter and were able to spend time resting and relaxing with loved ones; celebrating the fact that Jesus died on the Cross and rose again due to His unwavering love for us. To me Jesus serves as a reminder that no matter how difficult and hard life may become, God has a great plan and purpose for our lives. God triumphs above and over all things.

On Monday Pope Francis passed away. We are so grateful to him for his service and steadfast leadership. He has been a stellar example of being a light in the dark and an advocate for human rights across the Globe. In 2018, Pope Francis did a papal visit to Dublin entitled the World Meeting of Families. Me and my family had the privilege of participating in the celebrations and were amongst the 150,000 people fortunate to attend Mass led by Pope Francis in Phoenix Park.

This has a profound impact on me both, spiritually and as a leader. On this visit, Pope Francis demonstrated that whilst we are human and will make mistakes, accepting them, learning from them and seeking forgiveness for them, not only leads to deep-seeded healing, but draws us closer to God. I will never forget the rapture of the crowd when he asked for pardon and forgiveness for wrongs he wasn't even responsible for. 

It meant something. He meant something. And he stood firm on our Catholic beliefs and values even in adversity.

Pope Francis knew what it meant to lead with love and I know you will join us as a school community in mourning the loss of such a leader and thanking God for the dedicated service of Pope Francis. May he rest in eternal peace, knowing that his life made the world a better place.

Mrs Ashley and the Team

This week we have learnt a lot. On Easter Monday, our beloved Pope Francis passed away.  On Tuesday, Mrs Ashley did an assembly to honour him and we prayed together as a school community. It was a sad and special way to start the term. Now he is in Heaven with the Most High. He will rest in peace. We had special class assemblies to talk about and pray for him too. 

On Saturday some of our pupils have been chosen for the Mini Marathon. Our Senior House Captain, Aaron, is also one of the participants. We wish luck to all the people who have been selected. Thank you to Mr Abrahams for organising the event for us. 

 I wish you a good weekend.

 E.J., Deputy Headboy

The Phonics Screening Check in 2025 for all Year 1 pupils in England is scheduled for the week beginning Monday 9th June 2025. The test will be carried out in a quiet room one to one with teacher. There will be 40 words for each child to read, a mixture of 'alien' and 'real' words. The aim will be to assess how well your child can use and apply their phonics skills to decode and read these words. 

To meet  the expected standard, children must score 32 out of 40. For any student not meeting the required standard, they will repeat the phonics screening test next academic year. Students who did not meet the standard last year will be repeating the phonics screening test this year.

To support your child, please remember that we have uploaded many videos and practice test papers on Google Classroom.

Help your child to use ‘Special Friends’ and ‘Fred Talk’ to read words. Also practise reading sounds speedily and continue to listen to your child read their story books every day.

 If you have any questions, please speak with Mrs Mapp and the Year 1 Team.

We hope you and your family have a wonderful weekend.

The St. Joseph's Team