Autumn Term Issue 7: 18th October 2024
Dear families
You would have received a communication from the school’s Chair of Governors today about the arrival of our Ofsted report from the recent inspection. You can read the full report by following this link. Please note that it may take up to 5 working days for the report to appear on Ofsted's website.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to our fantastic staff team, whose passion and commitment inspire us all every day. A special thank you to our governors, led by Miranda Wightman, for their unwavering support and guidance. I feel blessed to lead our school, and I appreciate the continued support from each of you in our wonderful community. Our school is truly special.
In the final week of the half term, we have the first of our Parents Evenings. If you were unable to book a slot yet, the office team will be in touch. On Tuesday everyone is welcome to visit our Black History Month exhibit from 3:30-6:20, in the middle floor hall.
Next Friday, we also have the second of our Reading Parent Cafes - this one is aimed at parents of children in KS2.
Please note the finishing time of 1:50pm on Friday.
Have a great weekend
Alli
Upcoming Diary Dates
Reception
We discovered big monster footprints in the classrooms on Monday, and speculated who had been in and put everything starting with ‘s’ in their sack? Including the story “Where The Wild Things Are”. The children have been sounding out and writing words. Outside we have been practising our maths learning; comparing measures- size, weight, length and capacity. We also learned how to play skittles. We learned the new tricky word the. As part of our learning about Black History Month, Reception have been learning about the artist Lubaina Himid, inspired by her sculptures we have been making articulated paper figures from wonderful patterned African fabrics, and practising our scissor skills. This week we have also sent home reading books; the children will read regularly in school, and we encourage you to practice at home too- you can complete the reading record to keep track of books. Reading books are needed in school every day. The books have great instructions and ideas inside the front and back covers. Happy Reading!
Year 1
This week, Year 1 were very excited to receive a letter asking them to create some leaflets all about octopuses! We used the information we learnt in our text Leo and the Octopus to create our own information leaflets. We also enjoyed learning about Eniola Aluko for Black History Month. The children put their art skills to the test to create paintings of her in action. In maths, we used pairs to learn which numbers are odd and even.
Year 2
This week the Year 2’s had so much fun exploring around the school grounds looking at different microhabitats and searching for mini beasts. The children recorded their findings in a table using tally marks. They found so many different types of mini beasts including worms, spiders, ladybirds, snails and slugs. Everyone was very excited to go home and look in their gardens and local parks for more mini beasts.
Year 3
A fantastic week this week in year 3 as we delved into the origins of the Notting Hill Carnival, exploring why it historically began. Children learnt about the inspirational, brave woman Claudia Jones and how her resilience and determination to reduce racial discrimination led to the start of the now famous yearly celebration. We admired her story as we delved into the past, found facts and had detailed discussions. A real eye opening, brilliant week of learning.
Year 4
This week, Year four were very lucky and visited the Houses of Parliament.
We were able to visit the House of Commons and the House of Lords and experience real life debates. We learnt about how each house runs and how they ‘ping pong’ between the two. We also bumped into many Lords and Baronesses on our travels who were very polite and kind. This trip linked to our Big Ideas topic and project of democracy and setting up the new school council votes for this year.
Thank you to our parent volunteers who made the trip run smoothly and thank you for all those volunteered but we didn't have enough space.
Year 5
This week in Year 5, we have been celebrating Black History Month. In History, we have been learning about the first black British MP, Bernie Grant and how he campaigned against discrimination to change our society. We drew a timeline of his life and have considered the causes and consequences of his actions. We have also written a biography of his life, which you will be able to see in the Black History Month Exhibition next Tuesday. We were also lucky enough to take part in the Black History Month workshops, where we used drama and games to learn more about inspirational famous figures.
Year 6
This week in Year 6 was filled with inspiring learning experiences! We wrapped up our reading of The Arrival by Shaun Tan, and were truly amazed by how he conveyed such a profound and layered story entirely through illustrations. It sparked great discussions about the power of storytelling. Additionally, we participated in a Black History Month workshop, collaborating discussing and reflecting on the importance of equality. We also continued exploring the life of Olaudah Equiano in history. His journey motivated us to reflect on the significance of activism and encouraged us to write about how we can use our voices for positive change in the world. It was a week of creativity, reflection, and inspiration!
News from the Art Studio…
This week in the art studio Year 4 were using different mediums to explore the work of sculptor, Barbara Hepworth. Hepworth was part of a movement called the Modernists – they wanted to draw attention to the process of making art. The children are thinking about how art pieces are inspired, explored, imagined and created.
We will use these ideas to help us create our own 3d sculptures.
Music this week…
Year 2 children had the opportunity to use the iPads in music this week. They were looking at Chrome Music Lab which translates drawings by the children into sound. Pitch can be determined by where the children make marks on the screen.
Children in Years 3 and 4 were learning about West African Instruments (the Kora and the Balafon) and were playing claves and other untuned percussion to accompany a piece of music. Please see the videos attached.
Year 5 were continuing to learn about Gospel Music and with a focus on the song, Oh Happy Days, were working in groups to perform a call and response with confidence.
Sports Update
Mr Evans, Veronica and Lisa have been working on establishing Year 6 sports leads. After some meetings and training sessions, this week some Year 6 children ran two PE lessons alongside staff, coaching and mentoring both year 3 classes. During the sessions, the Sports leads completed warmups, set up the activities, discussed the activities and helped teach the children. It was a huge success! Children in both classes loved working alongside older peers and both Mr Evans and Mr Knight also took part, ensuring all children developed their love of physical education. Thank you to both Veronica and Lisa for running training sessions for the sports leads in the build up.
Friends of SJSC
Thanks for all your support, all the money we raise goes to help the school.
AGM - 8pm, 4th November
As a registered charity, the Friends of SJSC must hold an AGM to conduct some official business, including sharing financial reports and electing our committee. It’s also a chance to catch up & meet people. If you can’t make it in person to the Clockhouse Tavern, welcome to join online, we’ll share a Teams link nearer the date. Hope to see you there!
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 …
Have a great weekend. See you next week!