Turning back to Christ

In worship this week, we prepare ourselves for the 2nd Sunday in Advent (Year A) as we meet the unforgettable character of John the Baptist. Remembered for his eccentric dress sense and provocative preaching, John urges the people to prepare for the coming of the Messiah by repenting for their sins.

The Church offers us a beautiful encounter with Jesus when we seek to repent for our sins - the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The community is invited to participate in this Sacrament on Saturday 17th December as St Joseph’s Church opens its doors for a day of prayer followed by a night of light. Much like in this week’s Gospel, there will be groups of parishioners out of Guildford High Street inviting the crowds to prepare the way for Christ. More details at the bottom of this page...

A - 2nd Advent

Drama Buzz

Key Stage One Drama Club have been working hard on the play 'Billy No Buzz'. It is a sweet tale of a little bee who has no buzz and the other bees make fun of him and don't want to be his friend. Luckily some kind dragonflies make them see the error of their ways and they all become friends in the end. The children performed to their parents on Tuesday this week with confidence and determination, despite a number of actors being absent. Well done all!

Future Programmers

As part of our exciting curriculum, Year 6 completed a fantastic unit of work on programming. We introduce the children to variables and what information they can hold and then we looked to see how this can be changed. After exploring variables and how they can be changed, we used Scratch to create an algorithm (set of instructions) and designed our own falling object games. The children wrote the coding for a range of sprites; 3 falling from the top of the screen, and one to move and catch their objects. They also designed their background, added a score and timer (variables) to their game. We saw some very creative ideas and some incredibly tech savvy children who helped others with their knowledge. A special mention to Justin in 6N who was seconded to 6R to help with the speed of the falling objects which he solved using trial and error- impressive work!

Creative writing!

In English, Year 1 have been exploring the text 'On The Way Home' by Jill Murphy. After getting to know the text over a few weeks, this week we have been writing our own version of how Claire could have hurt her knee, making up our own characters and plot. We were amazed by the children's imaginations and have been working hard on how to structure a sentence that makes sense. This was one of their first pieces of independent writing in Year 1 are we have been blown away by the children's perseverance and the quality of writing. Well done Year 1!

Community Advent

Our deepest thanks to those families who kindly prepared parcels for our Cultural Advent Calendar this year. It is very exciting to be able to share with the children some traditions and celebrations of Christmas from around the world, as represented by the families at our school. We are blessed to have contributions from Hong Kong, Holland, Sweden, Spain, Poland and Ireland. We can't wait to open them!

Back in time...

Year 4 had a very exciting Tuesday when Portals of the Past (a company specialising in history workshops) visited and provided a range of activities to consolidate and extend the children's understanding of Ancient Egypt! The day started with reminding the children how far back we were going in history before looking at some real artefacts found in the tombs! Next, we measured various items in cubits and solved some hieroglyphics. The afternoon was particularly gory when we learnt all about the mummification process! To top it all off and to make the occasion most authentic, the children dressed up and all looked the part in their costumes. A wonderful day full of fun and learning.

Scottish Fling!

St Andrew’s Class had a fabulous Wednesday celebrating their special day. Each year on the 30th November, we celebrate the patron saint of Scotland and fishermen. We learned a little about him and then did some Scottish activities. Check out our dancing, the flags we made and the tartan we designed.

St Andrew’s Day 2022.mov

Changing the world

Year 2 have been learning about the lives of some significant people who have contributed to international achievements, such as Florence Nightingale and Edith Cavell.

This week, the children created timelines to understand the main events in the life of Edith Cavell. They then thought about why she is a hero. It has been great to hear the different ideas of the children and think about how they can continue working towards achieving their own dreams!

December’s ‘Right of the Month’ and ‘Wellness Warrior Challenge’ is:

Article 23: If you are disabled, either mentally or physically, you have the right to special care and education to help you develop and lead a full life.

During this month we celebrate International Day of Persons with Disabilities on the 3rd December. This is a day to celebrate and acknowledge the experience and capabilities of people with disabilities, and also a chance for people and organisations all over the world to focus on measures to support greater integration and equality for people with disabilities.

One of our role models is Olivia Breen, a paralympic athlete. Here is a short video if you would like to learn a little more about her.

You may like to research someone you think is a great role model for people with physical or mental disabilities and bring this in to show your class teacher.

In the spirit of giving, why not research and donate to a charity that supports people with disabilities. There are many good charities globally such as Mind, or perhaps a more local one like Cherry Trees or Challengers?

Poets don't you know it?

This week Year 3 have become poets! After collecting a word bank of adjectives and verbs to describe the night, the children arranged them in a diamond shape. This type of poetry has 7 lines and every word has to be carefully chosen to describe the subject. Some children created a poem describing a calm, peaceful night; other children created a poem describing a more scary, sinister night. In another lesson, the children enjoyed learning what a 'cinquain' poem was - a poem with 5 lines and a set number of syllables in each line - and again experimented with word choices to create their own poem. A wonderful week of poetry!

In Mary's Shoes

This week in RE, we have been understanding The Visitation as one of the joyful mysteries and how Mary would have felt when she was visited by Angel Gabriel and told that she had been chosen to give birth to the Son of God. We discussed why she might have those feelings and how it links to our unit on Advent and waiting in joyful hope.

Being Hockey Ready!

This week, our school Hockey Team had the amazing opportunity to participate in a Hockey Tournament organised by the Guildford Hockey Club and hosted by Charterhouse School!

Many different local schools attended the tournament and all three of our teams played remarkably well, demonstrating excellent sportsmanship.

We were lucky enough to come joint third! Congratulations, St Joe's Hockey Team!

Our special thanks go to Mrs Currie and Mrs Peedell, for running and coaching our Hockey Club.

Local Events...

Night of Light.pdf

KOOSA Kids Christmas Holiday Club at St. Joseph's Primary School, Guildford.pdf

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