Autumn Term Issue 12: 28th November 2025
Flourishing in the love of God, love of life, love of learning
Dear Families,
Our Eco Team has been awarded yet another certificate – RHS Level 5 – for their fantastic leadership in developing our school garden. This is a wonderful achievement and a testament to the hard work of the Eco Team and all the children who have helped with gardening during playtimes.
Our Buddy Readers are doing a brilliant job too! This initiative pairs children from different year groups to read together during soft start. It’s such a lovely way for our children to support each other and share the joy of reading.
Today, our School Council members were officially awarded their badges. They’ve already made a fantastic start to the year with their Toy Drive, and we can’t wait to see the many ways they will continue to support our school and wider community.
Finally, a reminder that our Christmas Fair is tomorrow at 12:30! The PTFA have been working tirelessly behind the scenes (with a little help from Santa’s elves, we suspect!) to make this a truly special event. We hope to see as many of you as possible joining in this wonderful celebration of our school community.
Thank you, as always, for your continued support.
Alli
Upcoming Diary Dates
Reception
This week Reception have been launched into space with our text ‘Look Up’ - a story about a girl who dreams of being an astronaut. We thought about what we would like to be when we grow up and drew some super pictures and used word mats to help us write. We have been making our own space stations and helmets and doing space jigsaws as a team. We were lucky enough to have a special coach come and teach us outside PE on Wednesday and he made it so fun with a space theme- the children loved it!
In history we learned about time-lines and events that have happened in our lives. We loved seeing pictures of our teachers when they were little.
In phonics we learned four new digraphs and four new tricky words so do keep practising word building with them at home.
Next week we are continuing our space theme so welcome any clean useful junk modelling supplies or silvery foil bits you might have.
Year 1
Year One have had another spectacular week! We’ve continued learning about the Nativity story and the children are becoming much more confident with their parts and songs. It’s been lovely to see how excited they are as we get closer to our performance.
In maths, we have been working on part–part–whole models, using practical resources to help us understand how numbers can be split and combined. The children have shown great focus and have enjoyed explaining their thinking.
We also had a brilliant time staying active with some visiting PE coaches, who led fun sessions to build our movement and teamwork skills. The children showed super effort and fantastic attitudes throughout.
A note to adults and carers:
Please continue to help your child practise their line at home for our upcoming Nativity show. We’d also love you to ask them to sing their songs for you—with actions!
Year 2
We’re thrilled to announce that rehearsals for our Year 2 Nativity have officially begun! The children are full of excitement and working hard to bring this special performance to life.
Please keep practising your lines at home to help make the show a success. Thank you for your support—we can’t wait to share this magical moment with you soon!
Year 3
Year 3 enjoyed a wonderful Fair Trade Tea Party this week as part of our learning about global communities, ethical trade and our wonderful literacy book, ‘Cloud Tea Monkeys’.
The highlight of the event was tasting a range of Fairtrade teas and food prepared for by the children who made delicious sandwiches filled with tuna, cheese, and cucumber before moving on to some exciting baking. They had worked together to create tasty rice crispy cakes and freshly baked biscuits.
Children explored how Fairtrade helps farmers receive a fair price, protects the environment, and supports stronger communities. The children loved comparing the colours, aromas, and flavours of the teas and were excited by how each one invigorated the senses.
After the tasting, Year 3 proudly presented their Fair Trade non-chronological reports to parents. The children were thrilled to share their research and writing, and it was wonderful to see their confidence shine as they explained what they had learned.
We would like to say a big thank-you to all parents for their generous food donations and for giving up their time to attend the event. Your support helped make the Tea Party a truly memorable experience for everyone.
Year 4
This week, Year 4 continued learning about how and why we classify things. We started by looking closely at different leaves, trying to spot their features. We learned new words like jagged, serrated, and needle-shaped, and we also remembered what we already knew about deciduous and evergreen trees. After that, we created our own classification keys for the leaves and used an identification chart to find out the names of the trees they came from.
As well as this, we had the excitement of watching a live stream from Antarctica about the polar regions. We learned about the animals that live there, the researchers who study them, and the weather in these icy places.
Year 5
This week, Year 5 have been writing dialogue between characters in our book and have acted out the scenes to help them get into character. We have also continued to enjoy our cricket sessions with a specialist coach.
