Dear Parents/Carers,

What an absolutely wonderful week we've had to close the spring term! Our children have participated in so many enriching activities and experiences, and I'm delighted to share the highlights with you. 

Thank you to all the parents who joined us for our Big Lent Walk on Monday. It was wonderful to see so many families coming together to support this important initiative. Your participation and encouragement made the event truly special for our children. Sponsirship forms are due in aftfer the half term, all children should have received one. The Senior Pupil Leadership Team have decided that they would like to award the class who raise the most! The last class that fundraised the most got a trip to the Ballet!

On Tuesday, our Year 5 and Year 6 pupils had an inspiring experience with the STEM show 'Engineering the Future'. The children were captivated by the demonstrations and learned so much about the exciting possibilities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. A huge thank you to Mrs Steen-Plomer for organising this fantastic opportunity for our pupils.

Wednesday was an incredibly busy day with two wonderful educational visits. Our Year 3 and Year 4 children enjoyed a fantastic trip to the cinema a reward for all their hard work this term. This provided them with a memorable shared experience and plenty to talk about back in the classroom.

Year 1 had an amazing time at the Toy Museum. For some of our children, this was their very first experience of travelling on a tube or train, making it an extra special adventure. The children were fascinated by the historical toys and learned so much about how playtime has changed over the years.

A special thank you to Mrs Mapp for accompanying both classes and ensuring everything ran smoothly. We're also extremely grateful to all the staff members and parent volunteers who helped make both trips possible. Your support enables us to provide these enriching experiences for our children.

Thursday brought us a fabulous Year 3 Easter production, aptly named 'Good News', and the children were absolutely fabulous! The audience was the most engrossed and responsive one we've ever had. We laughed, cried and even hissed when Judas accepted the 30 pieces of silver. It made the children perform even better and they really did impress with their singing, narrating and acting skills.

Special mentions go to:

• Jude, who was a great News Anchor, brilliantly showcasing the schools our focus on articulation and reading with prosody this year

• Kemuel, Chase, Robert, Maurice, Bernice, and Ismael - superb soloists who sang beautifully

• William, who was a very expressive Jesus

Well done to all of Year 3 for bringing the Easter message to our school community in such a memorable way. I am beyond proud of you and your development!

I really enjoyed watching the girls football team play against Downsview yesterday. The team did a great job encouraging each other to play well and drew 1-1. Thanks to all the parents and family members who came to cheer them on. 

Friday was packed with wonderful events: a a reward for their hard work all classes had an Easter Egg Hunt. We began the day with the infant school poetry recital which was a great success. The children were truly impressive, demonstrating their confidence and love of language. The hymn they sung at the end was truly touching and uplifting.

After break, Year 4 led the school through the Stations of the Cross in a truly reverent and fitting last act of worship together before Easter. It was a beautiful and meaningful reflection on the Easter story and we are very grateful to Mrs Phillips for this and all the Lentern Activities she has planned for us. They have brought us closer to Jesus and made us kinder and more loving to each other.

In addition, we also celebrated World Maths Day! Thanks to Mrs La Touche for organising a fun-filled day of mathematical activities, including:

• Silver Coin Trail: Martha (Year 3) and Adriane (Year 6) won prizes for their closest estimates to the trail length and the coins' collective worth - superb mathematics!

• UPKS2 Multiplication Contest: Roman, D'Real, and Oscar A-F Y5 were superb competitors and champion of their classes!

The rumours about Roman Y6 beating me are.... true! He was fantastic and it was great fun! By the time I heard the question, he'd already answered and he said he was giving me a chance! The children were overjoyed and Roman was as graceful as ever! A brilliant winner! I sense a rematch pending... It may have to become a staff Vs Y6 contest (I need the support) ... watch this space. 

The term dates for next year have been circulated, and you will notice that there is wo week half term. I hope this makes going on holiday for our families and staff more affordable and enables everyone to rest properly.

We have a half term club running the first week of Easter, they are still taking on children and it is completely free if you are receive pupil premium funding. Contact Segun 020 3802 6909

 www.fit4futurefoundation.org 

We now break for a well-deserved two-week Easter holiday. I hope you all enjoy this special time with your families as we celebrate the joy of Easter.

I pray God continues to watch over you and your family and you remember that you are so amazing, Jesus died to save you.

Thank you for your continued support throughout this term. We look forward to welcoming the children back refreshed and ready for the summer term.

Wishing you all a very happy Easter.

Mrs Ashley and the Team

"He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'" - Luke 24:6-7 

Junior School  

Year 6: In Maths, we have been mastering the basics of algebra. We are planning to progress into more complex equations soon as we continue our dedicated preparation for SATs.

Year 5: Following our recent school play, Year 5 has been busy in English creating posters and writing about Macbeth. In Maths, the focus has been on multiplication and understanding fractions with intervals.

Year 4: Science has been particularly "intriguing" this week! Year 4 has been exploring the States of Matter, learning all about the properties of solids, liquids, and gases.

Year 3: Creativity is flowing in Year 3! In English, students have been writing poetry about their likes and dislikes. The children found it especially funny to express the things they don’t like through verse!        

Infant School

Nursery: It has been an exciting week for our youngest learners. Nursery visited Reception to hold the chicks and even made adorable chick-themed cards. They also prepared for the upcoming season by making palms for Palm Sunday and enjoyed plenty of indoor and outdoor play.

Reception: This week’s focus was the story Rosie’s Walk. In English, the children worked hard on their "Yellow Write" assignments based on the fox's adventures, successfully finishing them today!

Year 1: Fitness was the focus in P.E. this week, with the children practicing stretches and high-knees. In Maths, the class practiced counting backwards using number lines to build their confidence

Year 2: Year 2 has been travelling through history! They have been learning about aviation and space exploration, specifically the Wright Brothers' first flight and the historic moon landing by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. 

Reported by Milena and Michael.

Senior Sports Captain and Pupil Wellbeing Leader

On the Google classrooms, we have put links to activities for the children to do over the Easter holidays.

Below are links to wellbeing ideas for over the Easter holidays for adults.

Tips for your well being over Easter - https://www.northernhealthcare.org.uk/news-resources/6-mental-health-tips-to-take-care-of-yourself-during-the-easter-weekend/ 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z2crs82#zx49vj6 

https://www.stillhuman.co.uk/blog/how-to-actually-relax-this-easter-without-the-guilt 

For any safeguarding concerns over the Easter break, please contact: The croydon LADO or email

dsl@st-josephs-jun.croydon.sch.uk

Today marked the end of a fantastic term of maths learning at St Joseph’s, celebrated with an exciting and fun-filled World Maths Day! The day was packed with a variety of engaging activities, including puzzles, games, quizzes, Easter egg hunts with a mathematical twist and friendly competitions that challenged and inspired all of our learners.

The children's wonderfully creative maths-themed costumes showcased their imagination and enthusiasm, and added to the excitement. 

We were incredibly proud to award certificates and prizes to children for their outstanding efforts, including Fantastic Problem Solvers, Multiplication Superstars, and Best Maths Costume. A highlight of the day was the Coin Trail Challenge, where children got to estimate the length of the coin trail and how much money was raised for charity (thank you all for your contributions). The winners were Martha (Year 3) and Andre (Year 6).

It was a joyful celebration of learning, creativity and teamwork—what a brilliant way to end the term!

13.04.26

Return to School

15.04.26

Yr 5 Hampton Court

21.04.25

RH West Norwood Library Trip AM  

Year 5 West Norwood Library Trip

23.04.26

6P West Norwood Library Trip

We hope you have a wonderful Easter Holiday!

From all the team at St. Joseph's!