St Joseph's Academy Parent Portal - Friday 10th May 2024

The Feast of the Ascension

On Thursday we celebrated the feast of the Ascension, which is a Holy Day of Obligation. The Ascension takes place 40 days after Easter Sunday and commemorates the day on which the resurrected Jesus leaves his disciples in Galilee to join God the Father in heaven. Before he did so, Jesus shared with his disciples his final instruction – known as the Great Commission – to go out and deliver the message of God’s love and mercy with everyone, everywhere. This is the mission all Christ’s followers continue to share. KS2 and KS1 joined the parish for mass at 10am to celebrate this feast day.

Following mass, we enjoyed an extra long playtime on a beautiful Ascension morning!

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Next week the children in Year 6 begin their statutory standard assessment tests. This week is very important for our Year 6 learners who have been working hard to prepare for their SATs assessments.

This is followed by an extended period when the Y6 pupils’ writing is further assessed against national standards. During this time our school can be subject to an external review and moderation by the local authority on behalf of the Standards and Testing Agency. Attendance is therefore extremely important.

Today we had a visit from a STEM ambassador from AMRC. They introduced their work and demonstrated how engineers solve problems through the application
of science and design. STEM ambassadors help to create an invaluable link between school and industry. They make that link really clear between the learning pupils are doing in the classroom and how they will be able to use that in the real world. These experiences of real life careers supports children as their awareness, problem-solving and critical thinking skills develop. This helps the children to understand how science, technology, engineering and maths helps us in real life, and what type of careers exist.

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Bun Sale

Many thanks to all the parents who supported the bun sale that took place today. There were so many delicious looking buns it was hard to choose.

We raised nearly £200

This money will be used to support the work of the British Red Cross in the UK and around the world.

It was lovely to see so many children being kind to each other. In each class there were so many examples of kindness - children helping each other, children listening carefully to each other, children smiling and saying hello, some children even offered to pay for a bun for those children who hadn't any money. Lots of children were genuinely warm and caring, and were able to empathise with others. They have really made a difference. There is also the added benefit that acts of kindness are known to improve mental health.

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Upcoming Events and Important Dates

Mon 13th May - SATS week

Mon 13th May - Grandparents Gardening Week

Tues 14th May - Year 3 Gardening

Wed 15th May - Year 4 Gardening

Fri 17th May - May Procession

Thurs 23rd & Fri 24th May - Year 5 Residential, Castleton

Half Term - 27th - 31st May

Mon 3rd June - INSET Day

Mon 17th June - Year 6 Crucial Crew

Wed 19th June - Francophone Day

Mon 24th June - Wellbeing Week

Weds 26th June - Sports Day

Thurs 4th July - Festival of Art

Fri 12th July - School Prom

Mon 15th July - Year 6 Performance

Fri 19th July - 1:30pm End of Summer Term

Summer Break - 22nd July - 3rd Sept

Wed 4th Sept - Pupils return to school

Our overall outcomes for attendance are achieved by working closely with parents and by monitoring, evaluating and analysing attendance weekly, half-termly, termly and annually.

We recognise the importance of good attendance as the essential foundation to positive outcomes and benefits for all pupils which includes developing knowledge and skills, attainment, progress, wellbeing, building friendships and feeling included, increasing their confidence, self-esteem and resilience, improving social skills and providing wider opportunities and responsibilities.

Good attendance is your statutory responsibility and the impact on your child cannot be underestimated not just for now but also for later life and the working world. It is key to your child doing well at school, providing them with the best opportunity to achieve their full potential and fulfil aspirations for the future.

Weekly Attendance - week beginning 6th May 2024

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

What Parents and Carers Need to Know about TikTok

TikTok is a free social media platform that lets users create, share and watch short videos ranging anywhere from 15 seconds to 10 minutes in duration. The app gained notoriety for its viral dances, trends and celebrity cameos and can be a creative, fun platform for teens to enjoy. Now available in 75 languages, it has more than a billion active users worldwide and is most popular with the under-16 age bracket. In fact, a 2022 Ofcom report found TikTok to be the most-used social media platform for posting content, particularly among young people aged 12 to 17.

In the guide, you'll find tips on avoiding potential risks such as age-inappropriate content, dangerous challenges and contact with strangers.

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Calling all green fingered grandparents!

We know that we have many talented grandparents in our school community, who we are hoping may be able to spare us a little time to develop our beautiful gardening area.

Classes will be sending home DoJo messages advising when they would like this help, in the near future.

We would also really appreciate donations of plants, especially:

Lettuce, tomato, strawberry, radish, spinach, carrots and courgettes.

Herbs – mint, thyme and rosemary

Also any flowering plants for our hanging baskets and containers.

Any donations, really would be greatly appreciated – please bring them into school from Monday the 13^th of May.

Please look out for DoJo messages from your child’s class teacher to find out when the gardening is happening.

We are an Operation Encompass school. This is to enable our staff in our school to support children who are experiencing domestic abuse.

What is Operation Encompass?

Operation Encompass is a police and education early information safeguarding partnership enabling schools to offer immediate support to children experiencing domestic abuse.

Why are we part of Operation Encompass?

Our aim is to ensure all our children who experience domestic abuse receive timely support in school.

Operation Encompass aims, by directly connecting police and schools, to secure better outcomes for children, to enable us to better understand the impact living with domestic abuse has upon children, to help us to better understand a child’s lived experience and to therefore be able to support and nurture each child, making a child’s day better and giving them a better tomorrow.

How does Operation Encompass work?

Operation Encompass ensures that there is a notification to the school’s trained Designated Safeguarding Lead prior to the start of the next school day after an incident of police attended domestic abuse where there are children related to either of the adult parties involved. This sharing of information enables appropriate support to be given, dependent upon the needs and wishes of the child.

Our Safeguarding Team

Safeguarding at St Joseph's

If you have any concerns about a student at St Joseph's, please share this information with us straight away.
Issues such as appearance, hygiene, behaviour, can be shared with teaching or support staff.
Do not worry about reporting small matters – we would rather you tell us than miss a worrying situation.
If you think that a student or an adult who cares for them has been or might be harmed; please talk to a member of our trained safeguarding team immediately (details above).
You can ask any member of staff to find them and speak to you about a confidential and urgent matter.

World Educational Robotics Details

4 WEEK EDUCATIONAL ROBOTICS PROGRAMME

-Advanced Educational Robotics & Coding Programme using C202 and Krypton Abilix robots.
-Engineering theory and advanced engineering skills.
-Learn how to control machines using block and basic C programming language.
-Participants learn and use key stages 2 and 3 school physics, computing and maths topics to solve real world problems through problem based and enquiry based learning.

Orienteering

On Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the summer holiday, there are several orienteering sessions planned at the Moorland Discovery Centre. Free of charge, no booking required.

Contact info

Longshaw Office 01433631757 peakdistrict@nationaltrust.org.uk

The Angelus Prayer

V. The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:

R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary……..

V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord:

R. Be it done to me according to your word.
Hail Mary……..

V. And the Word was made flesh:

R. And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary……..

V. Pray for us O holy Mother of God.

R. That we made be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Hail Mary……..

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, your Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by his passion and cross be brought to the glory of his resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.