Year 6
Our Year 6 cricketers were back in action today as coaching continued—and this session was all about bowling. The children got to grips with the perfect run-up, explored how to keep their bowling arm strong and straight, and discovered the secret to a smooth, confident release.
A brilliant effort from everyone—Year 6 are well on their way to becoming cricket experts!
News from the Art Studio…
This week in the Art Studio Year 2 explored the idea of collections, inspired by Mark Dion’s ‘Tate Thames Dig’ 1999. They explored a variety of materials and objects, thinking about what links them and then organised them in different ways.
Music this week…
In music lessons, Year 1 children have been learning a West African song called Yi Kunu which can also be played as a circle game. This has a call and response element as well as a section where the children follow rhythmic patterns played on the Djembe.
Year 4 children were playing a rhythm game where they had to call out someone else’s rhythm as they sat in a circle. It is an excellent way for them to learn the difference between crotchets, quavers, semiquavers and semibreves and the duration of each sound.
News from Governors
Mastery Approach: Transforming How We Learn Mathematics
Our school adopted the Mastery approach to teaching mathematics—a method that is gaining popularity across the country and is now widely used in Southwark schools. Unlike traditional teaching methods, which often leave some students struggling while others race ahead, Mastery ensures that every child develops a deep and secure understanding of mathematical concepts.
Ms. Berry, the school’s maths lead, explained that Mastery focuses on whole-class progression, meaning no student is left behind. Instead of relying on rote memorization, children learn to think mathematically, solve non-routine problems, and apply their knowledge flexibly. This approach emphasizes fluency, reasoning, and problem-solving, helping students build confidence and resilience in mathematics.
One of the key features of Mastery is the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract (CPA) model, which introduces concepts in small, carefully sequenced steps. Students first explore ideas using physical objects (Concrete), then move to visual representations (Pictorial), and finally work with symbols and numbers (Abstract). This structured progression promotes understanding and fluency through practice.
Mastery also encourages children to look for patterns, make connections, and generalize ideas, fostering a deeper appreciation of mathematics. Mathematical language plays a vital role, enabling students to articulate their reasoning clearly and develop strong communication skills.
By adopting this inclusive and effective strategy, our school is ensuring that every child has the opportunity to succeed in mathematics—not just today, but for life.
Dr Chris Gonde
Maths Link School Governor.
Sports Update
Last week, our Tuesday morning football training club hosted The Belham for a series of friendly matches. I was really impressed with the level of skill and dedication everyone showed. We lost two games and drew one, but there was never a moment of giving up!
Special shout-outs:
Wilf for his incredible goalkeeping skills—even though it’s not his usual position!
Juno for her determination to chase the ball down in the second half of her game.
And a big thank you to our captains, Bertie and Iris, for pushing to make this event happen
Kapoor class for great support and cheerleading!
Well done everyone for representing our school with a resilient and positive attitude all round.
ECO Team
We have been awarded The Level 5 RHS Garden Award. This is for gardening with our community across the year and for creating a garden with a future. We have received a plaque, a selection of seeds and £150 of garden vouchers. Congratulations and thank you to everyone who has supported us, with this.
Friends of SJSC
This Saturday 29th is our Christmas Fair from 1pm-4pm. It is always a wonderful, festive event with games, food and drink, performances from our choir and musicians, arts and crafts and making it’s special debut this year, Santa’s Storytelling Grotto! We need your help to make the Fair a success and raise lots of money for our school.
Please come along and enjoy a wonderful afternoon!
Stars of the Week
School Council
Well done to our elected School Councillors for this year!
Interesting Opportunities
Chorister for a Day
Sunday 18th January & Sunday 25th January 2026
From 12:30-6:30pm at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle
Advance booking is essential, with priority given to children in Year 3.
Closing date for applications: Sunday 11 January 2026
Please contact Francesca Alden via Email: cfad@stgeorges-windsor.org www.stgeorges-windsor.org/events/cfad2026
Chorister for a Day is a wonderful opportunity for girls and boys aged 6-8 (Yrs 2-3 at school) and their parents and carers to experience a day as a chorister in our world-famous choir of children and professional adult singers.
The programme of events will include various activities, ending with the Chorister for a Day participants taking part in Choral Evensong with the Choir of St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Choristers at St George’s rehearse every weekday morning and sing services on four weekdays and on a Sunday (Saturdays are mostly commitment free). This schedule develops not only their musical talents, but nurtures key skills such as leadership, team work, and time management.
See you next week!