Summer Term Issue 35: 26th June 2026
Flourishing in the love of God, love of life, love of learning
Dear Families,
What a week! It started at Saturday’s School Fair – thank you to all volunteered and all who came along – it was a such as fun event for all.
Then the heatwave arrived… Well done to all of our wonderful children who have continued to show such enthusiasm and incredible patience in school. We are so proud of them. A huge thank you also goes to our amazing staff team, who have been working tirelessly to keep classrooms as cool and comfortable as possible. They’ve ensured children stay well hydrated, have access to cooler spaces, and have even managed the occasional (and very popular!) hosepipe cool-down! Thank you, too, to you—as always—our supportive parents and carers. Your understanding and encouragement this week has been truly appreciated.
As we head into the final three weeks of the school year (which seem to have come around incredibly quickly!), there is lots to look forward to. Please do take a moment to check the recent dates communication, as we have a busy and exciting schedule ahead, including sports days, the Year 6 production, our leavers’ service, transition sessions, and the sharing of end-of-year reports.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend.
Alli
Reception
This week in Reception we have been writing about the wonderful dragons we painted, and made a cool mini books “How to look after a dragon”. The children were full of wonderful ideas about how to keep their dragons clean and healthy!
In other news we have been recapping all our maths learning this year- checking that we all know what odd and even numbers are, our double numbers up to ten and lots of different ways to make five and ten. We also asked the children to accurately count more than twenty objects.
We have now had our final Forest school sessions of Reception. Last week Himid class went to The Peckham Rye Nature Garden, but this week because of the heatwave we decided it was much safer to stay closer to home with Stik class. We had a lovely morning, walking silently round the playground listening to birdsong, before following the trolley to the Peace Garden. There we listened to the traditional African folk tale of how Anansi the Spider got stories for the world. Then we made journey sticks with feathers from Peckham Rye and sticks from Beckenham Place Park. We had a lovely time spotting baby frogs in the pond and looking for minibeasts in the woodpile too. Thank you to all the parent helpers who have come with us to Forest School over this year, in all weathers!
Next week its Superhero Day on Monday, come as your own kind of superhero- what is your superpower, Kindness? Positivity? Super reading? Super Strength? Don’t forget to check on Arbor and pay for the Superhero workshop please.
On Tuesday 30th June we have our Jobs Day, where we invite you all to tell us (and show us) what you do- come in person, send in a photo and a summary or record a video! Do get in touch.
Year 1
The main objective was to stay cool this week, and the children in Year 1 have done just that! We took shaded breaks while enjoying dipping our feet into a paddling pool, and one of our amazing classmates brought in ice lollies for everyone. Thank you so much, Tom!
Besides staying cool, the children worked hard on their learning. In English, they created and designed a pet and an owner, then compared them when writing expanded noun phrases. In Maths, we finished our unit on money, and the children worked on sharing a value of coins between parts using a part-part-whole model. We hope everyone has a lovely and restful weekend.
Year 3
In year 3, we have been learning about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius and description of the Roman city of Pompeii. As well as working hard to write atmospheric descriptions of the event, we got into character by pretending to Roman citizens trying to flee the destruction. We also drew the scene, carefully think about the colours and patterns needed to portray the eruption.
Year 4
In Year 4, the children have been learning about teeth and their different functions. They began by using dental mirrors to look closely at each other’s teeth, observing what they noticed. We then discussed why teeth come in different sizes and shapes, linking this to their specific functions, such as cutting, tearing and grinding food. Finally, the children applied their knowledge by recreating an adult set of teeth using playdough. Different colours were used to represent the different types of teeth, helping to reinforce their understanding in a creative and engaging way.
Year 6
Rehearsals are well underway for our Year 6 production of Matilda, and excitement is building every day! The children have been working incredibly hard to learn their lines, songs and choreography, and we cannot wait to showcase their talents. Alongside this, we have been busy promoting environmental awareness by creating eye-catching eco posters and proudly taking part in the Eco March at the end of last week. It has been a fantastic opportunity for the children to share their passion for protecting our planet and make their voices heard.
Music this week…
Children in Year 2 have been learning about Graphic Scores during their music lessons. We have been watching a puppet show called Pythagorus’ Toolkit which shows how Graphic Scores can be a way for musicians to interpret images and turn them into sound. This week, the children were experimenting with different percussive instruments and thinking about what their sound might look like on paper.
Friends of SJSC
Thank you to everyone who came to our Summer Fair last week - it was wonderful to see so many families coming together and volunteering to make it such a fun event. We are still counting the money! But looks like we have raised a record amount for the school once again!
A reminder our Summer Fair Raffle is open for ONE MORE DAY! 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
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!