Dear Parents/Carers, This week we have shown what a great community we are and really lived out our Mission ‘Together…
3rd February 2023
‘Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.’ Mother Theresa.
Dear Parents and Friends
This term has flown by and I’m sure you are all looking forward to a well earned rest over half term. Next week is ‘Wellbeing week’ and we look forward to welcoming you into school to join the children for a range of activities. Please click on the following link to read Mrs Phillips and Ms Ugbo’s letter.
Wellbeing week Letter
The focus for the week is to encourage children to think about wellbeing and things they can do to help them deal with their emotions. The Place2Be offers lots of great ideas to use as a family. It is important for children to know that it ok not to feel ok and there is always someone to help. Do click on this link to access information. Children’s Mental Health Week – tips for Parents
There are many groups who offer great ideas to support with both young people’s and adult wellbeing. Please click on the following link for information about a charity CDI ‘ You talk, we listen’ Help is at hand
I do hope you will be able to spare some time to come into school and spend time with your child.
Celebrating Good Work – Outstanding learners
It’s been a fabulous week, with children all over the school sharing outstanding work completed in class and at home. Ezekiel and D’Real in year 3 shared their excellent creative writing with great use of adjectives, and imaginative ideas and sentences. Writing across the school is a strength and the best writers are the ones who read regularly and build up high quality vocabulary. Joshua in Year 6 has been writing short stories of a high standard and it is impressive that he has chosen to do this in his own time at home.
There are excellent websites with more ideas on how you can support your child with Literacy. Do visit them.
Lunch menu choices
Thank you to the kitchen staff for continuing to produce delicious meals despite a few challenges with ordering. Unfortunately, some of the most popular items have not been available, despite being ordered several weeks in advance. I understand this can be disappointing for the children but it is beyond our control as suppliers are currently experiencing some difficulties.
Packed lunches
Please ensure that children do not bring in fizzy drinks into school and that packed lunches are nutritious and balanced. Junior children may bring in fruit as a snack for morning breaktime. Infant children are provided with fruit. We are planning to provide milk free of charge at lunch time for all children in both the junior and infant school to have with their meal.
Future events
Next week, children will be competing in a number of competitions. On Tuesday, one child from Y3-Y6 will take part in a General Knowledge Quiz at St Aidan’s School, Wednesday, our girls netball team will take part in an inter Croydon tournament at the Laurels and on Thursday our KS2 cross country team are representing St Joseph’s at the Cross-Country Championship at John Fisher’s playing field in Purley. I am confident our children will do us proud as usual.
‘Finding your brave’
As many of you will be aware we have been doing The Daily Mile in school for a number of years. This has led to everyone improving their levels of fitness, no matter their starting point. At St. Joseph’s we nurture everyone to realise they can participate in sport and do well. We are proud of our cross-country team when they compete for us and especially to those children who attend sessions to improve their skills.
We like to talk about “personal best” and “finding our brave”. You set your own challenges that relate to you and that might be walking/jogging or running around the block each week or for others it might be running a marathon.
I took up the challenge of running the Marathon in 2020 (virtual) and again in 2021 which was offered, through The Daily Mile, with the aim to inspire others to “find their brave”.
Since then we have had a number of children taking part in the junior park runs or in the adult ones, running with their parents. We have also had a number of staff take up challenges and finding their brave for charity.
Our latest member of staff is Mrs Phillips is taking part in a 50K walk on April 1st in order to raise money for the London Air Ambulance. It’s a great and much needed service, which is mainly funded by charity.
Mr Abrahams (Y5 teacher) took up the Daily Mile Marathon place for the 2023 London Marathon. Our school was selected for one of these limited places because of the inspiration the Daily Mile has brought to our school and wider community.
Everyone can find ‘their brave’ and be an example to our school community.
Mrs Mangan (PE co-ordinator)
Activities for half term
Please see the attached flyer about athletics events being held at Tooting Bec Athletic Track.
Star Track Flyer
Uniform
Please ensure your child has a school coat and the correct uniform. Please remember that boots are not allowed in school. They are not practical for school and some younger children struggle with taking them on and off and are unable to do up laces. Thank you for your cooperation.
Mosaic stations of the Cross
Each class is currently involved in creating a mosaic cross which will go up in both the infant and junior hall’s to mark each station of the cross. They look stunning and help the children to understand the importance and meaning of each cross. We would like parents to get involved during Wellbeing week to decorate some crosses to represent another part of our school community.
