Summer Term Issue 33: 12th June 2026
Flourishing in the love of God, love of life, love of learning
Dear families,
Today we held our annual Eco March on Goose Green, and what a fantastic event it was! The children were in full voice, proudly sharing their individually created class chants, and they have worked incredibly hard all week to produce some wonderful posters. Well done to everyone involved. It is so important that we give our children a voice in the future of our planet, helping them understand the importance of taking action and raising awareness about the issues that matter.
Next week, we are looking forward to our OPAL Stay and Play sessions. These are a lovely opportunity for parents to join us at playtime, see what play looks like at SJSC, and perhaps even reconnect with your inner child—whether that’s building a den or just enjoying the moment! Please check the Term Dates letter carefully to ensure you attend the correct session for your child’s year group. A gentle reminder that we ask you not to take photographs during these sessions and not to bring hot drinks into the playground. We look forward to welcoming you all.
Another date for your diary: PTFA Summer Fair - Saturday 20th June.
In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend.
Alli
Reception
This week in Reception, we have been creating our “How to be a good pirate books” that contain all sorts of pirate fun. We have drawn ourselves as pirates following a YouTube video, we have written Treasure chest shaped packing lists of what we could take on a voyage (with adjectives!) What good pirate wouldn’t want to pack some stinky socks and a spotty red scarf?
In RE we have been thinking about how to care for our creations, and show respect for other people’s work. and so making signs for the Eco march fitted well with this, caring for God’s creation of the world and showing respect for our Planet. In Maths we have been looking at numbers up to ten and ‘finding the five inside’. We have used all sorts of practical resources to find ways of partitioning numbers and looking at the composition of numbers. Eight is the whole and five is a part and three is a part. Eight is made of four and four (that’s a double number) or six and two or seven and one. Its great hearing the children explain their reasoning and understanding.
Don’t forget to sign up for our final forest school sessions, and do come along and join us in our play at the Stay and Play session next Friday.
Year 1
This week in maths, Year 1 have been learning all about money, with a particular focus on coins and their values. The children explored the different coins and compared sets of coins using the equals, greater than and less than symbols. They especially loved playing ‘shopping’ where their partner had to get the correct amount of money when purchasing from the shopkeeper. In RE, we learned about creation and explored what Christians believe about the Creation Story. They enjoyed ordering the seven parts of creation and writing about their favourite part. The children have also worked incredibly hard on innovating Pig the Pug and writing their own narratives independently in their books. We cannot wait for you to see their fantastic work! Finally, Miss Hare and Miss Regaard would like to say a huge well done to all of the Year 1 children for completing their Phonics Screening Check this week. We are so proud of the effort, resilience and positivity they have shown. As always, thank you to all the adults for your continued support with learning at home.
Grow a Sunflower for Dulwich – Summer Update!
We wanted to give you a sneak peek of the children's sunflowers, which have grown wonderfully and are shooting up tall already. We are very excited to watch them continue to grow and bloom over the coming weeks.
Year 2
In Science this term, Year 2 have been investigating plants and how they grow. We planned our own experiment to find out what plants need to survive.
We planted broad bean seeds in bags and set up three different investigations:
one group is testing water vs no water
one group is investigating sunlight vs no sunlight
one group is exploring hot vs cold temperatures
Over the next few weeks, we will carefully observe the bags and watch how our seeds grow. We will be looking to see which conditions help the beans grow best and discussing our findings together.
We are very excited to see what happens and to become real scientists by making predictions and observing changes over time!
Year 3
In year 3, we have thinking about which are most important – words or actions. We began be considering our school values and created freeze-frames to demonstrate how we could live out these words and flourish here at SJSC.
Year 4
On Monday, our Year 4 children were delighted to visit the Oval Cricket Ground to watch Surrey play cricket. Unfortunately, the weather was not quite what we had hoped for, but this did not dampen our spirits! The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in a range of exciting cricket-themed activities, seeing the World Cup trophy, having their faces painted, and meeting the mascots.
We were also lucky enough to catch a small part of the match when the rain briefly cleared, and the children were thrilled to see Surrey take a wicket just before we left.
As always, we would like to extend our sincere thanks for the continued parental support for these events—we truly couldn’t make them happen without you!
Year 6
Year 6’s African drumming lessons are well underway, and what a fantastic time we are having! The children have been enthusiastically learning a range of rhythms and techniques, developing their confidence, coordination, and teamwork skills along the way. It has been wonderful to hear the vibrant sounds of the drums filling the school, and we are looking forward to building on these skills in the weeks ahead.
Music this week…
On Tuesday, Year 6 Shonibare and Year 4 Monet took part in a celebration of 75 years of the Royal Festival Hall. It was an amazing event with 300 school children coming together to learn and perform songs outside the Southbank Centre. Thank you to all the staff who made this happen.
On Thursday we had the privilege of welcoming an Opera Singer into our school. Year 4 have been learning about the operatic version of Hansel and Gretel and we were excited to learn that one of our pupils has a family connection to Katie Bray, a mezzo-soprano singer who has played the part of Hansel. A Huge Thank You to Helena and Johnny for writing the script, performing and wowing the children. You can watch a clip of Katie singing The Riddle Song from the opera whilst Helena accompanies her on the violin.
