Christ with us
This week we looked ahead to the 6th Sunday of Easter and celebrated the joyful news that, with God, we are never alone. Jesus promises his disciples that, after he has returned to his Father, his Spirit will remain with them.
If we choose to believe in God we can take comfort and strength from the knowledge that he is always alongside us. However, if we choose to distance ourselves from God, by definition, we may find ourselves feeling alone.
We hoped to foster in the children this week a confident sense that Christ is with us.
Measuring Up
In Maths Year 2 have started a unit on measuring. Children will be learning about using standard units to estimate and measure length and height. This week the children had great fun estimating how long and high they thought various items were in the Infant playground, such as the gate, the stage and the train. We then went out with metre sticks to find out the actual measurement. The sunny morning made it a particularly enjoyable experience!
Euro millions!
In French this week, Year 5 have been learning all about currency and the Euro. We looked at the similarities between the Euro and and Pounds and then got hands-on with some Euros, making different combinations of coins and notes before learning how to say and write sentences using, "I have .......Euros and .......cents" in French. The children are all eager to get their hands on some Euros this summer holiday now!
Growing Up!
Revisiting the planting activity from two weeks ago, the Nursery children have continued to observe the experiment of the beans in a bag, where one was placed in the soil and one was wrapped in tissue paper before being stuck on the window for sunlight. The children have been observing and measuring the plants' growth. They have all concluded that soil is the best medium for growing beans!
We've also talked about how we grow, including what we eat, drink, and how we exercise. As a result, we've been measuring ourselves to see how tall we all are, and we plan to return to the activity at the end of the year.
Variable Outcomes in Year 3
In science, as part of their Plants topic, Year 3 have been designing experiments to investigate the best growing conditions for cress. Thinking about their Year 2 learning, they recalled the key factors which enable plants to grow. Predictions were made and they then conducted fair tests, investigating the best conditions for a seed to germinate in, choosing one factor to focus on from water, soil, air, light and temperature. Pots were on windowsills, in cupboards, even in the staffroom fridge! 6 days later the results were in, some cress had grown and the children discussed the impact adjusting their chosen condition had on the germination of the seeds, concluding which had been most successful and evaluating why this might be.
Watch Out! - Evil Pea is about!
Reception has been enraged by The Evil Pea this week! He has been causing chaos all over the classroom. One day he put masking tape all over the classroom, the next ALL the chairs were upside down and he even hung fruit from our box all over the classroom! What will happen next?
This has caused the children to make their own wanted posters, and design their own superheroes. Luckily Supertato was around to save us from the Evil Pea!
Alone with Christ
We were lucky to have a witness join our Assembly in person this week! Boban Jacdonmi, a professional basketball player and coach, spoke to the children about times in his life when he has felt lonely, and how his background has shaped him to become a beacon for children who might relate to his past experiences, encouraging anyone going through a difficult time to reach out for help.
The arrival of Boban into the KS2 playgrounds at break time provided a buzz of excitement, as he generously shared more of his time with the school community. Some of the children who have been coached by Boban previously were able to catch up with him and some loyal fans of Surrey Scorchers, Boban's team, were able to meet one of their favourite players in person!
We are so blessed to have been joined by someone so inspirational, to staff and children alike, and it was wonderful to hear how the Holy Spirit has helped Boban throughout his adult life. He ended with some wise words for us all - "If you walk with Christ, you will never be alone."
Bitesize Learning
Following on from their lesson about the digestive system, Year 4 have been learning about the role of different types of teeth. They used their knowledge of the structure of the different types of human teeth to create models. They were able to tell what part incisors, canines, premolars and molars played in the digestive process.Lots of excitement continued throughout the week when eggshells were planted in various drinks to see the impact of different liquids on the teeth. We will find out the results next week!
Digital Art
In Computing this half term, Year 1 have been exploring Digital Painting. We have been recapping our mouse skills (which are getting easier when using a trackpad), our logging in skills, and our ability to save and retrieve work. However, this time, children were also challenged with working on their own, rather than with a partner! Using a Paint app, children created a scene from The Rainbow Fish (our English text), which needed to include a background, characters, a title and labels. We're sure you will agree that the creations were very impressive!
May’s ‘Right of the Month’ and ‘Wellness Warrior Challenge’ is:
Article 30 If you come from a minority group, because of your race, religion or language, you have the right to enjoy your own culture, practise your own religion, and use your own language.
During this month, many celebrate Cultural Diversity Day on Sunday 21st May.
The day aims to encourage people to ‘live together better’.
Did you know, at St Joseph’s we speak Polish, Hungarian, Italian, Filipino, French, German, Mandarin and so many more!
To keep your mind forever learning, perhaps ask a friend this week to teach you some new words in their language? Or you could download a learning language app and spend a few minutes a day learning a new skill! We can’t wait to hear what you have been learning!
Bonne chance, powodzenia and swerte naman!
THE PRIDE OF ST JOSEPH’S
It was an amazing end to the week for our incredible Year 6 cohort. They showed such resilience every day this week, as they tackled their End of KS2 SATs and their conduct really made us proud. Such a lot of hard work was rewarded with the arrival of their Leavers Hoodies which they are now wearing with pride! Well done Year 6!
5J are with us
Our thanks to St Joan's Class for an epic whole school worship this week, tackling the big issue of loneliness. The children used the famous poem, "Footprints in the Sand" to remind us that God promises to always be with us. We can be reassured, at the heaviest times in our lives, God carries us through. There was also a beautiful rendition of the Shawn Mendes song, "Never be alone" as well as one or two references to Liverpool Football Club! Thank you 5J for an inspiring and uplifting worship. God bless you all.
Wonderful Witness
Congratulations to our amazing young people this week, all of whom have made a determined effort to live out the Gospel values. Happy, Alek, Alfie, Mia, Leo and Alba have all demonstrated a willingness to include others in their play and friendship, revealing God's presence at work in our school. Well done to you all!
What's on locally?
Nicole Farrell from Family Voice Surrey has passed on the dates below. If you are
interested in attending please contact her for more information:
guildford@familyvoicesurrey.org
16th of June: Well-being morning for SEND mums at the Spinney Family Centre
27th of June: Meeting with Children and Disability team
24th of July: SEND family meeting
KOOSA Kids May Half Term Holiday Club at St Joseph's Primary School, Guildford.pdf