My thanks to Mr Steen Plomer for making all 28 crosses and to Ms Oliver for organising the resources and helping with designs. The tiles were kindly donated by Louise Whalley a former parent of the school.
We hope to have them finished by the end of half term and ready for Mr McEvoy to put up in both halls.
RE Newsletter
“The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
those who help others are helped.” Proverbs 11:25
Our new RE topics for this term based on our Scheme of work ‘The Way, the Truth and the Life’ are outlined in the attached document. Please click on the following link to access them.
RE Topics Spring 1
This week’s question is…
Thank you to all the children who shared their ideas on last week’s question.
We would like you to discuss the question as a family and encourage your child to record their ideas using art, writing or a poster. Any work produced can be emailed to me on [email protected] or handed to your child’s class teacher. I look forward to hearing their answers.
This week’s question is about the things we can do to help others. A simple smile or asking a person how they are can make a big difference to their day. The pupil leadership team are working on a display outside my room called, ‘Random acts of kindness’ The idea is that children and adults pick a task from an envelope that will focus on showing kindness towards others. Our pupil leaders are wonderful ambassadors for our school.
Mass Readings for this week 5th February 2023
| Sunday Mass Readings for February 5 2023, Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A | |
| 1st Reading | Isaiah 58:7-10 |
| Responsorial Psalm | Psalms 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 |
| 2nd Reading | 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 |
| Alleluia | John 8:12 |
| Gospel | Matthew 5:13-16 |
Celebrating achievement and hard work Headteacher’s and Attendance Award
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At St Joseph’s we aim for at least 97% attendance.
| Year group | Merit/star Certificates | Overall Class Attendance |
| Nursery | Chloe and Joel | 84.3% |
| RP | Katie and Lukas | 95.9% |
| RH | Liliana and William | 94.8% |
| 1E | Mariana and Demari | 97% |
| 2O/1S | Sophie and Sofia | 93.4% /90.7 % |
| 2J | Isaac and Jemima | 94.3% |
| 3S | Evangelina and D’Real | 95.9% |
| 3T | Ellie-Rose and Karter | 92.5% |
| 4J | TRIP | 94.2% |
| 4O | TRIP | 100% |
| 5S | Sophia and Tayler | 93.1% |
| 5E | Soraya and Lorcan | 90.8% |
| 6P | Kai and Kieran | 98.3% |
| 6H | Chiebuka and Lilly-Mae | 94.4% |
Congratulations to the following classes for the highest attendance this week
Class 1E and 4O
Mrs Fernandes
Headteacher
Diary Dates
06.02.23 – Wellbeing week
07.02.23 – Safer Internet day 2023
07.02.23 – Reception Class H trip to Norwood Library
07.02.23 – KS2 General Knowledge quiz (St Aidans)
08.02.23 – Year 6 Assembly 9.15
08.02.23 – KS2 Netball competition (Laurels)
08.02.23 – Y5 trip to the Horniman museum
09.02.23 – KS2 Catholic cross country championship (John Fisher)
09.02.23 – Reception Class P trip to Norwood Library
10.02.23 – INSET DAY (staff training) – SCHOOL CLOSED TO PUPILS
Half Term – 13.02.23 – 17.02.23
Spring 2 Term
24.02.23 – Spoken word competition – Years 1-6
21.02.23 – Shrove Tuesday
Pancake race before school
PTA pancake sale (3.00 – 4.00 p.m.)
22.02.23 – Ash Wednesday (start of Lent) ashes will be distributed in school
27.02.23 – BOOK WEEK
27.02.23 – Dance workshops in school
28.02.23 – Dance workshops in school
01.03.23 – Secondary schools offer day
02.03.23 – World Book day
03.03.23 – 1E class assembly at 2.15pm
03.03.23 – 5S Assembly at 9.15am
06.03.23 – 17.03.23 Careers Fair
08.03.23 – International Women’s day
09.03.23 – 2O/1S Assembly 9.15am
10.03.23 – Year 4 Assembly 9.15am
16.03.23 Reception Assembly 9.15am
21.03.23 – Panathlon competition
21.03.23 – Y5/Y6 Hockey tournament (Trinity)
23.03.23 – Wellbeing day
23.03.23 – 3S Assembly 9.15am
28.03.23 – 3T Assembly 9.15am
29.03.23 – St Joseph’s Enterprise Fair
30.3.23 – Royal Opera House – Cinderella (KS1)
