B - 6th Ordinary

Helping Christ

In worship this week, we look ahead to the 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B). Jesus is approached by a leper who asks if he is willing to help. Jesus responds gladly, "Of course I want to help!" This is particularly surprising because, 2000 years ago, there was no cure for this highly contagious disease and lepers were expected to live outside of the community to protect others from infection. People were terrified to come into contact with lepers. And yet, with compassion and gentleness, Jesus stretches out a healing hand.

In the same way, let's celebrate our young people this week - both in asking for and offering help. In asking for help we reveal something of our human vulnerability and in offering it we share something of God's love. Acknowledging these factors is a very good way to embrace our dependence on one another and on God.

Faith Journey

In RE in Year 3 we have just finished learning about journeys. We have looked at the journey of a year, including the liturgical year and how prayer is important on our Christian journey of faith. This week we talked about journeys that we have taken and how we might sing songs to help it to go faster - just like Jesus would have sung psalms with His community on the way to the Temple. We talked through a psalm from the Bible and used words and symbols to help to understand it. Then we looked at the importance of prayer and how it helps us on our journey of faith.

Equaliter ambula and percute!

This week in History, Year 4 has been learning about the Roman army and why it was so successful. Following on from lessons which investigated the Roman timeline and the reasons why Claudius invaded Britain, this lesson helped us understand the evidence we have about the Roman army. We decided that Primary sources of evidence such as Roman relics of javelins and shields gave excellent insights into the past, helping us piece together information about the Roman army. Using our new-found knowledge, we ventured onto the battlefield (Junior playground) with our shields (History books) and practiced some Roman drills using the original Latin terms. To be honest, the St Joseph's Legionnaires need a bit more practice before they are battle-ready, but we had lots of fun on our first attempt! Next week, we look at the layout of Roman towns.

Keeping Safe

Building on our learning in Science about the human body, PSHE in Year 6 this week has focused on drugs and alcohol. We spent the first part of the week looking at what drugs are and what they are used for. We explored medical and non-medical drugs and which are legal and illegal. We then looked at the effects drugs can have on the human body, in particular, the effects of smoking on our heart, lungs and blood vessels as well as performance enhancing drugs in sports. To help us really understand the impact of performance enhancing drugs, Abdul Mohammed, a basketball player from Surrey Scorchers visited our classroom and talked about the consequences of these actions. He also spoke to us about how he got into basketball and what it takes to succeed in sport. Aaron in 6J tried to calculate how many hours and years of practice he had already put in and really enjoyed seeing how tall he was next to Abdul and Jack managed to convince him for an autograph! At the end of the topic, we used what we had learnt to think about how we might approach dilemmas involving drugs and alcohol, discussing different situations and options.

Luna New Year!

The children have been learning about the Luna new year story, how the animals crossed the river to gain a year named after them.
The children have really enjoyed exploring some Chinese role play food as well as having the opportunity to taste some noodles, vegetable rice and prawn crackers. We have also been dressing up in some traditional clothes and making a class dragon head to help us do a dragon dance. We have been busy developing those important muscles in our hands and fingers to support our fine motor skills. We have done this by mark making with chopsticks in coloured sand, using pens to decorate dragon templates (it’s the year of the dragon this year) and using scissors to make our own lanterns. This has been a lovely festival to celebrate with the children and supports their learning about how other cultures may have different celebrations to the ones they celebrate.

Post It!

On Wednesday the children in Reception went on an exciting adventure. They had all made some wonderful cards and had popped them into a stamped addressed envelope. We talked about how some stamps had 1st on them and other 2nd. The children guessed that stamps that had a 1 on them would win the race. During the morning, each class took their envelopes and walked to the post box on Aldershot Road. We looked at a map and worked out where to go, and also learned about how to safely cross a road. The children are now patiently waiting for the postal worker to post their letter back through their door. When do you think it will arrive?

Sculpting...

In Art this term, Year 1 have been looking at scuplture. We have explored a variety of artists, including Li Lihong, Nathan Jackson and Romuald Hazoume. Along with this, we have been learning and practising the skills needed to create sculptures out of clay, including rolling, coiling, shaping, pinching and adding texture/pattern. As a final piece, each child made a tealight holder which included many steps: shaping, pinching, adding texture, painting a base coat and adding colour. We're sure you'll agree we certainly have some talented sculptors!

Year 5 at the Royal Observatory...

Year 5 recently visited the Royal Observatory in Greenwich as a consolidation of their Science lessons over the past two terms. The children attended workshops where they were able to retrieve and extend their curriculum learning. During the day, the children were treated to a fabulous show in the on-site planetarium, where they were able to visit and get up close and personal with the planets in our solar system. It was a wonderful day to share and apply their learning.

Thank you so much to all the parent helpers who came to support the day.

A little help from 2K

St Kobe’s class assembly on helpfulness was fantastic and they raised an astounding £116.55 for Barbados charity who help, protect and nurture children all over the UK!