Autumn Term Issue 13: 6th December 2024
Dear families,
It was fantastic to see so many of you at the Christmas Fair on Saturday! What a wonderful occasion, raising vital funds for the school while bringing our community together. A huge thank you to Dave and the brilliant Friends of SJSC team for all their hard work and care in organising such a brilliant event. We are incredibly grateful for your efforts.
As we approach the end of term, it’s hard to believe there are only two weeks left (especially if you, like me, are a little behind on the Christmas preparations!). Please do take note of the important dates for upcoming Christmas events, which are listed below.
Carol Service at St John’s Church on Thursday 19th December at 9:45am.
Thursday 19th December - Christmas Jumper Day, and we'll also be enjoying our Christmas dinner together.
Reception and Year 1 performances -Tuesday 17th December at 2pm and Wednesday 18th December at 9:45am.
Year 2 Nativity will take place on Monday 16th December at 9:45am and Wednesday 18th December at 2pm.
A quick reminder – our lost property collection is overflowing! If you think your child might have misplaced something, please pop by and claim it. Lost items are kept in the yellow box under the reception shelter.
Wishing you all a lovely weekend ahead!
Alli
Upcoming Diary Dates
Reception
This week Reception went to visit St John’s Church and met Rev. Gill, she told us about the special changes they make for Advent and lit a purple advent candle on the Advent Wreath. Then we went to the Lady Chapel and, in the glow of the stained-glass windows… we all listened to the bible story of how Mary and Joseph went to Bethlem and Jesus was born in a stable. Rev Gill was delighted when the children spontaneously burst into the songs they have been learning for the Nativity Play, each time they heard a bit of story they recognised.
Back in the classroom we have been writing lists of what we would need to take on a trip to space sounding out words and writing them down. We built models rockets outside and in maths we’ve been remembering to stop when we get to our target number; to do exactly that number of jumps or hops.
News: Pyjama Day on Friday 13th, inspired by our next story; The Polar Express! Please keep an eye out for an email with more details.
Year 1
We had a very exciting Wednesday with our church visit. We listened to Reverand Gill talk about the nativity story and contributed our own knowledge and ideas. We then dressed up as different characters from the story and acted it out together. We had so much fun, and it was very special to spend time in the church thinking about all the people who were there and the events that took place at the birth of Jesus.
We are working hard in our nativity practice and trying hard to remember our lines. Please continue to practice them at home. We are very excited to be practicing in costumes next week.
Year 2
This week the Year 2’s participated in a very fun PE session with Coach Wilson. Luckily the weather was nice to us, so we could do the activities out on the ball court. The kids engaged in a variety of activities including sprints, jumping, kicking a soccer ball, beanbag throws, balancing and lots more.
Year 3
We are thrilled to share the success of our Year 3 Tea Party Celebration!
Our Tea Party was filled with laughter, delicious treats, and heartfelt conversations. The students not only enjoyed a variety of scrumptious snacks, but they also had the chance to showcase their creativity through beautifully decorated teacups, which were made during their art lessons. We were so impressed with the enthusiasm and the attention to detail that our students put into this event! The tea-riffic arrange of flavoured teas to taste was also a great hit amongst both adults and children!
A huge thank you goes to all the parents who helped with the clean-up and your wonderful feedback. Additionally, we’d like to express our gratitude to those visitors who donated funds towards Fairtrade Tea Growth in areas around the world. We managed to raise a brilliant £264, so thank you!
Year 4
The Year 4 students have been learning about the amazing story of Ernest Shackleton and his expedition on Endurance. We were lucky to visit the James Caird at Dulwich College, the lifeboat that played a key role in saving Shackleton’s crew. After months stuck on icy seas, Shackleton and five men sailed the James Caird to a whaling station to get help for the rest of the crew. This story has taught us important lessons about kindness, resilience, and teamwork. We’ve really enjoyed learning about this inspiring moment in history.
Year 5
This week, Year 5 have been learning all about the roles that women took on in World War II. We made propaganda posters encouraging women to join the ATS and the land army as well to become nurses, ambulance drivers and work in the factories.
We also went to The Horniman Museum and took part in a unique workshop learning traditional Gamelan music of Bali.
Year 6
This week, Year 6 had an unforgettable excursion to the Horniman Museum, where they dived into the thrilling world of evolution and inheritance! The workshop was packed with mind-blowing facts, hands-on activities, and fascinating discoveries that left everyone buzzing with excitement. We not only showed off our impressive knowledge but also uncovered brand new, jaw-dropping facts about how life on Earth has changed and evolved.
Hearing Resource Base
The Hearing Resource Base has been generously supported by Chloe’s and Sophie’s Special Ears Fund (CSSEF). We have received lots of books exploring deaf issues and deaf representative toys. CSSEF have sent us a British Sign Language fingerspelling board to display and the charity have also kindly donated towards a parents/ carers British Sign Language course which will be starting in January 2025, for parents/ carers of deaf children in the local area. We are very excited about this new venture!
“I really enjoyed reading MI9: The Beginning. Thank you, Chloe’s and Sophie’s Special Ears Fund!”
News from the Art Studio…
This week in the art studio Year 5 have practised different monoprint techniques. We will use these ideas and techniques to create illustrated books of the poems The Tyger by William Blake and The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe.
Music this week…
Year 3 children were continuing their work as composers as they progress with the ENO’s Finish This project. Having made their Colour Libretto (the book containing the words for an opera), they were trying to think how certain words might sound using their voices and a selection of percussion instruments. For example, children decided that the word, Tropical Fanta should have lots of fizzing effects and used tambourines and shakers. The word Scorpion, they decided, should be a rattling and low sound using wood blocks with the tambourine to add a menacing shake at the end.
Sports Update
On Tuesday, some classes from Years 1 to 6 took part in a Multiskills Sports Fun Day, a day filled with energy, teamwork, and skill-building activities! The event was a fantastic opportunity for our students to engage in a variety of fun and challenging physical activities that emphasized teamwork, skill development, and personal growth.
Throughout the day, students participated in a series of coaching sessions, where they had the chance to improve their skills in a range of sports, including running, jumping, throwing, and teamwork-based challenges. The activities were designed to be inclusive, ensuring that every student, regardless of their athletic ability, could take part and enjoy the experience.
Friends of SJSC
A huge thank you to everyone who supported our Christmas Fair last weekend. To everyone who volunteered, bought a Christmas Tree, spent money on the stalls, had a penalty shoot out against Santa and all the wonderful children who buzzed around the Fair with great energy - thank you!
We are delighted to announce that it was our most RECORD BREAKING Fair yet - official figures are being verified, but it looks like we would have raised well over £7,000 for our school!!
And it’s not too late to increase that total - our amazing Christmas raffle is open until tomorrow night.
Tickets are just £2 each and you can win over 70 amazing prizes from local businesses, including:
F45 training voucher worth £199
£35 voucher for William Rose Butchers
£50 bar tab at the EDT
Picturehouse Cinema tickets
And many many more!
Enter to win here: https://raffall.com/370624/enter-raffle-to-win-friends-of-sjsc-hosted-by-friends-of-st-johns-and-st-clements-c-of-e-primary-school
Please send to your friends, family, neighbours and help raise money for our school.
Thanks for your support.
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 …
Notices
Missing Scooter
A scooter has been missing from the rack for a few weeks. Usually this is mix up and the scooters return. Can you check your child’s scooter for the model below. A black Micro Scooter:
Many scooters are similar and easy to mix up – please consider marking your scooter in some way to make it easily identifiable.
Fundraising number: 19887
Have a great weekend. See you next week!