Autumn Term Issue 13: 5th December 2025
Flourishing in the love of God, love of life, love of learning
Dear Families,
Thank you to everyone who came along to the Christmas Fair last weekend – what a huge success! It was such a joyful event with a wonderful community feel that really got us into the festive spirit. A special thank you to our amazing PTFA and all the volunteers who gave their time and energy to make it such a memorable occasion.
Next week, we have something very exciting to celebrate: our official awards ceremony from OPAL, where we will be presented with the Platinum Award for our outstanding playground provision. The OPAL team were so impressed with our playtimes that they have asked to come and film us for their training videos and showcases for other schools! Please make sure you have given filming permission on Arbor so your child can be included.
Over this half term, KS2 classes have been enjoying cricket coaching sessions, which have had a brilliant impact. Cricket matches have become very popular at playtimes, and we were even described as the best bowling school the coach had come across – what an achievement! As I write this, our netball team is playing a match against another school in the Red Zone. Their skills have grown tremendously, and I know their sportsmanship will make us proud.
Thank you for your continued support, and have a wonderful weekend!
Alli
Upcoming Diary Dates
Reception
This week in Reception we have been continuing our space theme- and playing space missions! We have completed a treasure hunt where we had to find all the items on a mission list and then match them to the words. Then we have had to write a packing list for when we go into space- using our phonics and word mats to help us. Don’t forget your space p-a-n-t-s and a l-u-n-ch b-o-x ! We have been practising writing the numbers you need for a count down to launch a rocket, and matching quantities of objects and actions to digits. Outside we were delighted to see children using writing in their play, jotting down scores for their games or writing recipes in the mud kitchen.
In RE we have been thinking about why Jesus is important to Christians and how we can be kind like Jesus is described. We have been practising our songs and actions for the Nativity Play and we are getting quite good!
As there are no more new sounds this term why not try word building with your phonemes.
qu-i-ck th-i-nk w-i-sh s-a-n-t-a p-o-t- l-u-ck b-o-x
Year 1
This week Year One has been full of excitement and discovery! We have been exploring ordinal numbers, and the children had great fun using our carpet rows to work out who was sitting in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th place. There were lots of smiles and enthusiastic voices as the children challenged themselves and supported one another during this activity. It was wonderful to see their confidence grow as they recognised and used new mathematical vocabulary.
We also had a very special outing to visit Reverend Gill at the church. The children were eager to share their recent learning about the story of the birth of Jesus, and Reverend Gill was delighted to listen to everything they had remembered. She then read us a beautiful Nativity story, capturing everyone’s attention with her warm storytelling. To make the visit even more magical, we ended by singing Away in a Manger together, filling the church with gentle, joyful voices.
Year 2
Year 2 had an amazing day at Southwark Cathedral, where they explored the Christmas story in a truly special setting. The children took part in a variety of engaging workshops throughout the day, deepening their understanding of this important story.
It was wonderful to see all the schools come together at the end of the day to sing and reflect on the meaning of Christmas. A huge thank you to all the volunteers who supported us and helped make this experience so memorable!
This week in English, Year 3 explored the four sentence types: statements, questions, commands and exclamations. We used these to help us write speech for the characters in our class text Cloud Tea Monkeys. The children imagined what the workers might be saying to each other during the busy tea harvest and then added reporting clauses to show who was speaking and how. We worked together to turn our ideas into clear, varied sentences that brought the characters and setting to life.
Year 3
Year 4
Year 4 had the pleasure of further exploring the life of Ernest Shackleton by visiting his teenage school, Dulwich College. Here, we learned many more fascinating facts about his early life and career, and we even saw the famous James Caird. The children were impressed by the information shared, and equally impressive were the facts and knowledge they contributed during our tour.
A big thank you to the parent volunteers who joined us and to those who offered to attend—we are always very grateful for your support
Year 5
This week, we made World War II propaganda posters, from the style at the time, appealing to women to work in factories or train as pilots and nurses, code breakers, secret operatives and so much more! We are now wrapping up our topic, becoming journalists and writing a newspaper article - thinking carefully about the features of an article.
