Autumn Term Issue 01: 5th September 2025
Flourishing in the love of God, love of life, love of learning
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back to a new school year! We hope you had a restful summer.
You should have received an email with key term dates—please check your inbox. A quick reminder about the importance of good attendance, punctuality, and wearing the correct school uniform. If you need support with uniform, please contact the school.
Our Meet the Teacher sessions have begun for years 1-6, and it’s been wonderful to see so many of you attending. A special welcome to our new Reception families—we’re delighted to have you join our community, and I know everyone will make you feel very welcome.
Have a great weekend
Alli
Upcoming Diary Dates
Reception
The whole Reception team have been delighted to welcome 60 new eager 4-year-olds to Himid and Stik Classes! We have been so impressed by how wonderfully everyone has settled in and explored their new spaces. The children have been getting to know all the important things; toilets, snacks, where put coats and bags. We have been loving exploring the classroom and the garden, finding all sorts of interesting things to do and learning how to cooperate and share. We are off to a fabulous start!
Over the next couple of weeks, we will be talking about “Who I Am”, looking at our families and where we are from. We invite you to make a family tree, or picture of who lives in your home and who you call family, with your child at home to support them to talk about their families. Thank you for all your support and positivity in our first week altogether.
Year 1
What a wonderful first week we have had in Year One! The children have settled into their new classrooms beautifully, and we are so proud of how quickly they have embraced new routines. This week, we have been busy drawing self-portraits, sharing stories and building magical creations during our exploration time. The children have shown great curiosity, kindness and enthusiasm — it has been such a joy to see them making new friendships and growing in confidence. A big thank you to all the adults who attended our Meet the Teacher session. It was lovely to connect with you and share what exciting learning adventures are ahead for Year One. Your support makes such a difference.
Reminder: PE lessons will begin on Monday, so please ensure children come to school wearing their PE kits and suitable footwear.
We are looking forward to another brilliant week of learning and fun together!
Year 2
What an amazing first week back it’s been in Year 2! All of the children have settled in beautifully, and it’s been wonderful to see their enthusiasm and smiles as they dive into their new learning journey.
This week, we’ve been busy with lots of fun and creative activities to help introduce the children to life in Year 2. One of the highlights has been exploring our class artists: Vincent van Gogh and Yayoi Kusama.
In our Van Gogh-inspired sessions, the children have been recreating his famous Sunflowers painting. They followed a step-by-step guide to draw their own beautiful sunflowers, which will soon be proudly displayed in our classroom.
With Kusama, we got hands-on with clay to sculpt our very own amazing pumpkins, inspired by her bold and colourful style. The creativity and focus from the children were fantastic!
We’re so proud of how well everyone has started the year, and we can’t wait to see all the wonderful things they’ll achieve in Year 2.
Year 3
We hope you had a fantastic summer filled with fun, sunshine, and lots of adventures! We are so excited to welcome you back to school for another amazing year of learning, laughter, and growing together.
This week, Gormley Class began their exciting journey into the world of art by learning all about their class artist – Anthony Gormley! We explored some of his most famous sculptures, discussing how his work connects with emotions, human form, and the natural world. The children were especially inspired by Field for the British Isles – a powerful installation made up of thousands of tiny clay figures. We thought about what each figure might be feeling and how they come together to create a strong visual message. We reflected on the emotion’s art can express and how it can make us feel more connected to nature and each other. Muriu explored The Big Ideas, focusing on innovation linked to creativity and how art can help us solve everyday problems in new and imaginative ways. Inspired by Muriu’s bold and forward-thinking work, the children used aspirational thinking to design their own machines to make everyday tasks easier or more fun.
Year 4
In Year 4 this week, we have started to explore and immerse ourselves in to our new text ‘Weslandia’ by building dens that would provide us with our basic needs. To do this we had to work together and use our oracy skills to communicate and listen to each other. It has helped us empathise with our character and share in the excitement he must have felt when developing his own land.
Year 5
We’re delighted to share how wonderfully Year 5 have settled into the new school year. From the very first day, children have shown enthusiasm, kindness, and a readiness to embrace new challenges. Our classrooms are already buzzing with energy and imagination! We’re excited to see how they continue to grow, explore, and inspire throughout the year and look forward to meeting parents on Tuesday to share what’s coming up in year 5!
Year 6
Year 6 have made a fantastic start to the new school year. They have settled quickly into their new routines and shown great enthusiasm for the challenges ahead. This week, the children worked together to create our class charter, agreeing on the values and behaviours that will help everyone to succeed. They also took part in a range of fun team-building activities, strengthening friendships and learning the importance of cooperation and trust. It has been wonderful to see such positivity, energy, and maturity from the children – a very promising start to their final year at primary school!
Friends of SJSC
Welcome to all new parents! The Friends of SJSC (or Parent/Teacher Association) is a registered charity run by parents that aims to raise money for the school and put on events to create a sense of community at SJSC.
We run regular Uniform Swaps which allow families to donate and take good quality second-hand uniform items for their children. Recycling is great for the environment and cheaper too! Next Friday 12th September is the next swap - so please do donate any clean and good quality uniform to the school office beforehand. Then on Friday come to the top playground at 3.25pm to grab whatever items you need - everything is free and you don’t have to donate to take something.
We are always looking for volunteers to help us so if you would like to get involved with the Friends of SJSC email us friendsofsjsc@gmail.com or speak to an existing parent who can point you in our direction.
Our next meeting is at 8pm on Monday 15th September at the Gowlett Pub - everyone is welcome so please do come along if you would like to learn more / meet some lovely people.
South London Girls District Team U11’s Trials - Tuesday September 9th @ 5pm-6:30pm, 2025
We are thrilled to announce the South London Girls District Team U11’s (Year 5 & 6) Trials on Tuesday September 9th, 5:00pm - 6:30pm, to be held at:
AGNES RILEY GARDENS, ATKIMS ROAD, SW12 0AH
Parents are encouraged to register players using the link below:
See you next week!