Newsletters

Friday 21st June 2024

Francophone day

On Wednesday 19th June we hosted a Francophone Day. Francophone means ‘French Speaking’ and so we studied countries around the world that speak French.  This is to raise awareness of the fact that French is not just spoken in France. There are 29 official French-speaking countries and you can see their flags below. 

During the day pupils of all year groups participated in activities which celebrate international cultures as well as diversity within our school community. Some of the activities that took place were:

  • Listening to music from the country
  • Learning to speak some words from the language
  • Doing some art work linked with that country
  • Doing some map work linked to the geography of that country
  • Learning a bit about the history of that country
  • Looking at the day in the life of a child from that country

All the children then had opportunity to taste some french specialities such as pain au chocolate, profiteroles, quiche Lorraine, baguettes and french cheese. We finished the day with a whole school assembly, led by our language ambassadors, each class was able to share some of their work and learning about the country they had been allocated

It was a really wonderful day - thankyou to Mrs Cosgrove for organising it.

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Crucial Crew

Year 6 attended Crucial Crew, run by South Yorkshire Police. They had a fantastic day learning how to keep themselves and others safe in a number of different scenarios. 

We covered: Arson, Knife and Hate Crime, Water Safety, Fire in the home safety, Child Criminal Exploitation, Pet Safety, Road safety, Public Transport Safety and found out what is was like in a magistrates court - we role played a case and thought about how the actions of one person affected not just themselves but so many others too.  

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Year 5 All Saints

Year 5 had a taster session at All Saints Catholic High School on Wednesday this week. This allowed the children an insight into what it might be like to be a student at Senior School. The children were able to experience what lessons are like and meet the current pupils and staff. Year 5 joined in with a PE lesson and a science lesson which was followed by an assembly.

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Grandparents Gardening

Thankyou to all the lovely grandparents who came to help us with the gardening this week. The children really enjoyed the opportunity to get outside with their grandparents digging, planting and learning the value of home-grown produce. Our raised beds are bursting with flowers, vegetables and fruit. There are so many vibrant colours and wonderful scents brightening up the school grounds! Well done gardeners!

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Children need a healthy, balanced diet rich in fruit, vegetables and starchy foods such as pasta, rice and potatoes. Providing your child with a packed lunch that contains a variety of these things will help to make sure that they get the wide range of nutrients they need to stay healthy.

Packed lunches should include:

  • at least one portion of fruit and one portion of vegetables every day.
  • meat, fish or other source of non-dairy protein (e.g. lentils, kidney beans, chickpeas, hummus and falafel) every day
  • oily fish, such as salmon, at least once every three weeks
  • a starchy food such as any type of bread, pasta, rice, couscous, noodles, potatoes or other type of cereals every day
  • dairy food such as milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais or custard everyday

Packed lunches MUST not include

  • nuts – including peanut butter and Nutella – because of the life threatening risk to any other child who may have a severe allergy
  • confectionery such as chocolate bars and sweets (fruit strings are considered to be sweets). Cakes and biscuits are allowed but encourage your child to eat these only as part of a balanced meal.
  • drinks other than water – fresh water is available at all times so you do not need to include this
  • snacks such as crisps or cheddars.  Instead, include seeds, vegetables and fruit (with no added salt, sugar or fat).  Breadsticks served with fruit, vegetables or dairy food are also a good choice.

Special diets and allergies

  • The school also recognises that some pupils may require special diets that do not allow for the standards to be met exactly.   In this case parents are urged to be responsible in ensuring that packed lunches are as healthy as possible.  For these reasons pupils are also not permitted to swap food items.

Healthier Families (NHS) has handy tips for parents on their website.

Healthier Lunchbox Recipes

A recent Sport England study found that less than half (47%) of children in the UK currently meet the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of taking part in an average of 60 minutes or more of sport and physical activity a day 🚴🏋️ While this figure may see a rise during the Euros, taking this chance to get children and young people engaged in regular exercise could cement the increase in a more permanent way.

However, it can be tricky to know where to start, or how best to encourage young people to stay active – so, our Wake up Wednesday guide is here to offer some tips. This week, we’re sharing expert advice on how to promote exercise and the importance of physical wellbeing for the younger generation. 

