Spring Term Issue 19: 31st January 2025
Flourishing in the love of God, love of life, love of learning
Dear Families,
What a week it's been! There has been a wonderful array of learning taking place with plenty of opportunities for children to actively engage and be inspired through trips, workshops and wonderful visitors.
Looking ahead, next week is Children’s Mental Health Week. You’ll find more details at the end of this newsletter - we’re asking children to bring in recycling materials for a special project. Of course, if this isn’t something you can do, please don’t worry we’ll have plenty of resources available for everyone.
Also, please mark your calendars for February 28th at 9:00 AM, when The Nest will be hosting a workshop for parents on supporting children with emotional regulation. We’d love to see you there!
Thank you to Ms Berry who ran the EYFS Maths Parent Cafe this morning, and to all those who came. KS1 Maths Parent Cafe is taking place on Friday 14th Feb.
Our Parent Prayer Group will be taking place next week, Friday 11th Feb at 9:15, all are welcome to join.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend!
Alli
Upcoming Diary Dates
Reception
This week Reception have been finding out about stories from around the world. We are so lucky to have had several parents come is to tell us stories and sing songs in their home languages, children have taught us how to count in another language, and we have been designing and drawing flags. We have been reading the story the Magic Paintbrush, which is really making us think about our Enquiry Question “Who should care for Other People?” On Friday we rounded off the week trying different types of noodles with chopsticks while we heard stories about the Lunar New Year Celebrations around the world. A big thank you to everyone who helped make our International Day so fascinating.
Year 1
Year 1 have had a very exciting week! We enjoyed using adjectives and nouns to label our toys. We then showed them all the learning we do in Stowasser and Kahlo class, they were very impressed. The children were really engaged with out new book ‘The Sea Saw’ and came up with some imaginative ways the sea could help bring the bear back to the girl. We can’t wait to find out what happens next!
We were very fortunate to have a grandparent come in and talk to use about Judaism. The children asked insightful and well thought through questions - Thank you Lia’s grandad for teaching us so much.
Year 2
Last week the Year 2’s went to the Florence Nightingale Museum. When we arrived, we were greeted by Florence herself. The children loved being able to interact with Florence in our workshop and learn so much about her amazing past. They also had such a fun time dressing up and going on a hunt around the museum finding special items that belonged to Florence.
Year 3
This week, we’ve been diving deep into the world of polygons, discovering all the different shapes they can take, and exploring how right angles play a key role in their creation. One of the most exciting parts of this unit is getting to create new shapes! By combining different polygons and focusing on the angles, we can make new shapes—some regular, some irregular, and all unique. Awesome work!
Year 4
This half-term, our children have been exploring blue plaques and the fascinating stories behind them. Together, we’ve been learning about the criteria a person must meet to be eligible for this honour.
We were thrilled to discover a blue plaque right here in Peckham, dedicated to Dr. Harold Moody. Dr. Moody faced significant injustice, repeatedly denied job opportunities because of his skin colour. Undeterred, he chose to forge his own path, opening a GP practice in Peckham and becoming a pioneer in his community.
This week, the children created posters celebrating Dr. Moody’s remarkable contributions and legacy. We are so proud to have such an inspiring figure commemorated with a blue plaque in our local area!
Year 5
This half term, Year 5 have been learning about the lives of three inspirational women - Dorothy Vaughan, Katherine Johnson and Mary Jackson. Filled with knowledge and passion, the children have produced incredible pieces of writing that we are looking forward to sharing at parents’ evening. On top of this, three children this week have presented to the class presentations made at home in their spare time about these women, the space race and avrocars!
Year 6
Unleashing the Power of Democracy: A Suffragette Experience
Year 6 took a step back in time to the dramatic era of the Suffragette movement during an exciting workshop. Dressed as brave campaigners, we learned about key moments in the fight for women's right to vote and explored what came next. Linking to our big idea, Democracy, they tackled the enquiry question: when is it necessary to question the status quo? Through roleplay and powerful protest re-enactments, Banksy and Shonibare discovered the courage it takes to stand up for justice and how questioning unfairness can shape the world for the better.
News from the Art Studio…
This week in the art studio Year 3 worked with photographer, Guy Lockwood to finalise some ideas for a possible new format for our class photos. They enjoyed thinking about lighting and composition, as well as being wonderful models!
Music this week…
In music this week, children in Reception were playing clapping games. They had to face a partner and practise clapping to the beat as they sang Ickle Ockle, Blue Bottle.
Year 1 children were also using clapping games to demonstrate pitch as they sang High, Low, Chicka, Low. You can see some examples on the videos attached.
Year 3 Muriu were immersing themselves in the world of Orange to inspire their compositions for ENO’s Finish This Project.
Year 5 children were choosing appropriate instruments on which to play their space-themed ostinatos. Next week they will be thinking about how these might look on a Music Map.
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 …
Friends of SJSC
Next Friday is our uniform and cake sale extravaganza!
*Cakes Needed*
Please bring baked or bought cakes, muffins and cookies (no nuts) to school at 8.45am or 3.15pm on Friday 7th February.
*Volunteers Please*
We need some helpers to run the stall. If you would like to help please ask your class rep to put you in you in touch with Jessica/Jess.
*UNIFORM STALL* 🧦👕 👖🧢
No donations this time as we need to clear our existing stock. Please come and grab what you need - all good quality and FREE ♻️
Have a lovely weekend. See you next week!