Summer Term Issue 28: 1st May 2026
Flourishing in the love of God, love of life, love of learning
Dear SJSC Families,
Another wonderful week at SJSC. The chicks are already growing, and we have had other frog sightings near the ponds.
Today in collective worship we were told about PJ day next Friday - a thoughtful gesture from school council who wanted to remind us how important it is to take a moment to relax and rest, and to help Y6 feel relaxed before their tests the week after.
This weekend is the last chance to submit your photos for the David Attenborough 100 competition.
We hope to see as many families as possible next week for SJSC Arts Festival. Please see below for information on year group days and times.
In the meantime have a fantastic bank holiday weekend
Warmest wishes,
Alli
Reception
This week in Reception, we have been reading the entertaining story Izzy Gizmo about a child inventor, whose contraptions sometimes go wrong- but she never gives up! What a great inspiration! So, we’ve been watching some very fun videos of contraptions and Rube Goldberg machines, talking and writing about which ones we liked best and designing our own funny machines to flip pancakes, make ice-cream or tidy up our bedrooms. The children were so creative and had great fun drawing themselves as inventors too!
In maths we have been recapping the composition of numbers, there was a great lesson where we hid some of our five buttons and our partner had to guess how many were hiding. (This uses our number bonds to five.) (You could practise this at home with all sorts of objects and a blanket. Start with 5 items)
We have been amazed to see all the chicks growing so fast, they leave us on Friday to go back to the farm. The children have had a great time thinking up names for them all.
Year 1
Year One have been absolutely shining this week. They have been busy writing fascinating facts about the Moon in their non-fiction books, and we couldn’t be prouder of their efforts. The children have really impressed us with their use of creative verbs and expanded noun phrases-what fantastic writers they are becoming. We have all loved discovering more about our spectacular Moon together.
In maths, we have been exploring doubling, learning that it means adding the same number (addend) twice. The children especially enjoyed practising this through a fun game of ‘Snap’ during choosing time, with lots of smiles and great learning along the way.
We have also been learning about the Adhan in Islam, listening carefully and sharing thoughtful ideas. In science, the children did a brilliant job sorting animals into herbivores, omnivores and carnivores, showing great teamwork and growing confidence in their understanding.
As always, the children continue to amaze us with their curiosity, resilience and enthusiasm each week. It is a joy to see their confidence grow.
We hope you all have a lovely, relaxing bank holiday weekend.
Year 2
This term in Science, Year 2 have begun learning all about plants. This week, we focused on seeds and bulbs, learning how they are similar and how they are different. The children enjoyed observing, identifying and sorting different examples and were brilliant at sharing their ideas. Many children were surprised to discover that some plants, like onions, can grow from both seeds and bulbs, and we had some fantastic scientific conversations as we challenged our thinking. One common misconception was that an avocado is a bulb — but the children were excited to learn that it is actually a seed inside a fruit. It has been wonderful to see their curiosity and enthusiasm as they develop their scientific vocabulary and understanding.
Year 3
This week in Year 3 we began to lean more about Ancient Egypt! After conserving what we already know, we worked in small groups to create timelines of events, noticing how the length of the Ancient Egyptian period overlaps with other periods in history. We finally found out more about how historians gather and use sources of evidence from the time.
In Science, we also explored learnt about how seeds are dispersed in different ways. We sorted different seeds into different categories and then made models from paper of different seeds, tested to see if our models worked and explained how they were dispersed.
Year 4
In maths this week, Year 4 have been learning all about mixed numbers, which are made up of a whole number and a fraction. We used a range of manipulatives to build and represent mixed numbers visually, helping us to see how the whole and fractional parts fit together. The children particularly enjoyed exploring mixed numbers in a practical way and showed great progress in their learning – well done Year 4 mathematicians!
Year 5
In year 5 this week, we have learnt about the four noble truths of Buddhism and discussed in depth how a Buddhist’s way of life may be influenced by them such as being guided by ‘the middle way’. We have also learnt about the journey of a river and researched famous rivers like the Ganges and the Amazon and how people both rely on the rivers for their way of life and also how they respect the rivers. In maths, we’ve been trying to visualise improper fractions and mixed numbers by creating them with dienes and drawing them in bar models.
Year 6
Year 6 have been buzzing with excitement in Science as they explored the fascinating world of light! They discovered that light travels in straight lines and investigated how reflections help us to see objects. The classroom was full of energy as the children learnt how periscopes work before designing and building their very own. The real excitement began when they tested their creations, using them to peek around corners and over obstacles
Hearing Resource Base
Last week, the Hearing Resource Base welcomed a work experience student from Oak Lodge School, a secondary school for d/Deaf students in Wandsworth.
The Resource Base regularly hosts work experience placements for Oak Lodge students from Year 11 through to Year 13. As many of these students are British Sign Language (BSL) users, they are often accompanied by a Communication Support Worker (CSW) to facilitate effective communication.
These visits provide valuable opportunities for pupils at SJSC to develop their BSL skills and gain a better understanding of how interpreters support communication. And, the work experience student learns about working in a primary school with a Hearing Resource Base.
If you meet a Deaf person who is accompanied by a CSW or interpreter, here are some helpful guidelines to follow:
Speak directly to the Deaf person, rather than the interpreter.
Maintain eye contact with the Deaf person.
Use your normal tone and volume to support lip-reading.
Be patient and allow time for communication.
Ensure only one person speaks at a time.
News from the Art Studio…
Music this week…
In Year 4, we have started to look at the Opera, Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck. We were thinking about the drama element of staging an Opera and practised working in groups to show a Freeze Frame of a scene from the story.
Friends of SJSC
A reminder we have our next Uniform Swap and Bake Sale on Friday 15th May after school by the ping pong tables in the top playground. And we are busy planning for our Summer Fair so make sure you have the date in your diaries for a fun afternoon of games, food, drink and performances from our choir and musicians: Saturday 20th June.
And coming up in a couple of weeks is our annual School Disco on Wednesday 20th May. **NO afterschool clubs will be running that day** and children can wear non-school uniform all day.
Year group times below:
During the school day:
Reception: 14:00-14:30 / Collection time: 15:20(as usual)
Years 1&2: 14:40-15:10 / Collection time: 15:20 (as usual)
After school:
Years 3&4: 15:20-16:10 / Collection time: 16:10
Years 5&6: 16:20-17:00 / Collection time: 17:00
What you need to do:
1. Buy your child’s ticket (£3 per ticket) in advance. Pupil Premium children will get a free ticket - details to follow. Click here to buy tickets: https://st-johns-and-st-clements-ptfa.square.site/
2. Organise your child to be collected at the correct time (Magna children will be collected as usual)
3. Y5/Y6 parents will need to give parental consent via Arbor if children plan to walk home unaccompanied at 5pm (link to be set up next week)
We look forward to welcoming the children on 20th May.
Thanks for your support.
Star of the Week
Enjoy the long weekend!