Over the next few weeks, children in Reception will be listening to and watching the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) relaxed concert performance of The Wind in The Willows. In week one, we met the initial characters Mole and Ratty and listened to the following pieces of music;
Winter from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPdk5GaIDjo
Morning Mood from Peer Gynt Suite written by Edvard Grieg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rh8gMvzPw0
Wednesdays in school have been accompanied by the rhythmic sounds of African Drumming Lessons which Year 6 are enjoying. It has been wonderful to welcome Pauline and Sandra back into our school and several children have approached me to say how much they are enjoying these group lessons.
News from OPAL: Outside Play and Learning
Playground Update
This week in the playground, we have been making the most of the windy and wet weather! As the conditions remain unpredictable (what a June it has been so far!), please ensure that all children come to school with a waterproof coat. Spare socks and a small bag for wet items are also highly recommended on rainy days.
On Thursday, we celebrated the International Day of Play, with schools across the world joining in to promote children’s right to play. This year’s theme, ‘31’, highlighted Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which affirms every child’s right to rest, leisure, and play in a safe and inspiring environment. Research shows that play is not simply a luxury, but a fundamental part of every child’s development and wellbeing.
In assembly, we shared photographs of children playing in a variety of settings around the world—from schools and playgrounds to refugee camps and open fields—highlighting the universal importance of play. At SJSC, we marked the occasion by building a giant ‘31’ in the playground using loose parts. There was also a wide range of activities taking place, including sign painting for the Eco March (thank you to Ais for organising this), yoga in the willow dome, engineering projects and dam building, den construction to keep dry, and plenty of imaginative play such as collecting raindrops, scooter racing, football, Lego building, cup stacking, swinging, chess and even making sandcastles in the rain. We certainly do not let the weather stop our play!
Next week, we are delighted to invite families to our Stay and Play sessions. These events offer an opportunity for children to enjoy extended playtime, while adults are warmly welcomed to join in and rediscover their inner child.
Tuesday 16th June, 9:15–10:00am – Years 3, 4, 5 & 6
Friday 19th June, 9:15–10:00am – Reception, Year 1 & Year 2
We look forward to welcoming you!
Science workshops
FREE Live online class about the amazing Mary Anning - June 13th
Journey to the Jurassic: A Free Online Science Workshop Celebrating Mary Anning
Dear Parents & Guardians
We're so excited to see you on Saturday! Here are all the details you need, plus a few simple things to have ready before we start.
Journey to the Jurassic: A Free Online Science Workshop Celebrating Mary Anning
📅 Saturday, 13 June
For children ages 5-7 years old
⏰ 10:00 AM 💻 Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82492985702
For children ages 8-13 years old
⏰ 11:00 AM 💻 Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89517580968
Please join 5 minutes early so we can get everyone settled before we start.
A little bit of preparation goes a long way!
To help your child get the most out of the session, it would be brilliant if you could help them gather a few things beforehand. Nothing complicated, we promise!
Watch together (if you have time): The BBC has a lovely short dramatisation about Mary Anning's life that makes a great introduction before Saturday. You can watch it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p015gn89
Have these ready on the day (optional):
A few interesting stones, shells, or fossils if you have any, plus a magnifying glass
A couple of small balloons
A small dinosaur figurine if you have one (don't worry if not!)
Paper and some coloured pencils or pens for a drawing activity
That's it! These simple things will really help bring the science to life during the session.
We will send out a link to the recording on Monday June 15th. It will be available to view for a limited time.
We cannot wait to explore the Jurassic Coast together and inspire the next generation of fossil hunters. See you Saturday!
Warm wishes,
Little House of Science
Summer of Science opportunities - 9-12 year olds
Neuronauts
Neuronauts is an educational outreach programme for London secondary school students entering years 9-12 that teaches students fundamentals in engineering, computer science, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence, while allowing them to pursue creative projects in these spaces. Neuronauts has two annual iterations a year:
Click here for more information: Neuronauts | Sainsbury Welcome Centre
Friends of SJSC
Our Summer Fair is just ONE WEEK AWAY! We look forward to welcoming you all there between 1pm-4pm on Saturday 20th June for some family fun. We’ll have a bouncy castle, games, crafts, empanadas, ice-cream, cakes and lots of drinks to enjoy!
The popular Booty Jars stall needs your help to make it fly - so please bring your Booty Jars (empty jars filled with sweets, small gifts) to drop off next week. There will be someone collecting them every morning next week.
Our Summer Fair Raffle is now LIVE! Tickets are £2 and you can win some amazing prizes from local businesses and parents, including vouchers for local restaurants, ice cream, gyms and fitness classes and many, many more. Please send the link to friends and family, anyone can buy tickets and all the money raised goes to our school. Buy tickets here: https://tinyurl.com/SJSC26
We still need some trained First Aiders to be on hand at the Fair, if you could let your Class Rep or someone from the Committee know if you can help.
Thanks for your support.
Stars of the Week
Well done to all of our stars who have demonstrated our school values brilliantly this week!
Enjoy the weekend!