St Joseph's Academy Parent Portal - Friday 10th November 2023

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Diwali is an important religious festival which lasts 5 days. ‘Diwali’ means ‘row of lights’ in Sanskrit, the sacred language of Hinduism. It marks the start of the Hindu New Year. It is also known as Deepawali, or the Festival of Lights.

Diwali is a celebration of good triumphing over evil; of light over darkness. During the festival, the story of Rama and Sita, which is found in the holy book, the Ramayana is retold. The story is retold to commemorate Prince Rama's triumphant return to his kingdom.

Hindus prepare for Diwali by cleaning their houses and then decorating them with lights and oil lamps called diyas. As well as a reminder that light triumphs over darkness, Hindus place lamps at their windows to help the goddess, Lakshmi, find her way to their homes. Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity, and Hindus hope that she will bless them with prosperity in the year to come. It is said that Lakshmi likes cleanliness, so the cleanest homes are visited first!

Rangoli is the Sanskrit word for ‘row of colours’. Rangoli patterns are created using rice, flour and other coloured powders. Flowers, grains and pulses can also be used.

Congratulations to our Critical Thinkers this week

Oliver, Martha, Orla, Emmanuella and Connie

They all received a certificate for demonstrating the Critical Thinking Maker Spirit

Critical thinking allows children to make their own decisions and judgements rather than relying on others. It makes it easier for them to solve problems as they make connections and challenge assumptions, they are flexible and consider alternatives, ask questions and recognise patterns in data.

Our House Captains for the Disciples and Prophets (David, Sophie, Malcolm and Ollie) introduced this week's Maker Spirit

Being Innovative

Children who are innovative analyse and identify problems. They develop new methods to solve problems. Innovative thinking will allow them to see opportunities, use their creative ideas and develop independent problem-solving skills. These skills are essential for becoming ‘work ready’ but also ‘life ready’.

November is the month of remembrance. It is a time when we are particularly conscious of those in our community who are grieving and all those families who have lost loved ones in the past year. We would like to mark this time of year by creating a special remembrance display. Please use the candle to write the names of any family members or friends whom you would like to be placed on our remembrance display. Please send your candle to school, with the names of those you would like to be remembered written on it, by Friday, 3rd November. We shall remember them every time we gather together as a community.
We remember all who have died and pray for those mourning a loved one, that God will give them comfort and peace.

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This week Year 6 have been busy preparing a Remembrance Day assembly for this morning with a minutes silence at 11am. Each class made a wreath of poppies which was placed at our Remembrance Table as part of the assembly. Year 6 then had an Armistice Day Party this afternoon. The reason we observe Remembrance Day on November 11th is because hostilities formally ended at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918. Originally it was called Armistice Day (an armistice is a peace agreement) but after World War II it was renamed Remembrance Day to include everyone who had died in both world wars.

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Year 2 had a 'whale' of a time at The Deep on Monday

On arriving at The Deep in Hull they started their visit with an educational workshop about caring for our oceans. The children learnt a lot about how best to look after our oceans and keep all the marine life safe. As a class the children considered what changes they can make to reduce their carbon footprint in school and at home.

They saw some amazing marine life including jellyfish, starfish, penguins, sword fish, turtles and rays as they visited the different areas around The Deep.

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Your attendance counts

Good school attendance gives children the best start in life. The academic and social benefits of good school attendance help children throughout their childhood and later in life.

In the last few years, the number of children missing days of school has increased and it is a priority in Sheffield, and in the rest of the country, to turn this around. We can all work together to improve children’s school attendance.

Being on time matters too, as being late for school can be disruptive to children and their friends in class.

We want children to be in school every day, on time and ready to learn!

Weekly Attendance - week beginning 6th November 2023

Our whole school attendance target for this academic year (23/24) is 96.5%

Follow the link below for further information:

NHS 'Is my child too ill for school?' guidance

Upcoming Events and Important Dates

Mon 13th - Fri 17th November - Anti-bullying week

Sat 18th November - Open Morning 9:30 - 12pm

Fri 1st December - Blessing of Advent Wreaths

Wed 13th December - EYFS Nativity 10am,

Wed 13th December - KS1 Nativity 2pm

Thurs 14th December - EYFS Nativity 10am

Thurs 14th December - Infant Nativity 2pm

Fri 15th December - Y5 Cannon Hall Farm

Fri 15th December - Infant Party

Mon 18th December - Elf Day

Tues 19th December - Carols in Church 2pm

Wed 20th December - Breakfast with Santa

Thurs 21st December - Christmas Jumper Day

Thurs 21st December - Christmas Show am

Thurs 21st December - KS2 Party pm

Friday 22nd December – School finishes at 1:30pm

Christmas Break – 25th December – 5th January

Please Note

The school day will finish at 1.30pm on the last day of the autumn term, Friday 22nd December.

UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines:

Children and young people should engage in moderate to vigorous physical activity for an average of at least 60 minutes per day across the week. This can include all forms of activity such as physical education, active travel, after-school activities, play and sports.

Get Fit and Win Big with our Mile Challenge!

We've got an exciting fitness challenge lined up!

Our enthusiastic sports prefects will be keeping a close eye on all the amazing children who participate in our Mile Challenge. We want to see how you're pushing your limits, improving endurance, and having a whole lot of fun along the way!

But wait, there's more! Each time children go out on the track, we will be selecting a 'King' and a 'Queen' from each class who will be celebrated for their incredible commitment.

On 24^th November 2023, one lucky boy and one lucky girl will be randomly selected from our 'Kings' and 'Queens' to win a GRAND PRIZE! How does 4 tickets to Disney on Ice on Thursday 30^th November sound? Pretty magical, right?

Whether you walk, jog, or sprint the Mile (or even if you don’t quite manage to reach a mile, you're all winners in our eyes, and who knows, the ultimate prize could be yours!

Let's run our way to fitness and fun!

Playground Praise

Previously we have had some very kind comments from parents which we are always delighted to receive. The home - school partnership is key to pupils learning and enjoying their time at St Joseph's and we are always happy when we get positive feedback from parents and our local community. If you ever do want to pass on a comment our office staff would be delighted to take this.

Please can we ask you to please check all food items that your children are bringing to school. Recently we have had a number of pupils arriving with Peanut/Nut Products. Since we have several students with allergies, we must continue to be diligent in not allowing these food products in our school.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.