Autumn term Issue 2: 13th September 2024
Dear families
What a great week it's been at SJSC. Everyone is very settled into their new classes, after school clubs are up and running, and reception did their first full week brilliantly.
At SJSC we talk about children flourishing in the love of God, love of life, love of learning. There have been so many examples of this as I have walked around this week. I'm always so impressed at the inventions children build on the playground at lunchtimes, our new team of Sports Leaders have been trained by Mr Evans and Ms V, and year 6 have published such amazing stories already.
Olivia in year 6 is a great example of how our children live out our school values. She has taken it upon herself to raise funds for sports equipment by using her artistic talents to paint some amazing pieces which she would like to auction. Next Friday after school, you can make a secret bid for any of her paintings- you will find her stand under the shed at 3:25.
In the meantime, have a fantastic weekend
Alli
Upcoming Diary Dates
Reception
Reception is off to a wonderful start this September, we have been delighted at how well so many of the children have settled straight in, they seem delighted to come to school and are busy all day. We have already been doing amazing learning, drawing self-portraits and making leaves for our prayer tree. The children have done super imaginative drawings, built obstacle courses and invented games and imaginary worlds. We have learned how to subitise three objects in our maths lessons.
Next week, we will be bringing the outdoors in… so welcome collections of leaves conkers, acorns and all sorts of natural finds for the mud kitchen and for the nature table.
Next week we will be learning all about our families and we invite you to make a family tree with your child to bring in after the weekend, it could just be a drawing, or a few photos or whatever you all might enjoy doing together over the weekend.
Year 1
What a brilliant start to Year 1 we have had this week! The children have settled in so well and we have been enjoying spending time getting to know each other and exploring our new classrooms. We have been reminding ourselves about the number 5 and everything we know about it, as well as writing thank you prayers and drawing pictures of our families and pets. We are already looking forward to next week!
Year 2
The Year 2’s have had a fantastic first week settling into the new school year! The children enjoyed being detectives trying to solve who broke into their classrooms eating their healthy snacks and making a massive mess. Using our questioning skills, we gathered lots of information to find out a very hungry, green monster was the intruder. We made fabulous wanted posters to catch the monster using amazing adjectives and punctuation. Well done everyone, keep up the great work!
Year 3
A wonderful start to Year 3 with the children all showing aspiration, creativity, kindness and that community spirit that makes SJSC so special. We have completed circuits in PE, been creative with our writing exploring our new book, ‘The Tear Thief’ and thought carefully about our class contract in PSHE.
Year 4
In Year 4, we’ve started our maths’ journey by learning about place value. Once we felt confident, we explored how many hundreds make up a thousand. To build on this, we used counters to see how many hundreds make up larger numbers. See us in action!
Year 5
In Year 5, we have had a very busy start to the year creating our Class Charters and talking about how we learn best. We have started reading ‘The Lost Thing’ in English and have been using practical resources in Maths to work our the different ways a thousand can be composed.
Year 6
What a wonderful week and a half we had so far as the new year 6! It all began with some team building activities - creating the tallest free standing towers out of paper and masking tape. Our school values of aspiration, kindness, community, creativity and of course resilience were much needed as the teams worked brilliantly together to produce their magnificent creations. Well done to the winning teams and well done to everyone for making us laugh throughout with your excitement and stand in wonder at the end products!
Music this week…
This half term in music, the children will be thinking about our Big Idea, Social Justice. In singing assembly, the children will be learning two songs with links to South Africa;
Shosholoza which was originally sung by miners working in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) as they mined for gold and diamonds. This song is meant to imitate the sound of the steam train as they travelled to and from their work. It was originally a call and response song and later was adopted by Nelson Mandela when he was held as a prisoner on Robben Island. He would sing this as he worked with his fellow inmates. It then became as song of celebration when he was finally released in 1990.
You can listen to and encourage your children to practice the lyrics by clicking on the link below;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aFlQS4k3wo
We will also be learning Something Inside so Strong by Labi Siffre. This song makes a strong statement about standing up for not only for basic human rights, but also for respect, tolerance and dignity as well. We will be using sign language to accompany the singing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzpNuZkqgso
Year 5 children were learning how to play a bass line accompaniment to Shosholza
News from the Art Studio…
This week, Himid class explored the work of graffiti artist, Stik. Using Sharpie pens and their cutting skills, they used line and shape to create their own Stik-inspired artworks.
Stars of the Week
Stars are celebrated because they have demonstrated the school values, or gone above and beyond.
Well done to all our stars this week …
After School Clubs
After School Street Dance Club - FREE TRIAL AVAILABLE! Dear parents/guardians of SJSC students, Did you know that Boogie Pumps lead a fun filled, high energy Street Dance classes every week at your child’s school? Day: Monday Time: 3.20pm – 4.30pm Year groups: Yr3, Yr4, Yr5 & Yr6 We’re offering free trial spaces for our Autumn term on Monday 16th & 23rd September. This is a great opportunity for your child to try out our club and see if they enjoy it before committing to the full term. To book your child’s free trial space please head to our website via the following link: https://southeastlondon.boogiepumps.co.uk/shop/free-trial/ Make sure you fill in the form, add to basket & checkout to ensure it’s received - you will not be charged. Please also note trial spaces are subject to availability and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. Our clubs provide a fun, active and creative activity for your child to enjoy at the end of their school day. We are proud to encourage kids to be their best, focusing on confidence building alongside learning new skills. If you’re interested in your child attending but can’t make the above dates, please get in touch as we might be able to offer another trial date. If you have any questions, please get in touch: Sherilyn@boogiepumps.co.uk 07903359350 We hope to hear from you soon! Best wishes, Sherilyn Groves Principal Boogie Pumps SE London
Local news and activities
Grove Vale Youth Club is a safe and fun environment for children and young people aged 4-16 to enjoy after school activities and team games during term time. Free to new Joiners in September 2024! Please visit our website for more details. www.grovevaleyouthclub.org.uk.
Spring Community Hub exists to ensure no one in our community goes hungry. Our mission is that through a 'Community Hub' and full activity program, local people in or at risk of crisis will be supported along their journey to move on and achieve full social, economic, and emotional independence to live healthy lives in a community that supports each other. We want to see equality in our communities and be a vehicle for positive and lasting change in our clients so that they never need a Food Bank again.
Spring Community Hub is a crisis support service offering a range of wrap-around services including:
Spring Social Supermarket
Back2work support (Debt Advice, Welfare Benefit Advice, Housing and Immigration Support, Training courses, Business Advice)
Holiday Club and After School Club Activity (For families in Southwark and Havering who want to register their children for our Holiday Activity Camps, all the information you need (including locations, dates and times) is on our booking site here (https://eequ.org/spring)
Food Bank (Crisis support)
Clothe Bank
Spring Up Women (with training /Courses and workshops).
Spring Camberwell Connect (over 55+)
Have a great Summer!