Dear Parents/Carers, This week we have shown what a great community we are and really lived out our Mission ‘Together…
22nd September 2023
Dear Parents/Carers,
We have had a fantastic week at St. Joseph’s this week and the children have really settled into their learning. Classrooms are calm and children are focused on their learning.
On Wednesday, Mrs Phillips our R.E. Leader arranged for our newly elected ‘Apostles of Mercy’ to attend St. George’s Cathedral for a special Southwark Diocese beginning of year Mass. Mrs Power, Ms Mitchell, Mrs Phillips and I had the privilege of representing the team and we joined hundreds of staff and children from across the Diocese in prayer led by the Archbishop. Our children showed great reverence during mass and it was great to see them stare with awe and wonder as they examined the magnificence of our Cathedral.
Following on from our Meet the Teacher event last week, just a reminder that homework is set weekly on Google Classroom. Spellings are tested on Fridays across the school. Please support us in ensuring your child makes progress in reading by encouraging them to read every night for 10-20 minutes. Research shows that children who read more become more academically and financially successful in adulthood. In addition to this, reading to your child regularly has developmental benefits too. If you would like to know more here is a link to a useful article explaining why reading is so important for children.
This half term we are focusing on improving our handwriting. It has been wonderful walking around the school and seeing the effort children are making and that handwriting lessons are taking place regularly. We follow the Letter Join handwriting scheme which is interactive and progressive.
Please remember that if your child has vomited you must keep them off school for 48 hours. You must not bring them into school as this puts their classmates and teachers at risk. We appreciate your support with this, we want to stay as healthy as possible to be able to provide your children with the best possible education.
A reminder that all key dates are in the Weduc calendar, please ensure you have this so that you are up to speed with school events. On Wednesday 27th September and Wednesday 4th October, Miss Allery will be doing a parent workshop focused on Computing support & online safety. They will be at 9am in the Garden Room, tea and coffee will be served. It would be great to see you.
From next week, our Baby Group will recommence. This will happen every Tuesday in the Garden Room starting at 9am. We are looking forward to welcoming you all back.
On Wednesdays, we will be doing School Tours for prospective parents, especially focusing on Reception and Year 3 parents. They will begin at 9.30am.
Lastly, I would like to thank you all for you help with improving your child’s punctuality. The EWO was in this week and she was astonished by the visible improvement and this is down to you all.
We hope you have a fantastic weekend,
Mrs Ashley and the St. Joseph’s Team
