Autumn Term Issue 9: 8th November 2024
Dear families
Welcome back after, hopefully, a wonderful half term break.
It was great to see so many of you at Parent’s Evening. Please take a minute to take note of a few dates and events coming up over November:
Next week is Anti-bullying week. On Tuesday we are asking children to come to school wearing odd socks, this is part of a national campaign and some of the work we will do to celebrate differences.
On Friday 15th I will be hosting Headteachers’ Parent Cafe, 9:15 start. This time I will be talking through what it means to be a church school, and always there will be time to take questions and discuss any other topics.
Our parent prayer group will be on Friday 29th November. This is an open invitation and all are invited to join.
It would be great to see as many of you as possible at our Christmas Fair on the 30th November.
Have a great weekend,
Alli
Upcoming Diary Dates
Reception
When we arrived one morning this week, there were strings of fairy lights hung about the rooms… What a mystery! “Why?” the children wanted to know. Then Miss Crank delivered a intriguing note! We will be finding more out over the next two weeks as we explore the beautiful book ‘Ning and the Night Spirits’.
Outside we have been building giant marble runs with tennis balls and big tubes, and making a cauldron of ‘mystery soup’.
In maths we have been looking at five on a dice frame and finding out lots about five and five more.
Notes for your diaries: we will be off on our first Forest School outings this half term. Himid Class - Thurs 21st Nov. Stik class- Fri 22nd Nov. from 9-11.30 am. Parent volunteers essential, so please do come along and join the fun .
Year 1
This week, Year 1 had great fun exploring our new book Iggy Peck Architect. They had a go at designing and creating their own buildings. We were not impressed when our construction area was closed, just like in the book! In Science, we started to explore what materials different objects were made from. We practice sorting the objects into different materials.
Year 2
This week the Year 2’s started to learn about celebrating differences in PSHE. They engaged in group conversations discussing how everyone is unique and that boys and girls can have similar interests. The students also worked in partners discussing things they had in common and things that were different, for example, their hair colour, hobbies, favourite food etc.
Year 3
A fantastic first week back after half term. Having now completed all parents evening appointments, we would like to thank you for your kind words, support and enthusiasm towards your child’s education. During RE on Thursday, both classes went to St John’s Church and met with Reverend Gill to learn more about the Bible. We have been exploring the Old and New Testament over the previous weeks and this wonderful visit allowed us to ask questions, deepening our knowledge about all the books within the Bibles Library.
Year 4
This week, our Year 4 children kicked off their Geography learning with an exciting dive into the world of navigation! To deepen their understanding of the eight compass points, children explored globes, locating key places and identifying different hemispheres. One fascinating fact they discovered: 80% of the world's population lives in the Northern Hemisphere, which has a larger share of land, while the Southern Hemisphere holds an impressive 90% of the planet's water.
Year 5
This week, our Year 5s deepened their knowledge of the causes of World War II, learnt more about Anne Frank’s childhood before she went into hiding, and have been asking so many thoughtful questions about the war in general. On top of this, they have learnt about Remembrance Day and Remembrance Sunday and have been selling poppies across the school for the Poppy Appeal.
Year 6
In our last half term, we delved into the powerful theme of migration through the lenses of Black and British, The Arrival, and The Windrush Child. We explored the question: What makes people migrate?
Through these thought-provoking texts, we examined both the push and pull factors that drive migration, such as economic opportunities, political instability, and the search for a better life. We also discussed the many challenges faced by migrants, from language barriers to prejudice and isolation. At the same time, we celebrated the positive aspects of migration, including the rich cultural exchange and resilience that migrants bring to new communities.
To reflect on the end of our unit, we discussed our learning and how the inspiring stories shared have shaped our thinking.
Hearing Resource Base
The Hearing Resource Base have been working with the Unicorn Theatre to develop live captions for their upcoming Christmas performance: Odd and the Frost Giants. The Unicorn is the UK’s leading children’s theatre; located on Tooley Street near London Bridge.
This production uses creative captions, integrated into the set design, to help tell the story and improve accessibility. This week, some of our deaf children visited the Unicorn Theatre and watched a rehearsal. They even met the Artistic Director! The children gave feedback to the production team about how to improve the design of the creative captions to make them more interesting and effective.
Odd and the Frost Giants is a family performance running from Tuesday 19th November to Tuesday 31st December at the Unicorn. It is recommended for ages 7 years upwards.
To find out more visit: https://www.unicorntheatre.com/events/odd-and-the-frost-giants
News from the Art Studio…
This week in the art studio, Himid class have been twisting, folding, looping and pleating to create their own rollercoasters.
Music this week…
Year 3 were very excited to find an envelope in the music room this week with instructions to “Watch Me”. After a little more investigating, the children found a letter from the English National Opera asking them to help with a composition project. Apparently the ENO composer has gone missing…….
ECO TEAM
This week we have had a handover of responsibility - our Eco Team elected last year did an amazing job - thank you to all who were involved.
Welcome to our new Eco Team, who are already busy preparing for ‘Protect the Planet’ day in a few weeks time and have launched a competition for all to join in with.
Entries to be handed in to teachers by Monday 11th - so get busy over the weekend!
Sally and I were lucky enough to meet with all the members of the Opal Play team this week, to discuss what everyone felt was going well, what to work on next, and find out what the Opal adults who support the children’s play at lunchtimes and playtimes felt about what Opal has brought to SJSC.
“Opal has given children freedom”.
“There is something for everyone, nobody is bored”
“There is such a variety of things for children to do, have a go at, try, take a risk.”
“I was worried about Opal in the beginning, but now it feels like there are fewer accidents and incidents at playtime”
“I love seeing how imaginative and creative the children can be when they are building with loose parts… the things they make are amazing!”
“It’s given them confidence freedom and creativity.”
“It’s wonderful watching the children playing with children from other year groups, chatting away and helping each other.”
Here are some pictures taken in just 5 minutes on Thursday KS 1 lunchtime!
Jo Davies Curriculum Lead for Opal
Friends of SJSC
Christmas Trees are ON SALE NOW
Every year we sell fantastic quality Christmas Trees that you can pick up at the Christmas Fair on 30th November.
Please tell all of your friends, family and neighbours. The more trees we sell, the more money we raise for our kids.
Order here: tinyurl.com/sjsctrees
Xmas4Schools Order Deadline
There are just a few more days left to order your Christmas Cards & Gifts. You should have an ordering link in your email/text from xmas4schools. Last date to order is 10th November.
Thanks for your support!
School Council
Our elections took place in the final week of last half term. Thank you year 4 for organising such a wonderful democratic process as part of your learning on Modern Parliament and Democracy.
Well done to all of our new school councilors. We met today for the first time - watch this space over the coming year.
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 …
Have a great weekend. See you next week!