Headteacher's Blog

At St. Joseph’s, our children are at the centre of everything we do.

 

We value the support and input of our families hugely and place great importance on the collaborative effort between school and home, in ensuring our children achieve the best they can.

 

I believe in working in partnership with parents to create a welcoming school community that is inclusive for all.

 

The idea behind my Head Teacher Instagram page, our school Facebook page and my weekly parental newsletters is to promote partnership between the school, our children and all parents and to highlight our engagement in whole school community activities, which support the education and welfare of the pupils.

 

I will be updating this page with the latest newsletter each week.  You can also find copies of our past newsletters on our newsletters page.

 

I will also be uploading our Wednesday Word newsletter each week.  You can find copies of this newsletter in our Catholic Life section. 

 

Miss D. Buckley, Head Teacher 

 

 

On Tuesday 11th February, we got involved with Safer Internet Day. The global theme is ‘together for a better internet’ and this year in the UK we are putting the focus on how young people explore and express their identity online. #Free to be

 

Let's create an internet where we are...

 

Free to be ourselves
Be proud of all the things that you enjoy, and keep on trying different things too. If there are new activities that you want to do online, ask an adult first to help you find them - to check they’re ok for you.
 

Free to be kind
Remember, the rules that you follow every day in real life also apply when you’re on the internet. It’s important to treat other people the way that you would like to be treated and always think about their feelings.
 

Free to play
It’s really important that your parents and carers know what you enjoy doing online so that they can help you when you need it. Using the internet together as a family is really fun, and you’ll be the best teacher when it comes to showing everyone your favourite games!

 

Free to be safe

Some parts of your identity must stay private. This is your ‘personal information’ - which includes your name, date of birth, home address, school address, email address and passwords.

 

Free to talk
If anyone or anything online makes you feel worried, upset or uncomfortable, tell a trusted adult straight away. The sooner someone knows how you feel, the sooner you can be helped.

 

This is a great opportunity for you at home to spark a conversation about the safe and responsible use of technology and to inspire young people to create a better internet for the future.

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Piano and Drumming recital

Well done to the pupils who performed for the parents on Tuesday, they were phenomenal.

 

Numbers Day

 

Pre-Prep and Reception

For Numbers Day, children In Prep-Prep and Reception  created some number and shape art work using paint sponges and were all very excited to participate in a number hunt. They enjoyed competing to see who could find the most numbers. Other activities included solving simple addition sums to open padlocks and participating in number games such as 'What's the time Mr Wolf?'

 

Year 1 and 2

Year 1 and 2 spent a fun afternoon together making die from nets and playing giant Snakes and Ladders with them.  They sewed a wallet or purse at the seams and created a symmetrical pattern with gems and sequins.   Later, they spent their money in a tea shop and bought cakes, biscuits and treats.  There was the opportunity to be a shopkeeper and count the money and give change, if required.  It was an amazing chance to enjoy using numbers and shapes in a collaborative way!

 

Year 3

Year 3 enjoyed lots of different activities on Numbers day. They started by estimating and counting objects they see every day on the playground. After this they used their calculation skills to tick off squares on Bingo grids with prizes for the winners. It was a great competition!  They then moved on to create pictures using their age, solve possibility problems using ice cream cones and even looked for the saboteur of the football kit using mathematical knowledge! It was a fun filled afternoon and the children learnt that Maths is all around us.

 

Year 4

On Numbers Day, Year 4 had lots of fun doing Maths outside of the classroom. They used the hall to turn themselves into human numbers and created routines to show as many numbers as they possibly could in 30 seconds using only their bodies and voices. They then went on a scavenger hunt and answered arithmetic questions. If they got the answer correct, they were given a letter. Once they had all the letters, a secret code was revealed; three teams broke the code to find “Happy Numbers Day Year 4”. They also did a measurements investigation to try and make the class line as long as possible. To finish the day, they split into teams to play either a Maths board game that Harry had brought in or playing ‘21’. When they played 21, Mrs. Routledge was out first every round!

 

Year 5

During Numbers Day, Year 5 were challenged to solve numerous Maths based riddles. Each of the riddles needed to be solved within different times. After a difficult start, the children persevered to correctly solve each of the riddles. They had to appropriately apply their calculation, logic, statistics   and all other Maths skills to decipher each riddle.

In the second half of the afternoon, the learners used the ICT suite to test themselves against some very challenging logic based games. There were sounds of frustration from all areas of the room but eventually the students used their reasoning skills to conquer most of the logic based challenges. 

The afternoon’s aim was partially to evidence to the children how useful Maths is and how it can apply to so many parts of life.

 

Year 6

Year 6 spent the afternoon taking part in some exciting number based activities. The first one involved them working in groups to create a sign for a new shop. They had to accurately draw and work out the area of the compound shapes, then calculate the total to work out how much gold leaf they would need to order. They were then able to work out the complete cost.

They also challenged each other in a game of multiples of factors on a 100 square trying to be the last person standing.  After that, they took part in a number hunt in a supermarket to see which group could find the most ways that numbers could be used. Finally, they played a game of hit the button on the computer before going outside to play times table tag.

 

Pancake Day

On Tuesday 25th February, we will be having our annual Pancake Day Celebrations to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. All children will be invited to take part in the races for a donation of £1.

 

Ash Wednesday Service

We will be beginning Lent with an Ash Wednesday Service in the Hall, on Wed 26th February at 2.15 pm. All welcome.

 

Class Photos

Class Photos will be on the 3rd March.

 

World Book Day

We will be celebrating World Book Day on the 5th March. Children are invited to dress up as a book character of their choice.

 

Have a lovely half term break and I will see you all bright and early on the 24th February.

 

Regards,

D. Buckley