Year 6
This week, Year 6 have been diving into the vibrant cities of India as part of our Geography topic. After discovering the rich diversity of the country, the children focused on three of its major cities — Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi.
They set off on a research adventure exploring both physical features and human features.
The classroom buzzed with excitement as the children turned their findings into colourful, informative PowerPoint presentations.
Future travel writers and geographers in the making!
News from the Art Studio…
This week in the Art studio Year 4 Monet practised running stitch. Next week, they will use thread and stitch to ‘paint’ over their tie dye Monet fabric.
Music this week…
Year 3 have been thinking about how music can be used to enhance stories. Having watched the London Symphony Orchestra perform a composition to accompany the story of Leon and The Place Between, this week they were thinking about the Wizard of Oz. The children were considering how to make a soundscape for The Tornado as well as composing a clunking, metal-sounding section which would fit well with the Tin Man.
Year 5 were putting the final touches to their compositions before we submit them to the ‘Finish This’ team at the English National Opera. The children have really worked hard to carefully select sounds and instruments which match their chose word from their word bank as well as producing Graphic Scores to show visually what these sounds might look like.
Special Visitor
Years 4, 5, and 6 had a fantastic opportunity this week to meet Ben Lindsay, parent and founder of Power the Fight and author of We Need to Talk About Race. Ben spoke about his achievements, the incredible work he does, and answered lots of thoughtful questions from the children about what drives him, how he approaches racism, and how his faith guides him. It was an inspiring session for all involved.
Sports Update
Our netball teams played their first games of the season against Heber, and what an exciting start it was! Many of our players were stepping onto the court for the very first time, and we were incredibly impressed with their performance and determination.
Although none of the games ended in a win, the scores were very close throughout, showing just how competitive and committed our teams were. The learning curve was fast and furious, and every player showed fantastic progress during the matches.
A special shout-out goes to Shakalya, who quickly mastered her position and boundaries—an outstanding effort for a first-time player! Considering that most of the games were played in near darkness, the teams demonstrated resilience and adaptability, making us proud of their efforts.
We’re now looking forward to hosting Heber next week and continuing to build on this strong foundation. Well done to all involved!
ECO Team
Each year we get a new group of Eco Leaders to take on the role as part of our successful Eco Team. The new team held thier first meeting last Friday. Minutes were taken and the team discussed plans for events and improvements to the school garden in 2026.
Friends of SJSC
A huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported our Christmas Fair last Saturday. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes, lots of parents working together across the year groups to make it happen. From all the volunteers who helped with the planning, were there early morning to set up on the day, those who worked on the stalls, cleaned up afterwards (so helpful!), to everyone who donated booty jars, books, toys or baked a cake - you are a huge part of the success - so THANK YOU! And of course to all the wonderful children and families who came and enjoyed the fun - hope they had a great time. Once we know how much was raised we will let you know, but early signs look like it was a bumper Christmas Fair so lots of money raised for the school!
A reminder our Christmas Raffle is still open so if you would like to buy a ticket (for just £2) and be in with a chance of winning some great prizes from local businesses, just 2 days left to buy here: https://shorturl.at/v5mTg
And our last Uniform Swap of 2025 is happening next Friday 12th December, drop your clean donations to the school office next week, and come and grab those items you need for next year for free after school.
Thanks for your support.
Stars of the Week
Curriculum Enrichment
Assembly LIVE from Antarctica!
Champions of Antarctica - 2041 School
Year 4 joined an amazing assembly live from Antarctica this morning. It was amazing to meet Robert Swan, the first person to walk both poles, and discover more fact about Antarctica.
Please clink on he links to watch the assembly or to learn more about 2041 Schools—Champions of Antarctica.
We’re sharing Wonderlab+, the Science Museum Group’s online hub for children and families. It offers engaging STEM learning through short films, quizzes, and digital games, alongside “Make and Do” activities and experiments that pupils can try safely at home. Great for after-school enrichment and weekend curiosity.
See you next week!