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Upcoming Events and Important Dates 

Mon 24th June - Wellbeing Week

Weds 26th June - Sports Day

Thurs 4th July - Festival of Art

Tues 9th July - Hallam Diocese Schools' Pilgrimage to Padley (Y6)

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

It is the law that parents or carers must make sure their child of compulsory school age receives a full-time education, either by attending school or through alternative education arrangements.

If your child attends school, as a parent or carer you are responsible for making sure they go on time every day. It is essential for all children to attend school as often as possible.

Good attendance has been proven to make a big difference to children’s progress at school. If your child is not at school, they cannot take part in the learning activities their classmates are accessing. Furthermore, children’s learning can be disjointed if their attendance is poor, as children develop gaps in their learning, so find new learning confusing.

Most children at St Joseph's have excellent attendance. Attendance below 95% starts to become concerning to us. When attendance is below 90%, Sheffield’s Attendance and Inclusion Service class this as “persistent absence” and steps need to be taken to try to enable the child to attend school more often. Of course, some absences are completely unavoidable e.g. when a child is too ill to attend school,

Punctuality

Lateness equals lost learning. The figures below are calculated over a school year. Lateness can also mean the rest of the class is disturbed and children who are late miss teaching, which will help them understand their learning tasks. We do understand that on occasions unplanned events get in the way of coming to school on time and it's much better to be late than not to attend at all that day. Getting into good habits of punctuality is the most important factor.

5 minutes late each day equals 3 days lost!
10 minutes late each day equals 6.5 days lost!
15 minutes late each day equals 10 days lost!

Weekly Attendance - week beginning 17th June 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

Coming Soon ....................

There is so much happening at St Joseph's every week, make a note of these dates so you don't miss out!

Weds 26th June - Sports Day

Dear Parents, 

I am writing to inform you about the details of our School's Sports Day. The schedule for the day will be as follows: 

· EYFS (Reception) and KS1 (Year 1 & Year 2) will take part in the morning from 9.45am until 11.15am, 

· KS2 (Year 3-6), the event will be held in the afternoon from 1.30pm until 3.00pm. 

We invite all parents to come and spectate, and we will be setting up a designated viewing area of the field so that children can freely move between events - Also there will be opportunity to purchase some refreshments, including cream tea (£1.50) in the outdoor classroom whilst sports day is on.

In conclusion, it's essential that you ensure your child is dressed for outdoor activities, wearing appropriate clothing and footwear for the sports day event. 

We ask that children wear their house colours: Prophets in red, Saints in blue, Disciples in green, and Angels in yellow. If you are unsure, please contact your class teacher as soon as possible. 

Please remember to send your child with enough water to keep them hydrated throughout the day. 

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in this matter. 

Yours sincerely, 

Mr Findler

Thurs 4th July - Festival of Art

Dear Parents/Carers,

We are excited to invite you along to our “Festival of Arts Day”. The children have been working hard this term exploring, skill building and creating art for their topic work. They have worked so hard and produced such fabulous creations that we would like to invite you along to have a look! 

The “Festival of Arts” will be on Thursday 4th July.

There will be year group slots timetabled throughout the day. 

You can choose which slot you come to. We will be timetabling the children in school to also look around the Art Show so if you would like to see you child or children, you can see on our timetable at which point they will also be in the hall. For those with siblings in school so you are welcome to come to more than one slot, or another family member is also welcome to come at a different time. 

Timetable for the day:

Reception:  9:00-9.40

Y1: 9.45-10.20

Y2: 10.45- 11.20

Y3 and Y4: 1:30-2:10

Y5 and Y6: 2:15 – 2:55

Please let us know you are coming and sign up using The School Gateway telling us who is coming in the comments section - . Please remember it is two adults per child. It will be lovely to have some parents join us back in school. On arrival look for the signs for the “Festival of Arts” and follow them. 

Many thanks

Ms Beasley

Arts Lead

Fri 12th July - Year 6 Prom

Mon 15th July - Year 6 Performance

The Year of Prayer 2024

In preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year ‘Pilgrims of Hope’, 2024 has been designated a Year of Prayer.

The Holy Father has asked that 2024 be a year of prayer, as a preparatory year for the Jubilee. 

"Prayer unites us: it makes us brothers and sisters. It is in prayer that our hearts find the strength not to be cold and insensitive in the face of injustice. In prayer, God keeps calling us, opening our hearts to charity!

Pope Francis

Prayer Intention for June - For migrants fleeing their homes
We pray that migrants fleeing from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys full of danger and violence, find welcome and new opportunities in the countries that receive them.