Newsletters

Friday 7th March 

 

This week marked the beginning of our Lenten Journey. A time to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter.

The week began with a whole school assembly, to remind ourselves of the importance of lent and also to share with the children all the things we will be doing in school during this time. 

 

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Season of Lent. During Lent, we are asked to try to change, to become better versions of ourselves. We can do this by trying to be more like Jesus.

Our KS2 children attended the Parish Mass and each received ashes.

Father Mark did comment on the children's behaviour and singing during the Mass,  as it was wonderful.

Father Mark brought blessed ashes to school. These were used during the FS/KS1 Liturgy. The children reflected in a really grown-up way, during this time . They thought about anything they had done wrong and said a silent sorry in their hearts, asking for God's forgiveness. They thought about three things that we can all do more of during Lent :

Pray More

Fast More 

Give More 

We decided that we can pray more often and for other people, we can also pray to say thank you for all the things we may have.

We can fast more by doing what Pope Francis has suggested, and stop using unkind words during Lent.

We can give more by trying to give our time and friendship.

 

Easter Mystery Bag

To help us prepare to celebrate Easter, we are inviting all of our families to join us in a special project, called "The Easter Mystery."

By sharing the Easter story, we remember the life, death and resurrection of Jesus and, as a family, take time to stop and think about the true meaning of Easter. During Lent, an Easter Mystery Bag will be taken home by a different child each night.

On the night you have the bag in your home, please: Share the story. You may also wish to lay out the cloth, light the candle and listen to some music. The holding cross can be used to hold while saying a prayer and to reflect on what
Easter means to you.
The bag also includes a simple prayer leaflet so that you may pray together. A ‘notebook’ in which you might like to write a prayer or share a thought about this holy season. It would be great to see some pictures of you sharing the story at home. These can be posted on class dojo or included in the notebook.
The following morning, pack away the Easter Mystery Bag and return it to school for the next family to take home.

The Liturgy Leaders are planning a bun sale next Friday
14th March to raise money for the Franciscan Sisters of
the Renewal. The Sisters will be visiting school on
Tuesday 18th March to spend time with the children and
to share information about their religious life
Cakes will be priced between 50p - £1, so please ensure
that, if your child wishes to take part, they have some
small change on the day. All proceeds will be donated to
the Sisters to support them in their work tackling poverty here in the UK

We would greatly appreciate your support, either by
buying some treats or bringing in some much needed
donations. If you would like to get baking (or shopping!)
then please bring any donations to school on the
morning of Friday 14th March. Children need to take
these to their classrooms where they will be collected.
If you are baking please remember we are a nut free
school so will not be able to accept any cakes with nuts included (baked or bought)
Thank you 
St Joseph’s Liturgy Leaders

We had a wonderful World Book Day. The children (and staff) all looked incredible. Thank you to our amazing parents for supporting us and making sure that the children all looked so great. 

The children all had a special assembly and took part in live online sessions with famous authors. They had lots of fun exploring different books and sharing them with their friends.

Every year on 8 March, International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world!

But why – you might ask – do we have a day especially for women? Well, it’s fair to say that throughout history, women haven’t always received the fairest of treatment.

Women haven’t always been able to work, vote, or been given the same rights as men.

So, since the early 1900s, women around the world have celebrated International Women’s Day, campaigning for equal rights and shining a spotlight on brilliant women across the globe.

This afternoon, the whole school came together to celebrate this special day and then spent the afternoon finding out more about some inspirational women.

The children also watched the Dream Gap clip. Starting as young as age 5, some girls develop limiting self-beliefs. They stop believing that they can do or be anything. At St Joseph's, we very much encourage all of our children to be the very best they can be. We know that we have so many inspirational young women and men of the future that we shall all be very proud of. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZ8Sgkq74XA

 

 Next week we will be taking part in British Science week.

The theme this year is “Adapt and Change” and classes will be taking part in experiments throughout the week to promote learning and discovery whilst exploring these concepts in school.  Please keep your eye out on Class Dojo for our daily Science challenges for you to explore at home. We would love to see your photos and hear how children have got on with these, so please do get involved by sharing your stories with your class teachers on Dojo. 

 On Thursday it was World Book Day, a perfect time to celebrate the joy of reading and explore how technology can support literacy. The way we engage with text has changed dramatically over the years. Whether reading captions on social media, instructions in a video game or an e-book on a digital device, technology plays a major role in modern literacy.

To help struggling readers, many digital platforms offer tools that enhance readability by making text more accessible and engaging.

Whole School Attendance This Week - 95.4%

Reception - 96%

Year 1 - 95%

Year 2 - 95%

Year 3 - 98%

Year 4 - 93%

Year 5 - 96%

Year 6 - 96%

 

  • Saturday 8th March - SHINE celebration event (For the families of the children who participated in the SHINE project) 
  • Monday 10th March - Stations of the Cross - begins this week 
  • Wednesday 12th March - Careers Couch - Y5/Y6
  • Friday 14th March - Bun Sale (Donations for Sisters of the Renewal)
  • Tuesday 18th March - Fransiscan Sisters of the Renewal 
  • Tuesday 18th March - Parents Evening 
  • Wednesday 19th March - St Joseph's Day
  • Friday 21st March - World Poetry Day 
  • Wednesday 26th March - Parents Coffee Morning
  • Thursday 27th March - Parents Evening 
  • Friday 28th March - Last Day of the Spring Term / Own Clothes Day 

St Joseph's Parish Dates 

Saturday, 8 March : A Lenten Recollection: with a Talk, Keep Lent and
Carry On, at 10.00am, Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at 10.30-ish
with Confessions available, Benediction at 11.20am and concluding with
Mass at 11.30am.

Wednesday, 19 March : the solemnity of St Joseph, our patronal feast day. There will be Mass at 10.00am with St Joseph’s School.

Sunday, 13 April : Palm Sunday, Holy Week begins.

Sunday, 20 April : Easter Sunday.

God of mercy and love,

We humbly ask You to send Your grace and Your healing to the Holy Father, Pope Francis. Give him strength, comfort and health in his body, mind and spirit. May Your divine light guide and protect You always, and may your message of peace and love continue to touch the hearts of the faithful.

Amen.